First SiGMA Asia event opens today in Manila

Jul 19, 2023 Newsdesk iGaming, Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck  

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The first in-person SiGMA Asia trade event and conference for the online gaming sector starts today (Wednesday, July 19) in the Philippines. SiGMA Asia 2023 will take place until July 22, at the SMX Convention Center (pictured), in Pasay, Manila.

The SiGMA Asia organisers have said they expect the event to attract 15,000 delegates, with more than 200 exhibitors likely to take part in the trade show.

The event features some social gatherings on the first day. The exhibition and conference part of the show begin on the second day.

The four-day event will feature discussions on developments in online gaming, casino resorts, gaming regulation, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology.

Alejandro Tengco, head of the Philippine gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), is due to give a keynote speech for the opening of the SiGMA Asia’s inaugural Manila conference.

Also scheduled to attend is Kelvin Lee, a commissioner for the Philippine stock market and corporate supervisory body the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Philippines is one of the few Asia-Pacific jurisdictions to embrace and licence online gaming, including via its land-based casinos.

In a press release on Tuesday, Pagcor said SiGMA Asia highlights “the Philippines’ readiness to adopt new technologies that will help local gaming achieve greater heights”.

The statement quoted Mr Tengco as saying: “We welcome the holding of the summit in the country as we believe that we will gain so much from this event and keep us abreast with the latest trends in global gaming and digital economy.”

SiGMA founder Eman Pulis said in prepared remarks included in Pagcor’s release that Manila was the right place to hold the organisation’s event.

“Now that Covid is out of the way, we’re doubling down our efforts and leaving no stone unturned to launch a conference in Manila and bring our vast network in the West closer to Asian suppliers, operators and affiliates,” Mr Pulis stated.

The conference features sessions dedicated to “Land-based casinos”, “Regulation in Asia”, “Online casino trends”, and “Emerging tech & innovation in Asia”.

SiGMA Asia’s exhibition floor will include a ‘Startup Village’, for businesses to present ideas and new projects, hosting 100 start-up companies.

The show will feature business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) brands in the online gaming sector, as well as a number of land-based gaming businesses.

The gathering is also to feature an eSports tournament over the course of the event.

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