The gaming industry, a vital part of the island’s diverse economy, is launching initiatives to prove it cares about customers.

Major movers and shakers have told Business News about forthcoming projects that include:

lThe launch of a ’Responsible Gambling Week’ from October 12 intended to be a ’national conversation’ including the Isle of Man. An expert lawyer said it was the first time the industry has come together like this as one voice.

lA new national online self-exclusion scheme, created by the Remote Gambling Association trade association which will be called GAMSTOP which could be up and running by the end of the year.

Companies are fighting back amid a wave of controversies and ’negative’ publicity including a record £7.8 million fine imposed on UK based operator 888.

The firm was penalised by the UK Gambling Commission for allowing customers who had chosen to ’self exclude’ to continue playing.

High-profile figures from the UK, involved in this year’s KPMG eGaming Summit, gathered for a round table event with Business News.

They stressed their wide-ranging discussion was just as relevant for the island as it was for the UK.

Micky Swindale, a director at KPMG in the island, said it was a timely discussion as there was a ’common’ perception that the gambling industry has a very poor record on social responsibility.

John Hagan, partner at Harris Hagan, City of London law firm specialising in the gambling sector and chairman of the industry group for responsible gambling, said: ’It’s the first time the industry has come together as one voice to talk about what responsible gambling means.’

He claimed there was much good work done by the industry, both as individual operators and as collaborators.

The discussion was also attended by representatives of Ladbrokes Coral, Genting, the Remote Gambling Association, the UK Gambling Commission and the charity Gamble Aware. Meanwhile, the KPMG eGaming summit opened its doors to almost 300 delegates from around the world.

The eighth summit to be held locally, it marks the 15th in a series of KPMG summits held across the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Malta.

Despite a challenging year for some offshore jurisdictions, in the Isle of Man the eGaming sector has grown to account for nearly a fifth of national income.

Prevalent themes at this year’s event were social responsibility, diversity, technology innovation and regulatory change.

The summit began with an address by the Isle of Man’s Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK. He said: ’The sector is an outstanding example of how innovation and diversification have sustained our economy into a remarkable fourth decade.

’I would like to thank KPMG for hosting this extremely successful event, year on year.’

The agenda offered a full programme of presentations and panel sessions in the Royal Hall, with concurrent workshops being held in the Broadway cinema.

Audience polls again provided the interactive feature of the summit, with delegates answering questions on a variety of eGaming topics via the Bizzabo mobile app.

Following the Chief Minister’s address were jurisdictional updates on the four key eGaming territories of the Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar and the UK.

Locally, the eGaming sector continues to do well and attract business, with seven recent licence applications to add to the 37 current licensees.

Russell Kelly of KPMG in the Isle of Man said: ’A strong new business flow and steady growth among the larger, established operators on the island, makes us a very viable option, of all the offshore territories.’

Prior to lunch delegates were treated to a series of compelling presentations by industry experts, exploring several facets of social responsibility.

These included: The Economics of Consumer Behaviour and the Gambling Sector; Fairness and the Consumer; and Next Steps for Harm Minimisation in an Online World.

Fiona Palmer of the RGA updated on progress on their GAMSTOP project and John Hagan of Harris Hagan spoke about Responsible Gambling Week.

Several sides of the sector - operators, government and gambling action groups - will come together to promote the event in an effort to promote responsible gambling behaviour and conversations across the industry and deliver a positive message at a time when the industry’s general portrayal in the media is fairly negative.

The high-profile International Masters of Gaming Law [IMGL] were once again on board providing masterclasses, on such topics as Anti-Money Laundering and the Regulatory and Political Climate for Gaming in the UK.

New to the agenda were two breakout workshops: ’Innovation in Payments’ was led by Jens Bader of MuchBetter.com, which explored the many ways that operators are able to capitalise on new payment technology and optimise payment costs; while the Future for Affiliates workshop examined the most forward-thinking marketing strategies for gambling companies and their partners.

An incisive look at technology innovation and initiatives was presented by Lydia Barbara of Microgaming, in a presentation the delegates found both fascinating and inspiring.

Micky Swindale of KPMG explored gender diversity in the workplace in #WeAllWantToPlay, setting out the talent, customer and moral business case for inclusion.

Already, there exists a well-researched link between company performance and diversity on boards, but in addition ’for many, the absence of diversity in business leadership is a clear signal that our wealth creators just don’t get it.’

The KPMG summit is a pivotal event in the global eGaming calendar and provides an open forum for key industry stakeholders to come together, network and receive the latest industry updates.

Commenting on the event was one delegate from a large local operator: ’This summit is very important for me and I encourage as many of our staff to attend as possible.

’What really struck me today was this emerging theme that the customer should be at the very heart of our industry.

’Social responsibility and consumer protection (including voluntary self-exclusion schemes) are a positive step towards ensuring that customers receive the best possible experience, when they do go online to gamble.

’A more holistic approach is needed by us operators as well as legislators, working in tandem with action groups, to enable us to do this.’

With his closing words, DED Minister Laurence Skelly MHK, promised: ’We are striving to become an island of innovation, integrity and excellence.

’Here, at government, we will support the industry however best we can, to fulfil that goal.’

KPMG thank its many sponsors including: Continent 8 Technologies, the Isle of Man Government, SMP Compliance Academy, Manx Telecom, Wiggin, NewField, FeatureSpace, MuchBetter.com, GBG, Capital International and IMGL Masterclasses.

Gaming industry figures gathered at 14 North for a round table with KPMG and the Isle of Man Examiner's Business News section.

There is a full report of the event on pages 59 to 62 of this week's paper, which is in the shops now.