The latest edition of G2E Las Vegas was a special one for the major gambling industry event, marking the largest for the show since the pandemic, just shy of pre-Covid 2019 numbers. Hundreds of attendees and global gaming firms gathered at The Venetian over the course of the three-day expo, held last month.
Among the companies present at the show wasBMM Testlabs. In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, Robert Reyes, Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts, reflects on the gaming testing laboratory’s participation at the event, explains the main compliance and security faced by industry players, and more.
What is the assessment you make of your participation in G2E this year? What are the main takeaways, especially given this edition marked a return to pre-pandemic levels of attendance?
Our BMM team was thrilled with G2E this year, from the strong attendees overall to the many key decision-makers who visited our booth. It was also great to see so many attendees from outside North America, as international attendance appeared to match pre-pandemic levels.
We spoke with many international attendees who were very interested in pursuing opportunities in North America, the expansive array of new digital product lines in iGaming and sports betting, and how BMM can take their products anywhere in the world. BMM Testlabs certifies and tests any gaming product in every gaming market.
What was the reception like to the BMM’s presence at the expo? What were attendees most interested in learning about, from a compliance perspective?
Our booth was welcoming, which kept meetings consistent throughout the show. It is always exciting to talk to suppliers, operators, and regulators from around the globe about our rich suite of solutions, which includes BMM’s quality assurance testing, pre-compliance, and compliance testing for all products and markets.
This year, our booth visitors were excited about our digital testing services, specifically our sports betting testing program. This includes front-end functional testing and back-end testing for the entire realm of sports betting, including daily fantasy sports and mobile wagering.
We also experienced a great deal of interest in our BMM Innovation Group (BIG) cybersecurity platform, BIG Cyber, which is committed to providing 24/7 cybersecurity defense to the gaming industry. BIG Cyber utilizes military-grade monitoring with proactive threat hunting and vulnerability assessments.
Cyber defense is crucial for gaming operators and suppliers to safeguard data against theft and loss. Now more than ever companies and their critical business systems are being held hostage, which causes productivity to come to a halt and creates massive financial damage. BIG Cyber’s solutions are designed to protect the gaming industry, which is so dependent on safeguarding sensitive data.
Many attendees were also very interested in the opening of BMM’s newest laboratories in India and Slovenia. These fully functional laboratories allow for expanded testing services, and support our continued growth by helping service all of BMM’s global clients.
G2E is one of the largest exhibitions at a global scale, attracting stakeholders from all over the world and from all verticals. Based on what was on display on the show floor, and conversations at the expo, what would you say are the most pressing topics at the moment, and how can BMM assist operators in navigating them?
At BMM, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop testing shop for suppliers, operators, and regulators. At G2E, our meetings with these key BMM partners were focused on our core testing and certification solutions and emphasized the value we can offer to online testing and sports betting operators and suppliers. BMM offers iGaming solutions for Esports, daily fantasy sports, cryptocurrency, and more, in addition to pre-compliance and full realm quality assurance testing and our key BIG Cyber defense program.
There was also a lot of buzz around RG24seven, our BIG virtual training platform, which provides online training on responsible gaming, anti-money laundering, corporate social responsibility, and more. These are crucial topics that we see both operators and suppliers focusing on more than ever.
BMM was joined at the expo by the BMM Innovation Group (BIG), which provides support in key areas of cybersecurity. Sports betting and online gaming were given plenty of focus at the event. What are some of the major security issues companies entering this space may find?
In our highly regulated global gaming industry, protecting your data, systems, and networks from cyberattacks is more critical now than ever. For casino operators, protecting player data and hotel and casino management systems is paramount. For suppliers, protecting proprietary software code is key to continued innovation.
Many companies have fallen prey to major cybersecurity threats, such as phishing, ransomware, malware, and various other tactics that trick users into revealing sensitive information. Cyber-attackers are becoming more innovative, and companies are realizing just how devastating these threats can be to business continuity, which has resulted in the need for BIG Cyber’s time-sensitive solutions.
Does BMM plan to attend any other industry event in the near future? What is next for the company?
As a global company, BMM attends all major industry events and trade shows. 2022 is quickly coming to an end, so there are only a few industry events remaining. We are attending SBC’s Latinoamerica Summit this week and the SIGMA tradeshow in Malta from November 14-18.
As always, we will start our 2023 events with ICE London from February 7-9, and then attend various shows worldwide throughout the year. BMM has emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever, and we look forward to connecting with our global partners throughout 2023.
