THE FIRST GAMING EXHIBITION IN BULGARIA

BEGE - BALKAN ENTERTAINMENT & GAMING EXPO
30 September – 2 October 2008, Expo Convention Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Balkan Entertainment & Gaming Expo (BEGE) is a new initiative of BTAMOGI (Bulgarian Trade Association of the Manufacturers and Operators in the Gaming Industry), which is the main representative body of the companies producing gaming equipment or operating gambling facilities in Bulgaria and has been EUROMAT member since May 2007.

“This is the first event of such high rate in the region, comments Mr. Angel Iribozov, a Member of the Management Board of BTAMOGI. There are other countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic, with gaming equipment exhibitions, but they are mostly locally orientated, and each one is mainly useful for some specific market/s and gaming categories. We believe this is the right moment for a larger-scale event to be held, as a response to the growing trends in the region, which are shown through the increased interests of the gaming operators and manufacturers to develop more actively their business.”

Balkans and Eastern Europe had become a place of interest for the gaming experts, especially after the acceptance of many countries from the region in the European Union. Casinos have emerged as a popular form of leisure entertainment. The growth in the gaming sector, together with the introduction of stricter legal and regulatory environment, and stabilization in the economic climate made the countries in the region an attractive place for business. Bulgaria, as one of the first countries in Eastern Europe to regulate the gaming and implement reliable legal frame became one of the well established, sophisticated gaming markets. Current developments and successful joint ventures have set trends for the establishment of Mega Entertainment Complexes and Resorts.

The strategic cross-point location of Bulgaria and its capital Sofia gives a crucial benefit to organizers and visitors of BEGE, in respect of logistics, transport and communications, making it the ideal place where business people from the whole region can meet. Held in Expo center, the new state-of-the-art convention center in Sofia, BEGE will gather together operators, vendors, manufacturers, regulators, consultants and experts in the industry in a 3-day trade show exposition to present the latest industry developments for the region.

At the same time with the trade show there will be held the 1st Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS), which will feature series of conferences, sessions and topics across a variety of issues putting together the local industry trends and gaming laws. Regulators and medias, professional researchers and analysts will uncover the hidden financial, jurisdictional, legal and social sides of gaming. A central part in discussions will take the successful experience of the Bulgarian Gaming Board to reduce the illegal gambling in Bulgaria during the last years, which ranked the country one of the first among the European countries reporting a very low percentage of illegal gambling.

The programs of both events BEGE and EEGS will be fully synchronized allowing the visitors to enjoy all the benefits of both trade exposition and the scientific sessions. And of course all this will be complemented by the unique chance to enjoy one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe.

Detailed information about the events at: www.balkangamingexpo.com.

BTAMOGI has been accepted as a member of EUROMAT (The European Gaming and Amusement Federation)

On 24th - 25th of May the Annual General Assembly of EUROMAT was held at the Palais Pallavichini in Vienna, Austria. At this prestigious international forum BTAMOGI was accepted and welcomed as a new member of the Federation.

BTAMOGI was officially represented by Mr. Angel Iribozov - Member of the Management Board, Dr. Kiril Kalev - Coordinator Central and Western Europe and the legal advisors of the Association. An inaugural address was delivered by Mr. Angel Iribozov who expressed their commitment to contribute to raising the profile and prestige of the gaming industry, and to implementation of unified standards in the gaming industry and their harmonization with international standards.

EUROMAT President, Mr. Eduardo Antoja, welcomed the new member and expressed great satisfaction in accepting BTAMOGI into their structure. He said, they are looking forward to uniting their efforts for development of the gaming industry and to work in effective cooperation with European institutions to achieve effective solutions of the live issues in the gaming sector.

Established in 1992 BTAMOGI is the main body representing individuals and companies, involved in the gaming industry in Bulgaria and nowadays includes 19 members, which unite the operators of the 40 largest gaming halls in the country along with 70 % of Bulgarian gaming equipment manufacturers. Since its establishment the Association has taken a very responsible role within the process of approving the legal basis for the regulation of the Bulgarian gaming business.