CGS GROUP is getting ready along with the Dominican Casinos Association,  the Sport Books Association, as well as garnering the support of the Dominican Republic Casinos Directorate of the Ministry of Treasure, to welcome more than 350 guests on 14th and 15th of November at the Renaissance Jaragua and Sheraton Hotels.

-Minutes of the interview with Elizabeth Leiva, CEO of the CGS Group LLc, organizers of the DR Gaming Summit-

What is the format of the DR Gaming Summit?

This new designation, is comprised of a 2-day international Event, consisting of Bilingual Conferences in the mornings, including a fellowship Buffet Lunch for the group  and the Exhibition of products and workshops in the afternoons. 1 day is simply not enough, and 3 days are too many. The optimized time frame is a 2 days Event.

With the awesome support received, how many people will the DR Gaming Summit cater for?

Because of the large number of registered entities, we had to divide the Event between 2 adjoining locations. The Sheraton,  will receive those attending the Conference, lasting 2 days, during the mornings, with simultaneous translation on offer, given that many of the Speakers do not speak Spanish.

Then the whole group will be invited to a Caribbean buffet style lunch on the terrace of the Sheraton Hotel and later the doors will be opened to the Exhibition at the Renaissance Jaragua Hotel.

What differentiates this from other events in the region?

The Caribbean Gaming Show has already had a 9 year span working in the Caribbean and its jurisdictions, over and over again. We know the markets, their characteristics, and we can prepare a customized product for each of them. In addition, our network is extensive and every place we go, we harness the support of the Gaming Authority and Associations or Game Chambers. Unlike other events that try to find their way in a changing, dynamic market and are ultimately hampered by the environment in more than one way, the Caribbean Gaming Show – CGS- quickly adapts to the changes and challenges we face. We meet the expectations placed on this offering and give them the best of our Human Resources Division hand in hand with manufacturers who stay with us year after year.   

In the first instance, CGS is inclusive. You cannot strictly separate and filter who gets in and who does not. You need to receive entrepreneurs pertaining to the sector, who are certainly part of it, who must be required to be part of the purchase decision-making chain, so that exhibitors are investing time and resources on customers that will generate a future order. CGS is very interested in the educational facets: technical, executive, commercial, technological, legislative and which is why we handpick the Speakers, who have the greatest ability to share with the audience, in the languages of Spanish or English, their all important knowledge. We always make a very strong investment in setting the stage properly so that simultaneous translation booths transcend the language, so as for it not to be a barrier in the Caribbean market, which is the territory in which we enjoy undisputed leadership.

Finally, CGS is dynamic and ever changing, moldable according to the dictates of time and circumstances, it is agile, fast evolving and revolutionizes.

CGS will be very pleased to develop such an important event once again in the Dominican Republic. We started in 2010 in the large Sans Sousi Convention Center in Santo Domingo, and then we ended our route at the Hard Rock All Inclusive Hotel in Punta Cana in 2013, being  the first event in Latin America to present an all-inclusive experience that is becoming a trend after 5 years. But, the important thing for the market is innovation, more of the same is no longer viable. Our essence, being Event Organizers, should be more empowered to be able to change, risk, and deliver more novelty and excitement in our proposals. That is, without question, the proposal we are putting forth for the Caribbean Gaming Show & Summit, which is simply referred to as “CGS”.

What is the central message for the international industry?

Dominican Republic is a changing and dynamic gaming market that has space for new products and also some reforms. With close to 60 Casinos in operation, including resorts and urban casinos of different sizes, 1829 Sport Books authorized to also operate slot machines, over 30,000 Lottery agencies along with 4 large lotto operations  and Regulated Online Gaming with 4 active licenses, we are sure visitors and Investors will find all they need to accomplish new business this upcoming 2019..

Whilst our industry has 2 leading and undisputed global events (in London and Las Vegas), this does by no means signify that each region and each country does not have its own needs, interests, problems and you don´t need to look beyond the internal scope, since there are so many things to solve internally. Sometimes the solutions proposed Abroad do not fit with our reality and that is why, there is room for events that are tailored according to specific needs. These are more complex than other markets, they are fluctuating, one year goes well, the next year everything may turn downwards, and this is why we pay attention to new trends in Operation, control of asset laundering and money laundering, the technical parts and how we can adapt our companies to continue growing and make positive changes to favor us or how to face the negative aspects, it is an undeniable necessity. For the DR Gaming Summit, the Dominican Republic entrepreneurs will find everything they are looking for to be able to address local problems. Our proposal is developed on the basis of consensus with all participating Entities, Regulators, Manufacturers, Operators and Associations. We get feedback and recommendations from all of them, in order to present our proposal and give support. The top level brands are together with us for this new experience in the Dominican Republic and we hope to welcome all parties this 14th and 15th of November in Santo Domingo.

Finally, is why is it referred to as the DR Gaming Summit and not as CGS?

In April 2018 we carried out the 8th Edition of the Caribbean Gaming Show & Summit – CGS- in Cancun, and we have slated the date for the 2019 CGS edition for March 28-29, 2019. Our last undertaking in the Dominican Republic was at the Hard Rock Punta Cana in 2013, so many changes have occurred since that date and the international interest to get together again cannot be held at bay. Our proposal, which is part of a new division of our company called the “CGS Series”, begins to unravel its development with this destination. DR – Dominican Republic, will then be followed by CR – Costa Rica and PR – Puerto Rico. Regardless, CGS will be in Cancun, as part of a “Revolutionary Evolution”, the “CGS Tour” also be launching a concept never seen before, and we will once again innovate and not shying away from changes and new proposals. That has been are distinguishing insignia, since we started in 2003 with the Peru Gaming Show.