International Gaming Conference & Expo To Be Held in Costa Rica
The International Gaming Conference & Expo (IGCE), slated to take place April 9th-11th in San José, has announced that it will feature, among an already extensive and comprehensive program and roster of speakers, what has been billed as "an electric debate" on the impact of the World Trade Organization Ruling on Cross-Border Gaming involving Antigua and the U.S.

That conference session, the kick-off of the Expo, will focus on the impact of the decision regarding the future of global interactive gaming.

A spokesperson for The Sports Network, organizer of the event, indicated that, "As is usually the case with the rest of the world's industries, the U.S. exerts a disproportionate influence on global commerce.

Consequently, when related to a multi-billion-dollar annual industry, whether one agrees with it or not, we decided that it was time to attempt to determine what are the real effects of the W.T.O. ruling.

To effectuate that, we called upon Mark Mendel, the lead attorney for Antigua in the case against the U.S. before the W.T.O., and renowned gaming law expert I. Nelson Rose, Professor of Law at Whittier Law School. They will debate and discuss what the ruling really means for the industry."

He further indicated that the political battle over the legitimacy of offshore and online gaming continues to rage on from New York to Los Angeles, Antigua to London, and Costa Rica to Malta while opinions from the most respected legal minds domestically and internationally maintain a steadfast course in their diversity and the complete lack of a standard, a guideline.

"The IGCE," he continued, "is the primary result of The Sports Network's Conference Division and others will follow in the months and years ahead covering technology, marketing, Internet, various aspects of sports as well as others now in the planning stages.

The fact of the matter is that TSN, recognized as the acknowledged leader in the area of real-time sports coverage domestically and internationally, has the background, expertise and respect of the industry as most suited to undertake the conference lead in areas such as this."

IGCE, whose major sponsors presently are BetCRIS, Scientific Games and WSEX, will gather together gaming attorneys, investors, analysts, legislators, regulators, marketing firms, advertisers, sportsbook operators, payment processors, as well as technology.

The comprehensive IGCE program will examine online gambling, poker, bingo, skill games, sports content, horse racing, land-based competition, gaming platforms, technology, international legal and regulatory issues, marketing/brand awareness, payment solutions, Asian and European markets - the appeal of soccer, cricket, rugby and other sports, the public desire for mahjong/backgammon/casino games/virtual horse racing and much more.