MGA Games presented in its new facilities at Parc Tecnològic del Vallès (Barcelona) their book The Future Is Now: presente y futuro del juego online en España (The Future is Now: the present and future of online gambling in Spain), compiled and edited by the company, as the grand finale to their 20th-anniversary celebrations.

MGA Games clients, collaborators and friends gathered to attend the event held in the newly inaugurated offices, presented by the company. A new open space, which encourages creativity and allows collaboration and meetings between all company employees. “It is a space that reflects our way of working. That breaks with the traditional vertical management structures allowing for collaboration, the creation of synergies and teamwork”, explained the CEO and founder of MGA Games, Joan Sanahuja, in his welcoming remarks.

The objective of the meeting was to encourage the sector to participate in this important publication that collates “two decades of a journey through the history of online gambling, its regulation and the role of technology which, undoubtedly continues to lead the way for our sector” as explained in the introduction of the book. In this sense, the work is a sample of MGA Games’ commitment to the sector. An innovative company, MGA Games, chooses to invest and allocate its own resources to achieve informative work that generates knowledge and helps the online gambling sector grow and evolve.

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For the CEO of MGA Games, it was essential to create a work like The Future Is Now: presente y futuro del juego online en España to analyse where the sector is going and what the future holds. “For us, it is the way to move forward to what is to come,” explained Joan Sanahuja. The gambling industry can evolve even further. It can be more attractive, more active … And this is precisely our goal: to move forward into the future with a more innovative and interactive product.”

After Joan Sanahuja‘s introduction, a round table began on the strategic issues regarding the present and future of online gambling in Spain addressed in the book. The debate was moderated by the journalist and writer Óscar Delgado and the speakers were José Antonio Giacomelli, Managing Director of MGA Games; Víctor Sánchez, Manager of GoldenPark.es; Jorge Hinojosa Bolívar, CEO of Jdigital; Juan Heredero Fiel, Marketing Manager of Codere; Aurora Merino Salas, CEO of Asensi Technologies; Juan Espinosa García, DGOJ General Director from 2014 to 2020; Miguel de la Fuente, from Tecnalis, and Patricia Lalanda Ordóñez, partner at Loyra Abogados.

During the round table, issues discussed included the regulatory framework in Spain, a result of the proposed new royal decree for safer environments, and the proposal for a new amendment to the state gambling law. And how these projects will determine the short-term future of the sector within the regulated framework.

Another topic addressed was marketing and, specifically, how to convey the sector’s situation regarding the new regulation on advertising. In addition, how operators are adapting to the new legal conditions and, in parallel, how to combat the perception of public opinion.

The customisation of the offer based on habits and demands of users and the exploration of alternatives to current payment systems was another of the points discussed. Together with the analysis of content towards that which it is necessary to evolve in the content proposal. Slot games, new techniques, and the immersive and mobile factors.

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And finally, the introduction of 5G in the Spanish online gambling sector and its role in the development of gamification were also discussed.

The presentation ceremony was attended by many of the book’s collaborators. Great leaders in the sector whose testimonies and professional visions have made this publication an essential guide for understanding the present and future of the sector in Spain. Joan Sanahuja thanked all of them for their participation and for making this ambitious project possible: Albert Daudé, Andrea Vota, Camilla Wright, Gonzalo De Osma, Javier Sacristán Franco, José Antonio Giacomelli, Juan Espinosa García, Kevin Harrington, Marta De Pablos, Marteen Haijer, Miguel de la Fuente, Mikel López de Torre, Patricia Lalanda Ordóñez, Sergio Rupérez, Víctor Sánchez and, especially, Oscar Delgado Chesa, responsible for coordinating the book.