Rome - Dante Micucci, country manager Italy at Okto, Daniele Tagliarini, founder & senior advisor at Dtc Advisory and Sergio Visalli, senior affiliate at Alma Led: these are the protagonists of “Online gaming, new rules and opportunities for all the actors in the supply chain”, the final panel of the event “The reform of online gaming and payment systems: between challenges and opportunities” organized by Okto, in cooperation with Gioconews.it in Rome, yesterday, September, the 19th.
The three, moderated by Cesare Antonini, product manager at Gioconews.it, discussed the connection between gaming and payments.
Here is what emerged.
According to Visalli, "the mix between payment services and gaming services has always existed, but today it finds a new variation and evolution with the regulatory change in progress. Today, the issue of traceability is central and gaming operators are looking for an interpretation, to be able to implement partnerships with payment institutions to use non-reserved tools, such as the voucher, which is more 'free' on some level, but which presents other complications.
While the other possible solution is that of the e-wallet, however the issue to be understood and determined is that of the responsibilities that refer to the operators, with obligations that could be fulfilled by the gaming or payment operator.
Today's concern among gaming operators and the Psp is about compliance and their responsibilities. Also looking at the rules and transparency obligations. In both cases, the responsibility lies with both parties and the gaming operator can essentially rest easy, because the payment service is provided by the institution and therefore it is a simple supply of services".
On the contrary, Tagliarini states: "Among the most common questions among gaming professionals is that of the trust that can or should be given to payment companies that are based abroad and that are also offering services in Italy. This is because there is a so-called 'porting' process, that allows payment institutions to transfer the operation of their license to their markets. As regards consumer safety, the Italian legislation that requires, through the Banca d'Italia, to have a reference in our country for anti-money laundering obligations, allows for guarantees in this sense in terms of protection.
So, we can say that the solutions proposed today to operators are certainly guaranteed. After that, it is necessary to understand the next regulatory developments to identify the actual solutions applicable to the Italian market.
Another question concerns the limits of cash use: those who use an e-wallet are compared to a bank for the services that are offered. And as happens in a bank, if you go there you can withdraw an amount even higher than the maximum amount allowed for the circulation of money, and it would be reasonable to be able to apply this also in relation to transactions in a gaming venue, therefore allowing the customer to withdraw a winnings higher than the cash limit through the payment institution. Obviously, this is a possibility that must be confirmed by Bankitalia and correctly managed, but it could become a serious opportunity”.
According to Micucci too, the Imei offered in Italy are guaranteed from a consumer protection point of view. While what is missing on the market today "is the technology that allows us to reach players completely and integrate them with gaming systems. At Okto, we are working to create solutions that can simplify operations for consumers, facilitating their experience and at the same time looking at the needs of operators in management. Today we are discussing the various possibilities of integration between the two worlds of gaming and payment, and everything depends on the regulatory definition that we are waiting to know, but the regulation and the consequent proposal of solutions on the market could also be phased and progressive, improving the service from time to time and developing it".