Jason is head of the betting & gaming practice at specialist media & technology law firm Wiggin LLP: Jason acts for numerous electronic gambling operators, media organisations and software houses including PokerStars, GTECH G2, Lottomatica, IGT, Mansion, Barcrest, Fremantle, Endemol, ITV, NetPlay, Bauer Media, Perform, Virgin Media, BT and Channel 4. He advises on regulation and commercial and contractual matters. He is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and is widely published as a writer and commentator on electronic gambling, the media and social gaming. In this interview Jason gives us a preview of his session “The Law of the Land: Games or Gambling”.

How is your topic relevant to the gaming industry?

(1)Social games that look and feel like traditional “games of chance” may run the risk of being categorised as “gambling” in some jurisdictions; (2) Even where social games fall outside gambling legislation, there is an argument for operators to self-regulate and subject them to some or all of the social responsibility and customer care aspects of gambling proper; (3) Commercially, the demographic profile of “social gamers” is very attractive to gambling operators and an attractive market, hence the high-profile business linkups between gambling companies and “social” gaming operators. So it’s an important market to get right.

What’s the one thing you hope delegates get out of your session? 

I hope delegates will get an insight into some of the issues of law and principle surrounding these products: also, I hope that the session can help to build an industry consensus around how operators might voluntarily offer some self-regulation in order to head off potential future calls for imposed regulation.

Why is this subject something you are passionate about?

It’s a major potential market for a demographic that the gambling industry traditionally hasn’t done too well with. It is important that the industry approaches it in a responsible way so that we don’t provoke calls for regulation to be imposed on the industry. Imposed regulation would invariably be less advantageous than a sensible degree of self-regulation.

Why choose the Social Gambling Conference as your platform to voice your findings?

Because I expect the audience to include people who are expert and engaged in the sector, executives, lawyers and commentators.

Jason will be speaking on November 16^th at the Social Gambling Conference.