22K greenlit for gaming conference booth
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) will have a shiny new booth at the world’s largest gaming conference in Barcelona this coming January, thanks to an injection of $22,000 from the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK).
The KGC has participated in the ICE gaming conference each year since the late 1990s. It brings together both online and offline gaming operators and government officials from across the globe.
“It’s an opportunity to promote our jurisdiction, meet with different licensees, and obtain more licensees for online gaming,” said Council chief Paul Rice, the lead on the gaming file.
The booth the commission will have there will have multiple meeting rooms that’ll be used to schmooze with potential licensees, he said.
“The booth is going to be good for another 10 years, so it’s an investment,” he said.
The $22,000 price tag also covers costs associated with the creation of new signage and the shipping and installation of the structure.
“The supplier of the booth stores it, ships it to the conference, physically builds it, and takes it down at the end,” Rice said.
The funding for the KGC was approved by the council table at a meeting held on September 23. The Eastern Door reached out to the commission to learn more about the booth, but didn’t hear back by deadline.
Representatives with the KGC will likely be booked up with appointments non-stop throughout the conference, Rice said, which will run from January 20-25. While they’re busy, the lead on the gaming portfolio will be there to represent the political interests of the MCK.
“Some of the licensees have questions, and they don’t know the history of Kahnawake,” Rice said. “Part of my role is to ensure people are aware of Kahnawake and our success in gaming.”
The Council chief said the KGC had to revamp the booth they use at the annual conference to fit the layout of a new venue. The conference and trade show is typically held in London, but was moved this year to a larger venue in Barcelona to make way for more exhibitors. Over 630 are expected to attend this year.
Earlier this week, from October 7-10, the KGC also participated in the Global Gaming Expo held in Las Vegas.
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On September 9, the KGC’s executive director Marnie Lahache came to the council table to request an “urgent budget increase” from the MCK, according to a recent communique.
The Eastern Door reached out to Council in the hope of reporting on the budget increase, but was told by the media relations department the item was confidential.
The community’s gaming industry faced a major blow earlier this year after an Ontario Superior Court decision ruled Kahnawake-based gaming enterprises would have to pay fees to an online gaming regulator to access players from the province.
