Casino Estoril hosted the launch of Carla Vicente’s book

Casino Estoril hosted last Saturday, the launch of the book “Notion of Gambling-Legal-Practical Consequences”, by Carla Vicente, Legal Advisor to the Ombudsman.

In a ceremony held at the Art Gallery, the work, edited by GESTLEGAL, was presented by the author who also invited a distinguished panel of speakers to give an opinion on the book and, consequently, to reflect on a series of relevant issues that mark the news of the gaming sector at national and international level.

António Vieira Coelho, Administrador Executivo da Estoril Sol, que conduziu a apresentação da cerimónia, deu as boas-vindas aos presentes, congratulando-se por o Casino Estoril acolher o lançamento do livro. “Honra-nos muito e reflecte o percurso da Estoril Sol ao longo dos anos e, inclusive, o papel que irá desempenhar no futuro, uma vez que estamos a iniciar o período de uma nova concessão. Faz todo o sentido que este lançamento seja no Casino Estoril. O livro explica muito bem de uma forma perceptível, questões que são já temas de interesse mundial, formas de jogo inovadoras, e desperta-nos para noções sobre o que é o jogo, e novos problemas que pode acarretar, como os controlar, e os riscos para a adição. É um assunto que deve ser debatido, e nós estamos sempre prontos para o fazer de uma forma aberta, porque é assim que entendemos o jogo, como sendo uma actividade de entretenimento, controlado e com regras que devem ser legisladas e regulamentadas pelo estado”.

“E as empresas têm, cada vez mais, a obrigação de se preocupar com a protecção social e ambiental, pois, no futuro, serão diferenciadas não só pela qualidade dos seus produtos ou serviços, mas também pelas suas acções de responsabilidade social. É, aliás, um compromisso que a Estoril Sol tem tido ao longo dos anos e que continuará a desempenhar no futuro. Exemplo disso mesmo, é ter distinguido o Casino Estoril de todos os outros casinos da Europa, através de uma vertente cultural ímpar que privilegia as artes e o espectáculo. Contudo, esta necessária protecção social que no caso da Estoril Sol se reflecte por exemplo, no combate à adição ao jogo e em conciliar as áreas reservadas ao jogo com múltiplas iniciativas de âmbito cultural, merece que da parte do Estado haja uma adopção de medidas, nomeadamente, a nível de impostos, que protejam o esforço das empresas do sector”, conclui.

António Vieira Coelho, Executive Director of Estoril Sol, who led the presentation of the ceremony, welcomed those present, congratulating Casino Estoril for hosting the launch of the book. “It is a great honor for us and reflects Estoril Sol’s path over the years and even the role it will play in the future, as we are beginning the period of a new concession. It makes perfect sense that this launch is at Casino Estoril. The book explains very well in a perceivable way, issues that are already topics of world interest, and innovative ways of playing and awakens us to notions about what the game is, new problems that it can entail, how to control them, and the risks for addiction. It is a subject that must be debated, and we are always ready to do so in an open way, because that is how we understand gambling, as an entertainment activity, controlled and with rules that must be legislated and regulated by the state”.

“And companies have, more and more, the obligation to be concerned with social and environmental protection, because, in the future, they will be distinguished not only by the quality of their products or services but also by their social responsibility actions. It is, moreover, a commitment that Estoril Sol has had over the years and that it will continue to fulfill in the future. An example of this is having distinguished Casino Estoril from all other casinos in Europe, through a unique cultural aspect that favors the arts and entertainment. However, this necessary social protection, which in the case of Estoril Sol is reflected, for example, in combating gambling addiction and reconciling the areas reserved for gambling with multiple cultural initiatives, deserves the adoption of measures by the State, namely, in terms of taxes, which protect the efforts of companies in the sector”, he concludes.

Jorge Godinho, Professor at the University of Macau, in turn, emphasized that the author, due to her professional duties at the Ombudsman’s Office, “has a unique perspective that gives her a very particular and independent angle of vision on the way she analyzes game issues and how they operate in practice”.

About the work and the context in which it moves, Jorge Godinho said: “here we have an investigation that the author calls the notion of game, but which I would call essential elements of game contracts and their typologies and their sub-typologies. And this is a problem that is not simply introductory, but essential to understanding the scope and limits of a set of legal regimes of different game typologies”.

With a short intervention, Alexandre Miguel Mestre, from Abreu Advogados, author of the preface of the book “Noção de Jogo-Consequences Jurídico-Práticas” thanked the author for the invitation of “a book that has to do with definitions and concepts” and that invites the reader to reflect on “a series of issues that are actually practical and not theoretical”.

According to Alexandre Miguel Mestre, the conceptual issues dissected in the book are very important. And he gave the example of e-sports, questioning whether they will be a game or a sport. “these are questions that affect the business and in this case, there must be jurists who have the audacity, courage, determination, and concrete answers”.

In the use of the word, the author Carla Vicente explained that “the core of the book and the conclusion I draw is that there is a need to decide what are the limits that are intended for the law of the game. And to determine in these new activities such as, for example, e-sports or video game “boxes” whether we are going to include them in the gaming sector or whether it makes sense for them to be regulated autonomously, taking everything from gaming law necessary to protect the player and public order, in order to prevent crimes”.

According to Carla Vicente, if the legislator chooses not to include these new activities in gaming law, “it will be necessary to combat money laundering, to ensure that the companies that operate these games and the people who exercise management positions have sufficient reputation, that players have the possibility to resort to self-exclusion mechanisms, as well as mechanisms to limit betting and limit playing time”.

The author, who thanked the presence of the numerous guests who filled the Casino Estoril Art Gallery, also mentioned that taking into account that her book is about gambling, “the ideal place to present it would be in a casino and, specifically, at the emblematic Casino Estoril”.

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