■ Carrie Chan / Yijing Wu
  After the execution of the Colombian fair on April 5th and 6th in Bogota, the organizers proclaimed a strong victory, backed by the opinions and messages received that express the satisfaction of exhibitors, authorities and guilds with the results and organization of FADJA 2018.  The visitor’s register reached the number of 6,231 and the two days of the exhibition were a marathon race for operators who, at each stand, found a reason for interest and desire information about services and business possibilities.  Mr. Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo, the highest authority of Coljuegos, presided over the opening together with Mr. José Aníbal Aguirre, General Director of FADJA and Mr. Evert Montero Cárdenas head of Fecoljuegos.

20th FADJA, gathering numerous leading companies
On the afternoon of the 5th, the two-day expo FADJA was opened at Corferias, Bogota. As a high-end international industrial event, FADJA has attracted a mass of global buyers every year since 1999.  It not only drives the local industry forward, but also stimulates the growth of the economy.  Because of its effective result becoming increasingly obvious, FADJA has been one of the standard and leading expos in South Africa.  To enter into this continent, the fist stop for GTI is Colombia.

Mr. Juan B. Pérez Hidalgoand Mr. Evert Montero Cárdenas together with Mr. José Aníbal Aguirre attend the opening ceremony.

"For Coljuegos it is a priority to have accompanied this important fair, which celebrated its 20 years of creation and where operators, manufacturers, suppliers, regulators and all of those interested in the gambling sector were found.  For us as regulator and administrator of the gambling monopoly it is fundamental to promote the growth of the industry, and this event contributes to explain the reasons why this is the best time to invest in this sector in Colombia," words of Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo, President of Coljuegos, the regulator that has put Colombia as the leader of online gaming in Latin America.

In the framework of the Assembly of Asojuegos, the Minister of Finance of Colombia, Mauricio Cárdenas, highlighted the importance of the gaming industry in terms of job creation and contribution to the economic development of Colombia.  Evert Montero Cárdenas, President of Fecoljuegos, stated, "We are very happy with FADJA and congratulate them for their twenty years.  José Aníbal Aguirre, through 3A Producciones, makes a very big effort.  We believe that it is the most important fair that exists in the country, and it is being projected internationally very strongly".

From the Corferias Great Hall, during the recent edition of FADJA, Juan Andrés Carreño, President of Asojuegos said, "The balance we made with the Minister of Finance of what was the evolution of the sector in recent years, is that of a total transformation.  We have become especially technical.  The State noted that with new regulated gaming categories, new fiscal resources are found. Gambling is a big taxpayer.  In 2017, 1.6 billion pesos (about US$56 million) were payed, the collection of taxes, which are invested in the national public hospital network and in subsidies to the poorest.  It is also recognized that the National Government issued a measure for the territorial games, updating them and allowing them to create new offers for the bettor.  It has facilitated the opening of casinos and localized games with a specific decree in relation to the requirements.  This benefits the tax collection but obviously also to the businessmen, today interested by dozens in investing in Colombia. "

Outstanding exhibitors VS. professional buyers

Though it is a rainy day, the expo attracts lots of global buyers

The large-scale booths draw in large crowds to visit or even have business negotiation positively.
This year, with about 70 exhibitors, FADJA welcomed numerous professional buyers from America, Spain, Australia, Germany, Slovenia, Malta, Italy, Argentina, Peru, Panama, and Mexico.  According to the official statistics, about 70 exhibitors gathered in the expo.  Among them, most were the operators／manufacturers of cabinet machines (slot machines), followed by operators of roulette, sports betting and online gaming.  And, there were a small number of exhibitors of chairs, media, associations, food operators and so on.  Regarding the online gaming exhibitors, compared to last year’s, there was an increase of 50%, from 17 to 25 this year.   In the show floor, there was an endless steam of visitors making a huge crowd.  Visitors stopped in front of stands and experienced machines or made business negotiation actively.

Mr. José Aníbal Aguirre, CEO of 3A Producciones and FADJA, said, "I am very satisfied with the success of FADJA.  We are positioned on top of the game with exhibitors, guilds and authorities.  FADJA established itself as an engine for the development of the industry, in which all those interested in exploring the Colombian and Latin American markets converge.  This year we have the presence of 25 companies dedicated to online gaming.  The casinos and the en-route machines also reaffirmed their leadership and growth in our fair.  Everyone wants to be in Colombia thanks to the legal security offered by the regulation issued by Coljuegos.  In short, we hit the slogan, 'FADJA 2018, Master Bet'.  We thank Mr. Andrés López, President of Corferias and his entire work team, for the constant support they gave us to bring to a successful conclusion the edition No.20 of FADJA.  Likewise, we give thanks for the expressions of recognition received from Coljuegos, Asojuegos, Fecoljuegos and Cornazar.  To the traditional exhibitors, our gratitude for their loyalty, and to the newcomers for their vote of confidence.   FADJA 2019 will take place on April 10 and 11 in Corferias again.

GTI ventured into Bogota
Angie, the managing director of GTI and Carrie, an English editor headed for Colombia and set up booth #20A in FADJA.  During the expo, they distributed the GTI Magazine positively, to expand a wider market for customers and promote China-made products going abroad.  Most importantly, GTI brought the latest foreign information back home to provide a channel for customers to access this market.  And, GTI kept promoting GTI Taipei Expo and Guangzhou Expo at the show floor.  We distributed GTI expos’ fliers to buyers widely and sincerely invited them to take part in this booming games and amusement market in Asia Pacific.

GTI sets up booth #20A and introduced GTI Magazine as well as GTI Taipei and Guangzhou expos to global buyers actively.

Buyers came to our booth shoulder-to-shoulder telling us their needs and asking the information about manufacturers, products, as well as GTI expos.  They mainly came from Colombia, Nicaragua, Chile, South Africa, Britain, Uruguay, Turkey, Brazil and Spain.  Most of them are the operators of casinos, who are more inclined to look for slot, bingo, roulette and horse racing.  Some of them run online gaming.  And others are ready to open casinos.  All of them focused on listening to the details of GTI Magazine and expos.

With great surprise, GTI welcomed Mr. Juan Andrés Carreño, the director of a local industrial association, Asojuegos to visit our booth.  He discussed the further cooperation with GTI and showed his strong interest in GTI expos.   What’s more, we had an interview with another association Fecoljuegos’s president Mr.Evert Montero Cardenás, to know more about the situation of the FADJA expo and the local industry as well as the future development.

GTI takes photos with Mr.Juan Andrés Carreño (middle), the president of Asojuegos.

GTI takes photos with FADJA organizers

New products shining in FADJA 2018

The most attractive products in FADJA are slot machines.

Interview with Fecoljuegos association

Pictured is Mr. Evert Montero Cardenás (right one), the president of Fecoljuegos.
GTI: Would you like to introduce Fecoljuegos to Chinese readers? Include its service targets, functions, number of members and so on.
Mr. Evert: To date Fecoljuegos has 80 active members. They are mainly from big, medium-sized and small land-based casinos and bingo companies.  As the first online licence was granted in Colombia in the second quarter of 2017, Fecoljuegos services not only casinos, bingo companies, but also online gaming companies.  And, foreign countries are not familiar with the Colombia market, and similarly for Colombian members.  So we are endeavor to drive above companies run legally and organize our members to develop foreign markets and export our products.

GTI: As you said, foreign countries are not familiar with the Colombia market. Would you like to tell us more about the local gaming industry?
Mr. Evert: Before, gaming and casino in Colombia was very bright and flourishing. However, these years, the Colombia government raised its tax rate.  There is a 20% tax on earnings from raffles, gambling, lottery and other similar games.  And it is expected that under the new legislation, operators of licensed gambling businesses will pay 15% of their annual net income.  So, for me, the gaming industry here is good because it is flourishing.  At the same time, it is also not good that its high tax rate is bringing down the industry’s income. 

GTI: Which product do you think is the most popular and profitable machine in Colombia this year?
Mr. Evert: I think it depends on the locations. As for the casinos in shopping malls, the roulette game is much popular.  As for the independent casinos which are located beside the road, slot games are much more attractive.

GTI: Would you like to share your opinions towards this edition of FADJA?
Mr. Evert: In my opinion, this edition is the most significant one for Fecoljuegos. It provides the most distributors and suppliers as well as partners.  And there are more online gaming exhibitors this year. 
※The article is published in the GTI Magazine Issue No. 164 in May 2018