The Gaming Standards Association’s (GSA) recently formed Blockchain Technical Committee held its first meeting in London recently, charting a course to integrate the breakthrough technology into the gaming industry, with the potential to modernize lotteries and online and land-based gaming.
The meeting was hosted by Playtech, and attending were representatives from member companies, AxesNetwork, ComTrade Gaming, Gaming Laboratories International, Mercury Gaming Gauselmann, IGT, and Scientific Games. The topics of discussion included responsible gaming, machine certification, and jurisdictional licensing.
“The spirit of collaboration among the members of this committee was groundbreaking, as everyone understands the mission-critical responsibilities for the future of the global gaming industry,” said Blockchain Committee Chairman Earle G. Hall. “The enthusiasm and understanding of the task of the committee were infectious, and by the end of the day, each member was functioning as a collective to positively impact our industry and lead our members into the blockchain era.”
Blockchain is a digital database that serves as a ledger distributed across a peer-to-peer network of computers. It yields a continuously growing set of records (aka “blocks”), each containing details of a time-stamped transaction and linked to data from the previous block. Each new transaction is authenticated across the network by “miners” using specialized equipment.
The committee concluded that its first important deliverable is to collectively build an educational package to ensure the committee assumed its role of ensuring GSA members understand the benefits of blockchain and its distinction with virtual currencies.
To that effect, the committee decided it would be a driving force in the soon-to-be-announced GSA Technology Forum slated for this November, where GSA members will be exposed to an innovative and high-tech daylong summit.
GSA’s work in blockchain technology continues the organization’s 20-year commitment to driving the industry to innovation and growth. Over the past 20 years, more than 1,600 volunteers from more than 190 companies have contributed their expertise to create 15 GSA standards in nine committees.
