In 2019, the Gaming Standards Association (GSA) established a strong presence in Japan by establishing GSA Japan. GSA Japan joins the other GSA regional offices in Europe, Macau and North America. To this effect, GSA will now operate under the name and branding of the “International Gaming Standards Association” or “IGSA” with the new website address: igsa.org.

GSA Japan will guide existing Japanese gaming business entities, manufacturers, suppliers and those that wish to enter the gaming industry, with up to date, accepted practices and standards. By providing locally relevant gaming industry expertise, GSA Japan will act as a conduit offering unbiased gaming industry information and education on the technical aspects of gaming and regulation to the appropriate authorities.

As part of its ongoing mission, GSA Japan will hold a gaming educational seminar for invited guests on January 28 in Tokyo. Joining Takeshi Kaji, GSA Japan’s Managing Director, will be Peter DeRaedt, IGSA President, and Mark Pace, GSA Europe Managing Director, who will provide insight into the work that IGSA has been doing for the gaming industry on behalf of its members for the past 22 years. DeRaedt and Pace will share the association’s history, the importance of industry standards, and how and why they were created.

In addition, they will explain the various relevant domains within the industry and their interactions and provide a high-level overview of generic system architecture. At the same time, they will provide an update on the latest work IGSA is undertaking. Takeshi will speak on how GSA Japan will leverage that knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the Japanese gaming industry.

“For 22 years, IGSA members have been working together to create standards that provide business value for them,” DeRaedt said. “IGSA seeks to educate the industry on experiences gained and reasons that our members opted to create a set of standards. IGSA’s mission is to provide unbiased information to the benefit of all parties – regulators, suppliers and operators.”

Takeshi said, “GSA Japan strives to become a valuable partner to the budding Japanese IR and gaming industries. Working as a guide to all entities, we will support the optimal development of a unique and sustainable Japanese market.”