The 14th edition of the Canadian Gaming Summit kicked off officially this morning at the BMO Centre in Calgary

, Alberta.

Hosted by Media Edge Communications for the Canadian Gaming Association, this year’s event attracted over 500 delegates from different sectors of the gaming industry.

This year’s summit features an educational track specifically devoted to I-Gaming. It is estimated that the global online market will reach $30 billion in 2010 with Canadians spending close to $1 billion annually and climbing.

Operational and regulatory perspectives and the future of the Canadian marketplace were all addressed.

Creating the Right Regulatory Model for Canada was the opening session for the I-Gaming Track. Panelist Michael D. Lipton, Q.C. – Senior Partner, Dickinson Wright LLP, suggested that the provinces could look to establish partnerships with established online gaming operators that would benefit both parties. “We should be using the expertise, knowledge and skills of these off-shore operators. In this country we embrace government-owned operations. Until we are able to modify the criminal code, let the provinces set guidelines and requirements and partner with established operators to operate online gaming.”

Operating in the Online World – It’s a Global Environment was another I-Gaming Session and addressed the growth of the online gaming industry. “I–Gaming is growing faster than any other form of gaming. Online gaming can’t be denied for much longer and we will be affected – either positively or negatively,” Terry DeBono, Partner, The DeBono Group told a standing-room-only audience.

Margaret McGee, VP Business Innovation, Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, told the audience that the biggest challenge the Canadian Gaming Industry faces in online operations is marketing. “Current operators have huge budgets, know their target audience and can do things that a government wouldn’t be allowed to do.”

The session Canadians & Online Gaming featured a presentation of a recent public opinion survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid on Canadian’s attitudes an opinions towards internet gambling.

Some of the key findings based on a sample of 1,724 interviews included:

• Most Canadians believe internet gaming is legal (71%)
• Most Canadians feel that the government should be responsible for I-Gaming regulation (74%)
• Integrity and regulation by government were identified as the key attributes for someone to take part in internet gaming
• 68% of those surveyed said that the impact of internet gaming would not impact their number or frequency of visits to the casino

On Wednesday, the I-Gaming Track features two sessions, Understanding the I-Gaming Potential In Canada and Delivering Responsible Gaming Online

For complete information on the summit, click here.