EiG 2008 is over and done and the Clarion Gaming publishing department is en route to St. Charles. From way up high in the sky, here are some thoughts on the event as a whole as well as a few observations from Day 3. . .

A play-by-play account of EiG 2008, day 2.

Some thoughts on yesterday's operators CEO panel.

EiG is officially underway. This year's attendance exceeds 1,500 - the most ever at this seven-year-old event.

A couple of interesting items to report first on the home front: I mentioned yesterday that the European I-gaming lot is keenly interested in U.S. legal developments, so it's somewhat apropos that the hot topic on day 1 is the seizure of 140 I-gaming domain names in Kentucky. My colleagues in St. Charles are covering this one diligently, but I'll sprinkle in some bits here and there on what's being said in Barcelona about the matter. The gist of what I'm hearing is that this is seen as a protectionist measure in the home state of Churchill downs, which happens to do some business on the Internet. A few people I've talked to seem to think that the whole thing was inspired by First Technology's successful acquisition of Bodog's domain names a few months back. I also learned the iMEGA is gearing up for a battle in to go to battle on this issue.  I'll post an article on this shortly.

The Hilton Diagonal Mar is now headquarters for Barcelona's English-speaking expats. The lobby is mobbed with Canadians and Britons, many of whom seem relatively subdued - the Canadians I suppose because they are jetlagged, the Britons I suppose because they are British - but  a healthy portion have stepped off their planes and into their hippest attire and have already whipped themselves into a networking frenzy.

That's right, it's time again for the European iGaming Congress & Expo, which gets underway tomorrow afternoon, and if the buzz in the cavernous Hilton lobby carries through the week, it's going to be a lively event.

My Google alerts this morning were full of bits and pieces attempting to speculate on what Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as a running mate means to the online gambling industry. As the publisher of news services that are highly competitive in this space, I have to strongly consider whether IGN needs to be tackling this topic with comparable vigor. Our coverage of US developments is usually prompt and expansive, so if this is important news, we want to be on it like stink on a monkey.

The US Department of Justice carries the same malice toward adult entertainment that it does toward interactive gambling, and the story of Ray Guhn (not to be confused with "Reagan" or "ray gun") suggests that the government is open to reinventing its anti-online gambling enforcement philosophy in the porn space.

I like to think I'm in pretty good shape. I was at the doctor last week and she asked me if I was a runner. I said yes and inquired as to why she asked; she said because I had a strong heart. That was welcome news, considering that through jogging I have completely chewed up the bottom two discs in my spinal column, and I'd like to believe there's a benefit or two to ruining my back.

That's it for NGG 1. This is the part where as an employee of the producing company I talk it up as the premier I-gaming event of the universe.

I’ll reserve that moniker for EiG.

As for NGG, I was pleasantly surprised. The content was there, as always, but I like to assess these events by gauging the enthusiasm of the audience. I was worried going in that the transition from 600 delegates at GIGSE '07 to 100 delegates at the new event would be depressing, but it was actually just the opposite.