European Gaming Lawyer magazine Autumn 2017 | Page 5
[
President’s Message
]
Mike Zatezalo, [email protected]
N
President Mike Zatezalo
otwithstanding the unusual summer
weather in the United States, the IMGL
Spring Conference in Turnberry Isle,
Miami, Florida held on May 10-12, was
another outstanding IMGL conference.
I would like to thank the co-chairs of the conference,
Marc Dunbar and Dan Wallach for their efforts in not
only putting together a first class program but also
in selecting an outstanding venue – the Turnberry
Isle Resort. After the conference, Marc Dunbar also
arranged a side trip to the Gulfstream Racetrack
for a day at the races. I would also like to thank our
keynote speakers Jim Allen, Chairman, President and
CEO of Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. and
James Maida, President of CEO Gaming Laboratories
International, LLC for their engaging and thought
provoking remarks.
In early June, IMGL provided Masterclass panels
at the summer meeting of the National Council of
Legislators from Gaming States (“NCLGS”) held in
Denver, Colorado. IMGL will once again be working
with the Spectrum Gaming Group to develop panels
for the NCLGS Winter Conference which will be held
in Miami January 5-7, 2018.
One of the highlights of each year is the IMGL
reception at G2E in Las Vegas and the presentation
of “2017 IMGL Regulator of the Year Awards” for
both North America and Indian County. This year’s
Regulator of the Year – North America award is
Ronnie Jones, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming
Control Board. Congratulations, Ronnie.
This year’s Regulator of the Year – Indian County
award will actually have two (2) recipients: David
Vialpando, Chairman of the Santa Ysabel Tribal
Gaming Commission in California and Terry Hale,
Chief Gaming Regulator of the Seminole Nation
Gaming Authority in Oklahoma. The awards are
based not only upon a recipient’s work as a regulator
but also on his/her contribution to the gaming
industry and a demonstration of service to the
community. Congratulations David and Terry.
The IMGL Masterclasses continue to be popular
and IMGL speakers are sought after in connection
with gaming conferences throughout the world. The
list shown is of Masterclasses scheduled for the rest
of the year.
The IMGL Fall Conference is being held in
Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 10-12 at
the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel. The conference
will include, but not be limited to, presentations on
(1) the latest Anti-Money Directive and how it is
impacting the gambling sector throughout Europe;
(2) the impact of the United States Supreme Court’s
upcoming hearing on New Jersey’s challenge of the
restrictions placed upon sports betting imposed by
the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act;
(3) an update on the latest trends and developments
in Europe; and (4) a CEO panel which will discuss the
future of the gaming industry in light of the expansion
of land based casinos, growth of Internet gaming, the
rise of eSports, growth of lotteries and skill games.
Another highlight of the Copenhagen conference
will be the presentation of the 2017 IMGL Regulator
of the Year-Europe. This year’s Regulator of the Year
– Europe will be Birgitte Sand, CEO of the Danish
Gambling Authority. Birgitte has been in her current
position since 2008 and is a member of the board of
trustees of the International Association of Gaming
Regulators. Birgitte has also been instrumental in
the planning of the IMGL Copenhagen conference.
Congratulations, Birgitte.
I look forward to seeing you in Denmark.
Details regarding the Copenhagen conference and
registration can be accessed on the IMGL website at
imgl.org.
Date Event
September 6-7 KPMG – eGaming Summit
Isle of Man
September 13-15 Betting on Sports – London
October 26-28 Malta iGaming Seminar
(MIGS) Conference – Malta
October 31 –
November 1 Excellence in iGaming (EIG)
– Berlin
November 21-22 Eastern European Gaming
Summit- Sofia, Bulgaria
November 22-25 Summit in iGaming Malta
(SIGMA) – Malta
European Gaming Lawyer | Autumn Issue | 2017 | 5