European Gaming Lawyer magazine EGL_Spring2017_opt | Page 5

[ President’s Message ] Mike Zatezalo, [email protected] I President Mike Zatezalo MGL started the New Year where it left off in 2016 by offering its Masterclass at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (“NCLGS”) at the NCLGS winter meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 6-8th, 2017. The IMGL Masterclass included panels on the role of Regulators, Tribal Gaming Legal Issues with States, and eSports and were well received. On February 3, 2017, IMGL and the law firm of Kalff Katz & Franssen hosted a pre-ICE gathering of gaming officials and industry representatives at the Industrieele Groote Club in Amsterdam, Holland. Over 150 guests attended this invitation only gathering. Justin Franssen, IMGL Assistant Secretary and General Member from Holland, was the host and did a fantastic job. Featured speakers were Erwin van Lambaart, CEO of Holland Casino, Peter-Paul de Goeg, Managing Director of Lottomate and Marja Appelman, head of the Holland Casino Commission. It was a very informative meeting and great networking event. Then it was on to London for the Annual ICE conference (February 7-9) in London, England, at the ExCel center. IMGL once again held a Masterclass at ICE which was very well attended with 221 attendees (extra chairs needed to be brought into the conference room!) and included panels on worldwide developments, anti-money laundering and the effect that Brexit and the election of Donald Trump would have on the gaming industry. IMGL also had its annual ICE reception at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London and experienced the largest crowd ever to attend the reception. Our thanks to member Tony Coles and his firm Gordon Dadds for co-hosting the reception. It was not only a great location but a fascinating historical venue. However, perhaps the biggest news of the new year is IMGL’s entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Clarion Event Limited which gives IMGL the option to conduct Masterclasses at all Clarion events. We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunity to extend the reach of the IMGL brand. If any of our members are interested in participating or organizing any of these Masterclasses, please contact Joerg Hoffman, our past President, who is coordinating our Masterclasses and our Executive Director Sue McNabb. We have posted on the IMGL website a list of the confirmed future IMGL Masterclasses for 2017 as well as the Clarion events where IMGL will have the option of conducting a Masterclass. The IMGL spring conference will be held in Miami, Florida, this year and takes place on May 10-12th, 2017, at the Turnberry Isle. If you have not made your reservations to attend, I would suggest you do now. It should be another great conference and offers a side trip to the Gulfstream racetrack on Saturday, May 13th, with a private suite at the finish line for IMGL guests to enjoy the day. I encourage everyone to make plans to stay in Miami over the weekend and enjoy the Day at the Races. Finally, our fall conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 10-12th, 2017. Please mark your calendars accordingly. As you can tell, 2017 will be a very busy and exciting year for IMGL. I look forward to seeing many of you in Miami. European Gaming Lawyer | Spring Issue | 2017 | 5