Delegates & Program

The IMGL Autumn Conference in Berlin held October 29 – 31 at the Grand Hyatt was a success. Attendance was strong in the face of worldwide economic adversity. Over 90 delegates participated from 23 countries including Antigua, Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Gibraltar, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Mexico, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Prof. Dr. Siegbert Alber, former Vice President of the European Parliament and former Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, was the conference's keynote speaker. The conference panels were diverse, the speakers were incisive, and the opening reception at the hotel and subsequent dinner at the Story of Berlin were both very popular events.

Awards & Honors

At the Awards Luncheon the Regulator of the Year Award and the President’s Cup Award were given by IMGL President, Bob Stocker. The 2008 IMGL Regulator of the Year award was presented to Francesco Radano, Head of Remote Gaming, Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS), the Italian gaming regulatory agency for his contributions to the gaming industry.

The recipient of the President's Cup was Quirino Mancini from Italy. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding long-term commitment to and service on behalf of the IMGL by members while not serving in an officer capacity. Quirino was instrumental in organizing the IMGL's first European conference in Rome. He has served on the IMGL Membership Committee and has consistently been an excellent IMGL ambassador at numerous gaming conferences held in Europe and North America. He is also representative of the excellent quality of IMGL's European members.

Conference Committee & Sponsors

Congratulations are offered to the Berlin conference committee – Wulf Hambach, Joerg Hofmann, Henrik Hoffman (co-chairs) and Tony Coles, Michael Lipton, Sue Schneider, and Melissa Lurie. Also, special thanks to our conference sponsors, Novomatic, Melchers, GamblingCompliance.com, TÜV Rheinland and World Online Gambling Law Report and NICE Systems.

Welcome & Keynote Address

Welcome: Robert W. Stocker II, President, International Masters of Gaming Law and Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC, USA Keynote Speaker: Prof. Siegbert Alber, Advocate General, European Court of Justice, Luxembourg

Gaming Earthquake in the EU?

This panel will address whether the actions of the European Commission and the decisions of the governments in several of the member states, coupled with the outcome of cases in the European Court of Justice, will lead to a fundamental change in the regulation of gaming throughout the European Union. Will the structure in the UK, Italy, France or in Malta be a model? Moderator: Anthony Coles, Partner, Jeffrey Green Russell, England.
Speakers: Santiago Asensi, Partner, Asensi Abogados, Spain; Dr. Olga Finkel, Founding Partner, WH Law, Malta; Justin Franssen, Partner, Van Mens & Wisselink, The Netherlands; Wulf Hambach, Partner, Hambach & Hambach, Germany; Quirino Mancini, Partner, Sinisi Ceschini Mancini, Italy; Perrine Pelletier, Associate, ULYS Law Firm, France

View from the Top: CEO Panel

The gaming market is expanding rapidly in Europe and Asia. Opportunities and pitfalls abound as the number of gaming jurisdictions expand and as current gaming jurisdictions change the licensing and permitted casino location and internet gaming rules. Meanwhile the European Union is taking actions that impact state monopolies. This panel will discuss where the gaming market is headed in Western and Eastern Europe and in Asia and what jurisdictions present the greatest opportunities and the greatest dangers. Moderator: Robert W. Stocker II, Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC, USA.
Speakers: Lars Porko, Managing Director and CEO, The PAF Group, Finland; Wolfgang Reiter, Managing Director, Playjack GmbH, Germany; Clive Tilley, President and CEO, Tilley Entertainment, USA; Franz Wohlfahrt, CEO, Novomatic, Austria

Corporate Social Responsibility

Responsible Gaming is a very topical and important issue on a world wide basis. This session will hear experts in the field who will discuss and review responsible gaming issues from the perspective of both land based and i-gaming platforms and will include a review of Corporate Social Responsibilities which are becoming prevalent in many jurisdictions.
Presenters: Connie Jones, Director of Responsible Gaming, IGT, USA; Sue McNabb, Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice, USA

North America: Will There Be an Earthquake?

National and state elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4. One thing is certain–there will be a new president and perhaps a substantially different Congress in January 2009. What is the likely outcome of the November elections and what impact will the new president and new Congress have on the land based, Indian Country and internet gaming industries? This panel will make its prognostications on the national and state political scene. Moderator: John Maloney, Partner, Maloney & Tabor, Inc., Nevada.
Speakers: Samuel Begley, Partner, Begley Law Firm, Mississippi; Frank Catania, President and Principal, Catania Gaming Consultants, New Jersey; J. Kelly Duncan, Partner, Jones Walker, Louisiana; W. Owen Nitz, Co-Trustee, IP Casino Resort Spa Biloxi and Partner, Nitz Walton & Heaton, Ltd., Nevada; Britt Singletary, Partner, Singletary & Thrash, Mississippi

ISP and Internet-Blocking

Enforcing Internet Gambling monopolies via Internet- and ISP-Blocking has become a common tool for the states to fight non-state operated gambling websites. Time to ask whether this tool is suitable in times of a Digital World or if there are alternatives to fight illegal activities in the www. Learn from leading IT Experts, Internet Industry Leaders and Gambling Policy experts where we are and where we go from here when it comes to controlling the www. Moderator: Wulf Hambach, Partner, Hambach & Hambach, Germany.
Speakers: Wes Himes, Managing Partner, Policy Action Limited, England; Prof. Michael Rotert, Vice President, EuroISPA, Germany; Rolf Sims, Legal Adviser, Ministry Culture & Church Affairs, Norway; Rolf vom Stein, COO, TUV Reinland Secure iT GmbH, Germany

Great Britain and Ireland–Can the Irish Learn Some Lessons from the British Reforms?

As Britain presses ahead with issuing new casino licenses, the Irish are keen observers, anxious to learn from the experience of their nearest neighbour in licensing and regulating this area of activity. A report recently published by the Irish Department of Justice, confirms a commitment to legislate for land based and on line gambling. Will the Irish follow, and should they follow, the direction taken by Britain in its legislation and in its implementation of that legislation. Moderator: Joe Kelly, Partner, A & L Goodbody, Ireland.
Speakers: John Hagan, Partner, Harris Hagan, England; David Hickson, Managing Director, The Fitzwilliam Card Club, Ireland; Nick Nocton, Jeffrey Green Russell, England

Maturing Markets Around the Globe

These countries have been developing legislation and a legal environment in order to become mature gaming economies. In Mexico, the perennial confusion that used to exist between what is legal and what’s not is coming to a positive conclusion as it relates to how to identify illicit gambling operations. South Africa is moving toward becoming a fully-fledged "onshore" online gambling licensing jurisdiction. While some important issues remain to be determined, the picture of a future regime is slowly becoming clearer and looks promising for any online operator seeking to tap into a developing market. Regulations in Peru, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador are increasing in technical requirements. Meanwhile gaming in the Caribbean remains relatively stable. As a mature gaming market, Australia is considering regulations which address harm minimization. The regulations which have been proposed are likely to have a material impact on the gaming industry. Other regulations targeting betting organizations are also novel in their approach which, if followed globally, will materially impact on the manner in which bookmakers conduct their business. Moderator: Alfredo G. Lazcano, Managing Partner and Director, Lazcano Samano, S.C., México.
Speakers: Carlos Fonseca, CEO, Gaming Law S.A.C., Peru; Alfonso Pérez Lizaur, President, Asociación de Permisionarios de Juegos y Sorteos, A.C. (Association of Gaming Licencees), México; Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons Lawyers, Australia; Arthur Thomas, Partner, Thomas John & Company, Antigua ; Garron Whitesman, Esquire, Whitesmans Attorneys, South Africa

Changes in Eastern European Regulation

Eastern European jurisdictions have undergone radical changes politically and economically throughout the last couple of decades. With more and more stable economies combined with rapid development in infrastructure gambling and in particular online gambling has been growing fast in this region. This panel will look into the current gaming legislations capabilities in terms of regulating the modern markets, touch upon the future opportunities for both offline and online operators as well as analysing the necessity of new legislation in this region. Moderator: Henrik Hoffman, Advokat, LETT Advokatfirma, Denmark.
Speakers: Lana Haworth, Solicitor, Webster Dixon LLP, England; Boris Nemec, Director of Strategy Development Department, HIT, Slovenia

Financial Affairs in Online Gambling

To fight real illegal Internet gambling the anti-money laundering aspect and monitoring of financial transfers, players and operators become increasingly important. Technical understanding is essential to use these tools. This expert panel will help you to understand the money laundering risks and methods of prevention in gambling. They will identify feasible and non-feasible tools in fight against illegal gambling and money laundering. Moderator: Claus Hambach, Partner, Hambach & Hambach, Germany.
Speakers: Dr. Luka Müller-Studer, LL.M, Partner, MME - Partners, Switzerland; Prof. Dr. Thomas Hartmann-Wendels, Managing Director, Institute of Bank Management and Bank Law, University of Cologne, Germany

Are Video Analytics and Technology Resources a Forensic Tool, Barrier or Business Solution?

Casino operators now realise that their video surveillance resources have to get "smart" to stay effective. Learn how advanced video analytics can keep your casino operations on top of the game. Although game protection is thought to be the most significant need in a casino today it includes; player development, Title 31 in the USA and for internal matters that may involve criminal acts or substantial policy violations. Moderator: Glenn Wichinsky, Shareholder, Howard & Howard, USA.
Speaker: Douglas Florence Sr., CPP, Director, Gaming Sector NiceVision, USA

Mainline Europe iGaming

This session deals with the current developments of this growing market in Europe. No other place in the industry is influenced by such a strong conflict between state monopoly structures and liberalization trends. How will this market be adjusted in the future? Experts from different European jurisdictions offer a snapshot of the present and a forecast to the future of iGaming in Europe. Moderator: Joerg Hofmann, Partner, MELCHERS, Germany.
Speakers: Phill Brear, Head of Gambling Regulation, Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, Gibraltar; Henrik Hoffman, Advokat, LETT Advokatfirma, Denmark; Carly Park, Director, MannBenham Advocates Limited, Isle of Man