Welcome to the inaugural issue of Canadian Gaming Lawyer, the newest publication of the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL).

The International Masters of Gaming Law is a non-profit educational organization incorporated under the laws of Nevada. It is dedicated to raising the professionalism of the practice of gaming law on an international basis through the education and academics of gaming law.

Canadian Gaming Lawyer is the latest effort of the IMGL and is designed to reach all elements of the Canadian gaming industry that is playing a key role in the expansion of the Canadian economy. Canadian Gaming Lawyer will be published twice a year, with a spring and fall issue. It will focus on gaming law issues that are at the forefront of Canadian gaming and will address international gaming issues that affect the Canadian gaming market. In this regard, the IMGL solicits the input and suggestions of all elements of the Canadian gaming industry. Our goal is to make Canadian Gaming Lawyer a must read for professionals involved in the Canadian gaming industry.

What Is the IMGL?

In this, our first issue, I want to take a moment to familiarize you with the IMGL. The IMGL membership consists of private practice attorneys with extensive experience in gaming law (General Members), as well as in-house gaming business legal counsel, educators, regulators, accountants, gaming industry consultants and young lawyers entering the gaming industry (Affiliate Members). The IMGL has over 170 members in 30 countries including three of Canada's provinces, as well as members in 28 states and the District of Columbia within the United States. A noted 17 of the 24 worldwide private practice lawyers listed in Chambers Global Guide as "notable Band One gaming lawyers" are IMGL general members, In addition, eighty-five percent of the IMGL general members practicing in the United States are listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

The IMGL's commitment to education in the gaming industry is extraordinary. The IMGL conducts two gaming educational conferences each year, typically one in North America and one in a non-North American jurisdiction. The IMGL's flagship publication, Casino Lawyer, is published four times a year and reaches well over 10,000 gaming professionals worldwide. The IMGL also publishes International Casino Law and Regulation Loose Leaf Service, sponsors the independently published Gaming Law Review and has partnered with a number of law schools that have gaming law courses to conduct educational conferences and symposiums. It also publishes law reviews that focus on state of the legal issues in the industry. The IMGL is the official sponsor of and provides speakers to a number of gaming conferences worldwide.

Many IMGL members have authored a variety of gaming law books, pamphlets, treatises and published gaming related articles in virtually every gaming-related trade publication. In other words, the IMGL and its members are committed to serve as leaders in the development of a substantive body of gaming law source materials for the gaming industry worldwide.

Upcoming IMGL Events

The IMGL 2008 Spring Conference is being held at the Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville, California from May 21-23, 2008. Yountville is in the heart of fabulous Napa Valley. The conference will feature a day and a half of timely, comprehensive discussions of today's leading international gaming issues. In addition, the conference will host the presentation of the IMGL Gaming Executives of the Year awards. This year's recipients of this prestigious award are Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., President of the American Gaming Association, and Ernest L. Stevens Jr., Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association.

In September, the IMGL will host a one-day gaming law symposium at the Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. Leading gaming law scholars will present and discuss comprehensive papers dealing with a variety of gaming law issues. The papers will then be published and distributed to IMGL members, law schools and other interested parties.

The IMGL will be conducting its two-day fall gaming conference in Berlin, Germany from October 29-31, 2008. This conference is currently in the planning stages. Further details will soon be available on the IMGL website at www.gaminglawmasters.com.

IMGL Member Services

The IMGL is dedicated to providing a broad range of services that benefit all members of the IMGL. Executive Director, Melissa Lurie, oversees member services and serves as the overall coordinator of the IMGL's numerous activities. She stands ready to respond to inquiries from members and persons who are interested in becoming active in the IMGL. She can be contacted at IMGLDirector@aol.com or at (303) 449-9955. Inquiries can also be directed to the IMGL's editor of Canadian Gaming Lawyer, Michael Lipton, at mdliptonqc@aol.com or (416) 367-0871 or me at rstocker@dickinsonwright.com or (517) 487-4715.

Robert W. Stocker II, Dickinson Wright PLLC
Bob Stocker is current president of the IMGL & practises gaming law on an international basis.