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President's Message

Tony Coles
J. Kelly Duncan

January 2012

IMGL Begins Its Eleventh Year

For the members of the International Masters of Gaming Law, the New Year has arrived with a bang.  In December, it was announced that the United States Justice Department has reversed its longstanding position that the Wire Act prohibits all forms of on-line gaming.  This month, we will join our colleagues from the International Association of Gaming Advisors for the first time in co-sponsoring an education conference during ICE in London (as discussed more fully below). 

As I follow a very distinguished list of prominent gaming attorneys as President of IMGL, I am excited to be so actively involved in our truly international organization that today is unequivocally viewed as the leading gaming law educational organization in the world.  As our first non-North American President, my predecessor, Tony Coles, has been on the forefront of ensuring that IMGL continues to be the leading international organization that it is.  Tony is universally recognized as one of the most prominent gaming attorneys in the world.  It is through his leadership that IMGL has continued its worldwide expansion by the election of some of the world’s most renown gaming attorneys and affiliate gaming industry experts, regulators, educators and consultants.  The high standard for excellence and leadership established by Tony and his predecessors is one that I and my successors can only hope to achieve.  My fellow officers, for whom I am most grateful to have their assistance, are reflective of the international composition of IMGL:  our Vice President is Joerg Hoffman from Heidelberg, Germany; Mike Zatezalo from Columbus, Ohio as Treasurer; and Jamie Nettleton of Sydney, Australia as Secretary.  I am comforted to know that I can count on these gentlemen, Tony and my other predecessors as President of IMGL as we begin 2012.  Last, but not least, the outstanding support of our Executive Director, Melissa Lurie, will be counted on to ensure that the sound organization, planning and execution of IMGL work that is the hallmark of our organization will continue.

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Call for Nominations: 2012 Gaming Regulators of the Year

The International Masters of Gaming Law is accepting nominations for the IMGL 2012 Gaming
Regulators of the Year Awards. Awards are presented in four jurisdictions: Gaming Regulator of the Year: Americas; Gaming Regulator of the Year: Europe; Gaming Regulator of the Year: Indian Country; and Gaming Regulator of the Year Evolving Jurisdictions. We invite nominations from gaming industry professionals who operate around the globe. Nomimations are due on July 20, 2012. Click here for complete information and nomination form.

Budget Constraints Threaten U.S. Racing Commissions

January 31, 2012 / Gambling Compliance Ltd / Scott Van Voorhis, GamblingCompliance Ltd.

State racing commissions are galloping into the sunset as cash-hungry lawmakers and governors across the U.S. look for regulatory agencies to axe. Governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest to roll out plans to eliminate a state racing board under a proposal that would merge the decades-old regulator with the state lottery. It follows similar proposals that are moving forward in Massachusetts and Florida. With racing revenues declining and casinos becoming the main attraction, states are moving to create strong, centralized gaming commissions with power to oversee all forms of gambling.Still, casinos and racetracks could prove an odd regulatory couple, with the two sectors requiring very different forms of oversight, some experts warn. “They pass a law and they think they can put all things together,” warns Frank Catania, a former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and now president of Catania Gaming Consultants. “Racing and gaming should be separate."

Cuomo’s proposal to combine New York’s Racing and Wagering Board with the state lottery commission is the biggest merger of its kind currently under consideration.The New York governor made the proposal in his proposed 2012 state budget.It combines a formidable agency that has long overseen New York’s substantial horseracing industry with the lottery commission that controls what is now New York’s main gambling revenue line: thousands of video lottery terminals. The two entities would be combined into a central gaming commission overseen by a five-member board. Given the big gaming expansion looming ahead for gambling in New York State, a more powerful regulatory watchdog may be needed.The move comes as Cuomo and the state’s powerful racino industry prepares to push for a green light to legalize full-fledged casino gambling in the Empire State.

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GamblingCompliance

Member Profile

Michael E. Zatezalo
Managing Partner/Director, Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter Co., L.P.A.
Columbus, OH

Michael Zatezalo is the managing director of Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter Co., LPA in Columbus, Ohio, where he chairs the Gaming Law area and represents suppliers and manufacturers as well as charitable organizations with respect to gaming issues. In addition, he is currently involved in representing clients before the newly created Ohio Casino Control Commission and the development of rules and regulations under the Ohio legislation passed to implement the constitutional amendment authorizing casinos in Ohio. Mr. Zatezalo has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America” and as an “Ohio Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics magazine for his expertise and experience as a gaming attorney. He is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and previously served as the former section chief of the charitable law and consumer frauds and crimes sections of the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Mr. Zatezalo also practices in the real estate and finance areas and is admitted to practice law in both Ohio and California.

He can be contacted at mzatezalo@keglerbrown.com.