European Gaming Lawyer magazine Spring 2014 | Page 7
[
President’s Message
]
Joerg Hofmann, [email protected]
W
President Joerg Hofmann
elcome to another issue of the
premier periodical on gaming law
in Europe. This is my first ‘message
from the president’ for the European
Gaming Lawyer, and I must confess
to writing it with some pride given I am based in
Europe. Over the years, this publication has served as
a key reference point for developments in all European
jurisdictions, and it will continue to do so in the future.
Despite a near declaration of war by certain transport
workers in London, once again, ICE 2014 in London
proved to be a resounding success for the IMGL.
Our traditional ‘IMGL Reception at ICE’, generously
co-hosted by Jeffery Green Russell, was heavily
oversubscribed. I trust that, for those of you who
attended, it offered you the perfect platform to further
develop your network and establish new contacts.
Our new event during the ICE week, the ‘IMGL
Masterclass at ICE’, was a success which went above
and beyond our expectations. Soon after starting,
it became apparent that the seating allocated for
attendees of this event was well below what was needed.
Fortunately, additional seating was on hand to meet
the high demand. Aside from the high attendance,
another particularly pleasing aspect was the diversity
of attendees we attracted, which ranged from our
usual well known lawyers, educators and high level
representatives from gaming operators, plus many new
faces from around the world. On account of this success,
another IMGL Masterclass is in the pipeline – keep your
ears open as further details will follow in the future.
The IMGL spring conference, to be held in San
Diego, is just around the corner. As a reminder, the
dates are 23 – 25 April 2014, and I strongly encourage
all of you who have not yet committed to the San Diego
conference to book your flights and accommodation.
As you would expect, we have put together a high level
educational programme for attendees. It is made up of
what could be called a ‘dual-track’ agenda; one track
is dedicated to global gaming, while the second track
is dedicated to Indian gaming. It is my great pleasure
to thank the organizing committee, with truly unique
commitment perfectly co-chaired by John Maloney
and John Roberts. Additionally, our networking
events will offer unrivalled networking opportunities,
highlighted by our reception and dinner on Thursday,
24 April 2014, aboard the USS Midway, which saw
action in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf.
For our next engagement, we look across the
Pacific, from San Diego, to east Asia. Our ‘IMGL
Member Reception at G2E Asia’ will again take place
at the Venetian Macau on 21 May 2014. This has
become an annual fixture on the calendar, and its
popularity is growing year-on-year. If you are visiting
G2E Asia, please ensure that you prioritise this event.
It gives me great pleasure to inform members of
the newest event on the IMGL Calendar: East Meets
West Regulator Summit on 24 and 25 May 2014. To
be held on the stunningly beautiful Boracay Island in
the Philippines, this is a unique concept. The overall
objective is to create an environment where regulators
and lawyers can come together in order to transfer
their knowledge and experience. From a personal
perspective, this is particularly pleasing because one of
my objectives as president is to make the IMGL a more
inclusive organization for regulators. More broadly, it
represents the IMGL’s continuing commitment to engage
with regulators, and generate further brand awareness in
emerging jurisdictions, particularly those in East Asia.
As a brief reminder, our autumn conference, or
our European conference, is being held in Florence,
Italy, this year. Our final dates have not been finally
confirmed as of now, but it will likely be held during 5
-7 November 2014. When our dates are finalised, you
will be immediately notified. As always, I encourage
you to attend, not only for maintaining and building
your professional profile among your peers, but also for
the chance to visit the ‘birthplace of the Renaissance’.
Accordingly, during the first half of 2014, the IMGL
is keeping up a busy schedule. As IMGL members,
you have special privileges at these events, and taking
advantage of these privileges can only further your
professional development. I look forward to meeting
and greeting you soon!
European Gaming Lawyer | Spring Issue | 2014 | 7