San Diego, California • April 23-25, 2014

Program and Speakers

As of April 22, 2014
 

Wednesday, April 23

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
IMGL Welcome Reception

Thursday, April 24

8:45 am – 9:00 am   
Welcome & Conference Overview    
Speaker: Joerg Hofmann, President, IMGL and Senior Partner, MELCHERS law firm, Germany

9:00 am – 10:15 am   
KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION
Internet Gaming in the US
This panel will include gaming regulators, will address not only the economics of Internet gaming in the US, but also legal and practical issues include the following: Will Internet gaming be forced to remain within single state borders or can it expand to interstate? How will the US Department of Justice react if states attempt to enter compacts to create multi-state Internet gaming? Must Internet gaming always be associated with at land-based casino operation? What are some of the necessary safeguards for intra-state Internet gaming and what are the challenges to gaming regulators? Will these change if multi-state Internet gaming becomes a reality? are there differences in representing an Internet gaming operator as compared with a land-based casino operation? Will Internet gaming - either single state or multi-state - adversely affect land-based gaming operations?
Moderator: Anthony N. Cabot, Partner, Lewis Roca Rothgerber, Nevada 
Speakers: A.G. Burnett, Chairman, Nevada Gaming Control Board, Nevada
Mark A. Clayton, Shareholder, Lionel Sawyer & Collins, Nevada
Stacey Cohee, Deputy Attorney General, Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement, Delaware
Violet Golden, Acting Chairman, Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission, Virgin Islands
Eric Meyerhofer, CEO, Gamblit Gaming, California
Stephen D. Schrier, Partner, Blank Rome LLP, New Jersey

10:30 am – 11:30 am   
IMGL BREAKOUT
Impact of Social Casino Gaming
Social casino games or "for fun" gambling games via the internet are one of the most controversial forms of gaming entertainment today. Are these gambling type games grooming kids to gamble by blurring the lines between gaming and gambling? Who makes the games and who plays them? How are they monetized? What type of player protections are in place and how do you keep underage players from engaging in this activity? Should they be banned along with internet gambling or be regulated separately from other social games? These questions and others will be addressed by this panel of experts.
Moderator: Connie Jones, Director of Responsible Gaming, International Gaming Technology, Nevada
Speakers: David Chang, Chief Marketing Officer, Gamblit Gaming, California
Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons Lawyers, Australia  
I. Nelson Rose, Professor of Law, Whittier Law School, California

10:30 am – 11:30 am   
INDIAN COUNTRY SERIES
All the Easy Ones Are Done
Conflicts over attempts to establish new tribal gaming locations continue to develop unforeseen consequences.  Attempts to implement the IGRA section 20 remedial provisions are often characterized as “reservation shopping” or, as “off-reservation gaming.”  But routes expressly permitted must still work through the administrative process, and navigate the judicial gauntlet.  These cutting edge cases are generating a new body of Indian law that threatens to return Indian country to the termination period.
Moderator: Judith A. Shapiro, Esquire, Washington D.C.
Speakers: Scott Crowell, Owner, Crowell Law Office - Tribal Advocacy Group, Arizona
Phil Harju, Tribal Attorney, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Washington
Paige Masters, Associate, Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma

11:35 am – 12:45 pm   
IMGL BREAKOUT
General Counsels in the Gaming Industry: Roles, Risks, and Challenges
A company’s general counsel is its point person for managing legal issues, conflicts, and risk. In the gaming industry, a general counsel must navigate its company through a heavily regulated, rapidly changing legal and political environment. Our panel brings together general counsel from some of the most well-respected companies in the gaming industry to discuss challenges encountered by general counsel including with respect to regulatory compliance, stakeholders/shareholders relations, responsible gaming, and human resources/employment. We will be actively soliciting audience participation, so come prepared with questions and insights and be ready for a lively discussion!
Moderator: Michael Lipton, Q.C., Senior Partner, Dickinson Wright, LLP, Canada 
Speaker: Uri L. Clinton, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Baha Mar Ltd., Bahamas
Katie S. Lever, General Counsel and Sr. VP of Legal & Compliance, Bally Technologies, Inc., Nevada
Kevin Mullally, Vice President of Government Relations & General Counsel, Gaming Laboratories International, LLC, Missouri

11:35 am – 12:45 pm   
INDIAN COUNTRY SERIES 
The Future of Indian Gaming in California and Beyond: Internet Gaming—With or Without IGRA?
A Quarter Century after Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Native American casinos have matured and growth has leveled off. In the face of dwindling Indian country land development opportunities, and major resistance to off-reservation casinos, some tribal governments have embraced commercial gaming on equal footing with non-Indian casinos. What does this mean to the future of IGRA?
Moderator: Victor Rocha, Owner and Editor, Pechanga.net, California
Speakers: Steve Bodmer, Deputy General Council, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, California
Jerome L. Levine, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP, California
D. Michael McBride III, Chair, Indian Law & Gaming Practice Group, Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C., Oklahoma

1:00 pm – 2:20 pm   
IMGL Awards Luncheon

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm   
KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION
The Crackdown on Internet Sweepstakes Cafes
This lively panel will explore the issues surrounding the proliferation of “Internet sweepstakes cafes”. Designed to evade state antigambling laws, these storefront operations pose as legitimate businesses to offer slot-machine-like gambling.  On this panel, we will explore the background and nature of these Internet sweepstakes cafes, the legal and policy considerations surrounding these businesses, and the status of federal and state enforcement actions against them.
Moderator: Kate C. Lowenhar-Fisher, Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Nevada 
Speakers: Tiffany Conklin, Commissioner, California Gambling Control Commission, California
Keith Kaneshiro, Prosecuting Attorney, City of Honolulu, Hawaii  
Donald McGehee, Chief of Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, Michigan Attorney General, Michigan
Donna B. More, Partner, Ungaretti & Harris, Illinois
Michael E. Zatezalo, Managing Partner/Director, Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter Co., L.P.A, Ohio

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm   
IMGL BREAKOUT
California Cardrooms - Contributions and Challenges
This panel discussion will include an overview of the California Cardroom industry, its contribution (taxes, jobs, recreation) to local communities and municipalities and the competitive and regulatory challenges card rooms face. Panelists will provide the perspective of owner/operators, legal representatives and regulators with the goal of providing an educational overview to the IMGL audience.
Moderator: John Roberts, Executive Director, Pokagan Gaming Commission, Michigan 
Speakers: Lauren Hammond, Commissioner, California State Gambling Commission, California
Kyle R. Kirkland, President & General Manager, Club One Casino, Inc., California 
Darrell Miers, Co-founder, Core Partners, California

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
INDIAN COUNTRY SERIES 
Indian Gaming Unique and Hot Topics
This panel will explore hot topics and unique qualities of Indian gaming under federal and tribal law and Tribal-State compacts, with a focus on California and Minnesota and from the perspective of a leading federal official. Panelists will address what makes tribal gaming different from other types of gaming, tribal exclusivity, key regulatory requirements, community relations and agreements with local jurisdictions, and hot topics --including the impact of internet cafes, compacts, and state lottery games
Moderator: Jane Zerbi, Esquire, Law Office of Jane Zerbi, California
Speakers: Jonodev Chaudhuri, Acting Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission, Washington, D.C.
Ray Patterson, Executive Director, Yocha Dehe Tribal Gaming Agency, California
Kevin C. Quigley, President and Managing Member, Hamilton Quigley & Twait PLC, Minnesota
Robert Smith, Chairman, Pala Band of Mission Indians, California

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm   
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
The Social and Economic Impacts of Tribal Gaming After 25 Years of IGRA
In 1988, when the US Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), it was not possible to predict the profound socioeconomic and cultural changes that would occur on and near American Indian reservations in the United States due to gaming on tribal lands. By now, it is clear to those both in and outside of Indian Country that the two major policy mandates of the 1988 IGRA have been achieved. This presentation will provide detailed evidence of tribal gaming's success for both on and off tribal lands.
Speaker: Katherine A. Spilde, Ph.D. MBA, Associate Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and Endowed Chair, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, California

6:30 pm – 9:30 pm   
IMGL Reception & Dinner on the USS Midway
For more information go to Events section

Friday, April 25

8:30 am – 9:30 am   
KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION
Hot Transactions in the Gaming Industry
The gaming industry, like many other industries, is undergoing extensive changes. With the economy improving, business models are quickly changing and merger and acquisition activities are exploding across the industry. Moreover, financing transactions are becoming daily occurrences and creative financing strategies are being developed for the industry. This panel will explore those new business models, mergers and acquisitions and financing strategies and how regulation may impact their growth.
Moderator: Marc H. Ellinger, Partner, Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, L.C., Missouri
Speaker: Frank Donaghue, Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Chief Compliance Officer, Penn National Gaming, Inc., Pennsylvania 
Dana Messina, Chief Financial Officer, Club One Casino, California
Robert Miller, Principal, Miller Companies, Illinois 
Tal Itzhak Ron, Chairman, Tal Ron, Drihem & Co. - Law Firm, Israel

9:30 am – 10:30 am   
KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION
Doing Gaming Business in North America
The panel will discuss the practical North American regulatory, licensing and approval processes faced by foreign gaming casino operators, manufacturers (hardware and software) and financers, including their owners, directors, officers and employees in both the commercial casino industry and Indian/First Nation Country. In the North America gaming market, one size does not fit all. The panel, composed of experts in the multi-national gaming arena, will address this fact and make practical suggestions regarding what can be done to minimize the hassles and costs of the regulatory/licensing/approval process in a complex, multi-jurisdictional environment.
Moderator: Robert W. Stocker II, Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC, Michigan 
Speakers: J. Kelly Duncan, Partner, Jones Walker LLP, Louisiana
John Maloney, Principal and General Counsel, Law Offices of John K. Maloney, Nevada 
Joc Pečečnik, Chairman of the Board, Interblock, Slovenia
Randall Sayre, Gaming Consultant, RES Consulting, Nevada 
Britt R. Singletary, Partner, Singletary & Thrash P.A, Mississippi

10:45 am – 12:00 pm   
IMGL BREAKOUT
Latest Developments in the Regulation of Internet Gambling Outside the US
The regulation of iGambling in many jurisdictions outside the US is well-established and has shown to be both effective and reliable. However there are developments in certain of these jurisdictions, leading to refinements and planned improvements in their regulations for both social and taxation purposes. Some jurisdictions, like the UK, are taking the opportunity to update their iGaming regimes while in other parts of the world the regulation of i-gaming is being newly considered. And across the Member States in the EEA there is the important issue of possible change in anti-money laundering regulation (which will affect not only i-gaming but terrestrial gambling) and also possible value added tax (sales tax) implications for on-line operators.
Moderator: Tony Coles, Consultant, Jeffrey Green Russell Limited, United Kingdom 
Speakers: Frieder Backu, Attorney at Law, SSW Schneider Schiffer Weihermuller, Germany
Maire Conneely, Senior Associate, A&L Goodbody Solicitors, Ireland
Keith Furlong, CEO, Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), Canada
Luiz Felipe Maia, Founding Partner, Oliveira Ramos, Maia E Advogados Associados, Brazil
Quirino Mancini, Head of Media, Sports & Gaming Practice, SCM Lawyers, Italy

10:45 am – 12:00 pm
INDIAN COUNTRY SERIES
Land-Into-Trust Acquisitions for Gaming: Policy and Practice
In recent years, there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the acquisition of land-into-trust for tribal gaming purposes.  Is the acquisition of land-into-trust leading to a rapid expansion of Indian gaming, particularly into urban areas?  Are land-into-trust acquisitions helping some tribes while harming others?  This session will: provide an overview of the process of acquiring land-into-trust for gaming; review BIA policies and procedures for approving land-into-trust applications for gaming; examine historical trends regarding BIA approvals of land-into-trust applications; examine trends in land-into-trust applications pending before the BIA; and review recently approved/disapproved applications and the rationale behind them.
Moderator: Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier, Partner, Snell & Wilmer, Arizona
Speaker: Alan P. Meister, Ph.D., Principal Economist, Nathan Associates Inc., California
George Skibine, Counsel, Dentons U.S. LLP, Washington, D.C.
Troy Woodward, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Indian Gaming, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm    
IMGL Networking Luncheon

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm   
IMGL BREAKOUT
Gaming License Investigations: Regulatory vs. Police
Gaming licensure investigations vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. An understanding of the investigative approach taken in any jurisdiction is helpful in avoiding mistakes and misunderstandings which can impede the licensure investigation.  This session will explore the origin and purpose of the gaming licensure investigation and the differences between a regulatory investigation and a police investigation. An experienced panel of practitioners and regulators will provide information and insight on investigative trends and suggested approaches.
Moderator: James B. Deutsch, Partner, Blitz Bardgett & Deutsch, Missouri
Speakers: Norman DesRosiers, Tribal Gaming Consultant, California
Richard Lopes, Chairman, California Gambling Control Commission, California 
Stephen Martino, Director, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, Maryland
Roger M. Morris, Senior Partner, Lewis Roca Rothgerber LLP, Colorado

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm   
INDIAN COUNTRY SERIES
Advances in Technology
From yesterday’s paper bingo and ink daubers to today’s server-based games to tomorrow’s interactive gaming – advances in technology continue to shape the landscape of the Indian gaming world.  In many cases, Indian gaming has led the way in developing new technologies that can be seen on any casino floor. This panel, which brings together experts in gaming technology, tribal gaming law, and tribal gaming regulation, will discuss the technological challenges currently facing Indian gaming as well as provide a glimpse at what new technology is on the horizon and how Indian gaming can prepare for the next step in gaming evolution.
Moderator: Jamie Hummingbird, Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Speakers: Douglas Florence, Business Development Director, Avigilon, Nevada
Stephen M. Hart, Partner, Business Section, Lewis Roca Rothgerber, Arizona
Tina Kilmer, Vice President Product Compliance, Bally Technologies
Daniel Little, Associate Commissioner, National Indian Gaming Commission, Washington D.C.
G. Dean Luthey, Jr., Senior Partner, Gable Gotwals, Oklahoma
Les Stanley, Executive Director, Rincon Gaming Commission, California 
Richard Williamson, Sr. Vice President Regulatory Education, BMM Testlabs, Nevada

2:15 pm – 3:30 pm   
KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION
Challenges for U.S. Payment Processing
On October 13th, 2006, the United States government passed the Unlawful Internet Enforcement Gaming Act (UIEGA), which prohibited the acceptance and/or processing of payments from and to online gaming operators involving U.S. citizens.  Nevertheless, online gaming operators that continued accepting U.S. facing business post UIEGA, did so by manipulating banks and credit card companies into processing iGaming transactions, leaving many of them with a bad taste for iGaming business.  With the emergence of legalized online gaming in three (3) U.S. states in 2013, namely in Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey, most believed therein that this was the end of UIEGA; however, several financial institutions and credit card companies alike continue to prohibit the facilitation of online gaming payments therein despite the new regulatory framework and the passage of new laws legally permitting such activities in those jurisdictions.  This panel will discuss the impact of these continued prohibitions imposed upon the U.S. iGaming Industry, by U.S. banks and financial institutions, as well as the resulting need for online payment processors to fill this gap.
Moderator: Morden “Cookie” Lazarus, Partner, Lazarus, Charbonneau, Canada 
Speakers: Marion Goldstein, Executive VP, Corporate Development and General Counsel, Amaya Gaming Group Inc., Canada
Dickson Jay, President, CrossPay Services US Inc., Canada
Matthew Katz, CEO, CAMS LLC, California
Edwin-Dario Monzon, Partner, Lazarus, Charbonneau, Canada 
Jason Noto, Esq., Director of Regulatory Compliance for Online Gaming and Alternative Markets, New Jersey

3:45 pm – 4:30 pm   
IMGL Member Business Meeting

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm   
IMGL Closing Reception