IMGL 2021 Spring Conference

 

Conference Schedule (All times in EST)

 

Monday, March 8

12:00 pm – 12:10 pm
President Introduction
 

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm (Session 1 live)
Brick and Mortar Gaming in a Post-COVID World

This panel will explore the legal challenges and opportunities affected by COVID-19 (e.g., are there risks for increased taxes, reduced regulatory burden, economic stimulus to support gaming, continuing legal liability for COVID related outbreaks, etc…).

Moderator: Sean McGuinness, Attorney, Butler Snow, USA
Speakers:
Michael Lipton, Senior Partner, Dickinson Wright LLP, Canada
Andrew Cotton, Director of Betting and Gaming, Ince Gordon Dadds LLP, UK
Daron Dorsey, SVP, General Counsel & Group Compliance Officer, Ainsworth Game Technology, USA
Ellen Whittemore, Executive Vice President, Wynn Resorts, USA 
 

1:20 pm – 2:20 pm (Session 2 live)
Sports Betting Updates

With states and provinces looking for revenue, sports betting seems to be an easy fix to some budget issues.  This panel will look at the expansion of sports betting in the Americas, both online and retail, the jurisdictions that are likely to come online next and who has had success or glitches with quick efforts to go to market.  The panel will also discuss the ramifications on the recent First Circuit Court of Appeals decision rejecting the 2019 DOJ opinion and the effect on same on sports wagering and online gaming.

Moderator: Marie Jones, Attorney, Fox Rothschild, USA
Speakers:
David Waddell, President, Regulatory Management Counselors, P.C., USA
Eric Frank, EDF Compliance, LLC, USA
R. Douglas Sherman, Chief Counsel, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, USA
Gina Smith, Deputy Director of Gaming Compliance, Virginia Lottery, USA
 

2:20 pm – 2:25 pm
President’s Closing Notes

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Tuesday, March 9

12:00 pm – 12:05 pm 
President Introduction
 

12:10 pm – 1:10 pm (Session 3 live)
Tribal Sports Betting and Compact Provisions

As more states legalize sports betting, more tribes are getting in on the game. As a Class III game under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, sports betting must be authorized by the tribal-state compact. This panel discusses how sports betting might be included in the types of games permitted by a compact and also addresses issues likely to arise in compact negotiations to include sports betting, including revenue sharing.

Moderator: Steve Light, Co-Director, Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law & Policy, University of North Dakota, USA
Speakers: 
Kathryn Rand, Professor, University of North Dakota School of Law, USA
Kevin Quigley, Indian Affairs & Gaming Business Counsel, Foley & Quigley PLC, USA
Niki Metzgar-Schall, Corporate Counsel, Sportradar, USA
Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier, Partner, Snell & Wilmer, USA

 

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm (Session 4 live)
Igaming/Lottery in North America

This panel will focus on how North American lotteries are developing digital offerings, with commentary from professionals involved in the earliest and the most recent states to offer digital lottery, as well as insights into the legal battle to challenge the U.S. Department of Justice’s now-overturned interpretation of the Wire Act.

Moderator: Robert Fontaine, Deputy General Counsel for Gaming, Virginia Lottery, USA
Speakers: 
Rob Wesley, Director of Digital, Virginia Lottery, USA
Riva Richard, General Counsel, Pollard Banknote, Canada
Scott Bowen, Vice President of Government Relations, NeoPollard Interactive LLC, USA

 

2:15 pm – 2:20 pm 
President’s Closing Notes

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Wednesday, March 10 

10:00 pm – 10:05 pm
President Introduction
 

10:10 pm – 11:10 pm (Session 5 live)
Australasia 2021: Way forward post COVID

COVID-19 has reshaped the global gaming industry like no other event in our lifetimes — but with vaccines now rolling out across the globe, eyes are turning to a post-COVID world. This panel of experts with deep domain knowledge of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and a host of Southeast Asian countries will discuss the effects of the pandemic on more than a half-dozen gaming jurisdictions across the continent — and what changes we may see in the landscape once the pandemic is finally behind us.

Moderator: Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming, Macau 
Speakers:
Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons, Australia
Kok Keng Lau, Head of Intellectual Property/Sports and Gaming, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, Singapore
Marie Antonette B Quiogue, Partner, Romulo Law Offices, Philippines
Hitoshi Ishihara, Partner, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Japan
 

11:15 pm – 12:15 am (Session 6 live)
Rise of E-sports in Australasia- Focus on the current state of the industry

This panel will focus on the state of the industry in the markets of Hong Kong, China, India, Australia.

Moderator: Alex Norman, Counsel, Bird & Bird, China
Speakers:
Ranjana Adhikari, Co-head of the Media Entertainment & Gaming Practice Groups, Nishith Desai Associates, India
Sean Zhang, CEO and Cofounder, Talon Esports, Hong Kong
Michael Patent, Founder, Culture Group, China
Joseph Wadakethalakal, Corporate Development, IR, and Strategic Partnerships, Mobile Premier League, Singapore
 

12:15 am – 12:20 am
President’s Closing Notes

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Thursday, March 11

9:00 am - 9:05 am
President Introduction
 

9:10 am – 10:10 am (Session 7 live)
UK – Review of the Gambling Act 2005: A Sign of Things to Come for the Global Gaming Industry?

In December, the British Government announced an in-depth review of the jurisdiction’s gambling laws. As one of the world’s most mature regulatory regimes considers how to update its laws for the smartphone era, one can’t help but see this as a blueprint for similar re-evaluations around the world. This panel will consider the main issues being considered by the Review and will seek to identify the threats and opportunities it presents.

Moderator: Stephen Ketteley, Partner, Wiggin LLP, UK
Speakers:
Tamsin Blow, Partner, CMS Law, UK
John Hagan, Managing Partner, Harris Hagan, UK
Ian Ince, Head of Regulation and Compliance, Playtech, UK
Simon Bernholt, Chief Regulatory & Legal Officer, Flutter UK & Ireland
 

10:15 am – 11:15 am (Session 8 live)
Mergers/acquisitions and the Competition Angle

The mobile gaming market continues to consolidate as companies needs to sufficient economies to develop internationally in an increased regulatory environment. The impact of the COVID created both threats and opportunities and we can see new trends emerging both on the corporate side but also on the financing aspects. Private equity is now less wary of investment as more traditional financiers but one’s could question how the dynamics of the industry could be affected by such a shift.

The panel will discuss those aspects with representatives of the industry but all with consultants and financiers.

Moderator: Diane Mullenex, Partner, Pinsent Masons, UK
Speakers:
Adam Rivers, Director, KPMG LLP, UK
Hussein Chahine, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Stratasphere, UK
David McLeish, Partner, Wiggin LLP, UK
 

11:15 am – 11:20 am
President’s Closing Notes

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Friday, March 12

9:00 am - 9:05 am 
President Introduction
 

9:10 am – 10:10 am (Session 9 live)
The Impact of the Ongoing Global Pandemic in Regard to the EU/UK Regulated Markets

The Covid-related events that have tragically affected the whole world over the past year (and counting) have inevitably had an impact also on the gaming industry with most retail outlets being shut off for months while on the flip side the online business was benefitting from the collateral effect of the vast majority of players working from home with more spare time and limited options to kill the long confinement days.  The panel will discuss how the gaming industry is coping with the perfect storm brought by the viral challenge coupled with a growing and widespread regulatory trend that resulted in ever stricter marketing and advertising rules being enforced on the operators across all regulated markets. 

Moderator: Quirino Mancini, Partner, Tonucci & Partners, Italy
Speakers: 
Ekaterina Hartmann, Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, European Gaming and Betting Association, Belgium 
James Scicluna, Co-Managing Partner, WH Partners, Malta
Marco Castaldo, CEO of Microgame SpA and Director of ASTRO for Online Gaming and Bettinga, Italy
Niki Stephens, Partner, Mishcon de Reya, UK

10:15 am – 11:15 am (Session 10 live)

Emerging Markets in the Netherlands, Germany and Others Gradually Legalizing Online Gambling

Germany and The Netherlands are one of the last but certainly not the least markets in the EU to introduce a long-awaited local licensing regime for remote gambling whilst 2021 also marks the year for other markets to gradually open up. Operators will need to obtain a local licence to continue with their operations on the respective markets after decades of legal and political challenges. Will there be a smooth transition? What are the main challenges of the licence application process in the respective jurisdictions? How will these markets evolve post-licensing in comparison to other markets? This panel will further explore the licensing opportunities & risks of these emerging markets.

Moderator: Frank Tolboom, Partner, Kalff Katz & Franssen, Netherlands
Speakers:
Justin Franssen, Partner, Kalff Katz & Franssen, Netherlands
Matthias Spitz, Senior Partner, MELCHERS Law Firm, Germany
Frieder Backu, Partner, Witzel Erb Backu & Partner Rechtsanwälte mbB, Germany
Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Director, NOGA, Netherlands
 

11:15 am – 11:25 am 
President’s Closing Notes