Advancing Our Mission Together in 2026

If you have been enticed by one of the many online subscription services, you will no doubt have received your personal “wrap” of 2025 by now. It can be interesting to learn which news articles you downloaded, to realize just how many hours were spent streaming movies and either joyous or depressing to discover what your music listening habits reveal about your age.

When I look back, my IMGL wrap for 2025 contains some genuine standout moments. January saw a large crowd of members and guests gather in Barcelona for the first IMGL ICE reception of the new era. Coming hard on the heels of our latest collaboration with our friends at IAGR, it was a great curtain raiser on the New Year.

The first 2025 edition of the IMGL Magazine included a candid, behind-the-scenes look at events behind the cleanup of the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. In the latest of our 1-on-1 interviews, Andrew Scott revealed the lengths he and his colleagues at the VCCC went to hold the organization accountable while preserving the jobs of thousands who depend on it. Highlights of subsequent editions of the magazine included blow-by-blow accounts of litigation in Prediction Markets, regulatory insights from almost a dozen countries around the world and in-depth articles on Crypto Casino and Influencer Marketing.

Among many highs, the IMGL Spring Conference in Vancouver was especially memorable. The city put on a show with dazzling sunshine adding the x-factor to a world class combination of peerless education and Canadian hospitality at its finest.

Our Masterclass panels drew large and interested crowds at industry events in Florida, Italy, Malta and Las Vegas among others. These cemented IMGL’s reputation as the go-to source of legal expertise, and our members as fully deserving of their reputation for solution-oriented advice.

2025 was also the year that saw our committees hit their stride, with real leadership being shown in areas as diverse as marketing, emerging markets, education and sponsorship. I was particularly excited to follow the work of the 2040 Committee as they explored ways to reinvent our organization for the future.

Our autumn conference in Lisbon was another triumph, as one of Europe’s great cities rolled out the welcome mat for our members. Co-located with the SBC summit, it made for a hectic week of networking and learning which will live long in the memory.

As we turn the page and anticipate the highlights of 2026, I have an advantage in that I already know the work being done behind the scenes to make them happen. The travel itinerary is beginning to take shape with IMGL conferences in Washington, D.C. and Paris, France the two stand-out events. IMGL members will be out in force at Masterclasses around the gaming world and no doubt sharing their expertise within the pages of the IMGL Magazine.

I’m looking forward to wrapping another successful year in 12 months’ time and hope we will manage to spend at least some time in each other’s company. Meanwhile, I wish a very Happy and Prosperous New Year to you, your firms and your families.