December 2022

A Final Toast

My fellow IMGL members, it is a bittersweet moment for me: this is my last President’s message (and my shortest message too). My term has flown by, and I wonder where the time has gone. But I am proud of what you and the IMGL have done in the last three years. Together we have excelled in the face of difficult times and growing our reputation, our educational mission, and our footprint has grown into new and expanding jurisdictions.

The IMGL is better and stronger than ever before and that is because of you and your dedication to this great organization. From our founding members to our very newest young lawyer members, each of you have brought your talents and skills to make the IMGL the pre-eminent organization of gaming lawyers across the globe. The one takeaway from my term as IMGL President is that we are truly a global organization of the best men and women I know. 

As I pass the baton to the next IMGL President, Quirino Mancini, there are so many people I must thank for their help and support. First my wife, Christine, who has supported me by allowing me the time away to work on behalf of the IMGL; to my law partner, Stephanie Bell, who has carried so much of the workload over the last three years; and to our Executive Director and President’s Award winner, Brien Van Dyke, for her outstanding contribution to the success of the IMGL.

I want to thank our Executive Committee and Committee Chairs who work to develop and execute new educational opportunities and programs. Their commitment is the foundation on which the entire IMGL relies. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow IMGL members, for your dedication and service to the IMGL. Knowing your commitment, I am confident that the organization will go on to ever greater heights.

Our new IMGL President, Quirino Mancini, has already started laying the groundwork for the next two years and beyond. Please join me in supporting him and answering his calls to move the IMGL to the next level. I know that his leadership will result in an even bigger and better IMGL in the future.

It has been a humbling experience to lead the IMGL for the last three years. Your support and kind words kept me going during the darkest of times, and even now they lift me up as we move into our future. Thank you for being my colleagues, my friends, and my family. May the holiday season be wonderous for you and your families.

As my final message as IMGL President, I want to raise a glass to each and every one of you with my sincerest thanks for everything you’ve done to help me lead the IMGL. There are so many ways to raise a glass: Prost, Santé, Salud, Salute, but I think I’ll just finish by saying:

Cheers!

Marc.