Upcoming Events

IMGL/IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

October 21 - 24, 2024

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Overview

IMGL / IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

The Autumn 2024 Conference will be held October 21 – 24, 2024 in conjunction with IAGR at the Parco dei Principi in Rome, Italy.

Registration

We’re thrilled to announce that tickets for Rome 2024 are officially on sale, marking your pathway to the forefront of global gaming regulation dialogue.

Rome 2024 is a joint conference between the International Masters of Gaming Law and International Association of Gaming Regulators, adding greater depth to content and more opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Early bird special

Book your spot before the end of May to enjoy exclusive super early bird pricing. It’s an opportunity to invest in your professional growth while experiencing the rich history and modern vibrancy of Rome.

Your ticket includes:

Full access to four-day conference in Rome from 21 to 24 October
Daily lunch and refreshments
Access to opening reception
Access to gala dinner (featuring the International Regulatory Awards presentation)
Access to IMGL closing reception

Super early bird

(Until 31 May)

IAGR/IMGL Members: US$799

Non Members: US$1099

Early bird

(Until 31 July)

IAGR/IMGL Members: US$949

Non Members: US$1299

Full price

(From 1 August)

IAGR/IMGL Members: US$1099

Non Members: US$1499

Register here now!

DELEGATES: Those wishing to attend conference sessions must register as a delegate. Please choose the delegate category that is appropriate for you. Delegate registration includes all conference sessions, Opening Reception, conference luncheons, Gala Dinner, and the IMGL Closing Reception.

GUESTS: Please register your guest(s) at the same time you register as a delegate. Guest registration includes the Opening Reception, Gala Dinner, and the Closing Reception. Guest registration does not include conference sessions or luncheons.

CONFERENCE CANCELLATION POLICY:
Cancel by September 1: receive 100% refund.

Cancel between September 2 – September 30: Receive 50% refund.

Cancel between October 1 – October 11 : receive 25% refund.

No refunds starting on or after October 12.

Sponsorships

Sponsorship information can be found here

Annual 2024 Sponsors

Annual Platinum Sponsor

Fox Rothschild LLP is a full-service law firm serving businesses and individuals domestically and internationally. With 950 attorneys and more than 60 practice areas in 27 offices nationwide, we understand clients’ issues, industries, priorities, need for practical and cost-effective advice, and the way they think. Fox professionals are as committed to your success as you are. Fox has one of the largest gaming law practices in the U.S. and attorneys ranked among the top worldwide in this field by Chambers Global. We advise clients in myriad gaming industry sectors on complex regulatory, licensing, compliance, financing and operational issues.

Annual Gold Sponsor

Lawyers for Business, Counselors for Life. For over 60 years, Saiber has approached the practice of law with a dual purpose: to advocate tenaciously for our clients in times of conflict, and offer guidance and advice in our role as trusted advisors. We continue to uphold this legacy every day, working with a diverse clientele that includes national corporations, closely-held businesses, professional practitioners, families and individuals. Our practice encompasses virtually every area of the law, and ranges from simple, straightforward matters to complex, sophisticated litigation, corporate counseling, mergers and acquisitions and regulatory matters. With thorough preparation, keen insight and immersive knowledge of your business interests, our lawyers are well equipped to represent you at all levels. We bring the same level of expertise to your corporate and commercial transactions and your personal family matters.

Annual Silver Sponsors

The Gaming Practice at Jones Walker offers internationally recognized and industry-leading legal, regulatory, transactional, and litigation counsel to owners, operators, investors, tribes, manufacturers, pari-mutuels, lottery vendors, sweepstakes, and charities throughout the world. Our client base is broad, our gaming experience is deep, and our network of regulatory, tax, and industry contacts is extensive. Taken together, these strengths enable us to provide targeted transactional, legislative, and regulatory solutions, and dispute-resolution services that address today’s challenges in the gaming industry.

MELCHERS is a full-service business law firm with approximately 50 lawyers. We have offices in Heidelberg, Frankfurt/Main, Berlin and Mannheim. We advise you on all aspects of business law: in the “classic” fields of business law and additionally in white-collar crime and criminal tax law, in data protection law as well as in private and public building law. We support your entrepreneurial success with personal advice tailored to your needs. You have a fixed contact person at MELCHERS. He or she has your company’s economic goals in mind and coordinates the work of specialists from the various fields of law. Be it for an individual mandate or for ongoing legal advice. If necessary, we consult tax advisors and auditors. We arrange and coordinate legal advice in other jurisdictions through our international law firm network Ally Law and our cooperation partner Transatlantic Law International.

At EM Group, we believe in taking the boring off your hands with our comprehensive compliance and corporate service. Whether you need help setting up your iGaming company, applying for the right licenses, navigating global regulatory challenges, or ensuring AML compliance, we have the solutions and expertise you need to make all of it a seamless experience.

Let us handle the intricacies while you focus on what matters most – your thriving iGaming venture.

Since our start in 2011, GeoComply’s goal has always been to make the internet a safer place. Our highly advanced compliance and anti-fraud solutions bring clarity to your digital ecosystem and all suspicious activity, giving you the assurance you’re always one step ahead of fraud. And while fighting internet fraud is an intricate business, using GeoComply isn’t. Today, we have expanded our operations into diverse markets to serve any industry that requires effective geolocation for anti-fraud solutions, including financial services and cryptocurrency, media and entertainment, child protection, and more. We maintain a dominant position in the gaming industry as a market leader and continue to launch in more and more jurisdictions. At the same time, our extensive product offerings ensure there are countless ways our technology can benefit the world. Fraud moves quick. But GeoComply will always move quicker.

Annual Bronze Sponsor

The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) in Las Vegas is a non-profit international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of electronic gaming devices, lotteries, systems, table games, key components and support products and services for the gaming industry. AGEM works to further the interests of gaming equipment suppliers throughout the world. Through political action, regulatory influence, trade show partnerships, educational alliances, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the members of AGEM work together to create benefits for every company within the organization.

Regulatory Management Counselors P.C. (RMC) is a professional corporation in the state of Michigan, U.S.A. made up of legal, business, governmental and public relations consulting professionals able to service the diverse needs of clients working in the casino gaming industry, as well as other heavily regulated industries. RMC has decades of professional experience servicing the legal and regulatory needs of individuals, businesses, and non-profit corporations working in the gaming industry. Regulated industries require businesses to engage in ongoing reporting and disclosure to key governmental agencies. Working closely with their clients, the professionals at RMC proactively assist in the development of systems and methods to ensure that governmental requirements are fully complied with in a timely and accurate manner. As a result of the global gaming industry’s strict regulatory guidelines and ever-changing technology, specialized knowledge and skills are required to help ensure compliance. RMC stays up to date on the various state, federal and local laws governing gaming. The professionals at RMC have been involved in the gaming industry in the state of Michigan since its inception and have compiled a comprehensive library of historic resources to assist clients meet their regulatory objectives. RMC has also developed a comprehensive information tracking and data collection system which allows for immediate access to developments that impact their clients. RMC has established relationships with key regulators and has developed a mature network of legal and consulting professionals to assist clients with the wide range of issues that arise.

Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés – Advogados | Lektou is a law office established in the Macau Special Administrative Region with its roots in the law office Gonçalves Pereira & Rato which started its operations on 2 October 1985. With over 35 years of legal practice in Macau, the solid academic profile combined with long experience and full integration in Macau is the guarantee of the quality of the services we provide. Our team comprises qualified professionals able to provide a wide range of legal services. The constant need to update and specialize our professionals, combined with proven professional practice in the various fields of law, enables us to offer a fast, effective, and efficient response to our Clients. The services we provide range from intervention in negotiations, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution hearings to daily and ongoing consultancy and legal advice in the various fields of law. We provide legal services in three languages and in the jurisdictions where we have a presence, with a special focus on Macau SAR, to enhance the value of our Clients. The office also has the significant added value of notarial services, having the professional collaboration of four Private Notaries.

Rome Sponsors

Gala Dinner Sponsor

Mediastream story unfolds in 2012, when it was established by the Grabher family. With their extensive expertise and passion for innovation, this dynamic team embarked on a mission to redefine the gaming landscape. At Mediastream, our mission is to unite the personalized service of local IT providers with the strength of a global network. This may sound complex, but it’s our passion and expertise. Our offices deliver high-touch IT services appreciated by clients, facilitated by a team of highly experienced international security and data experts. Our national network allows us to offer best-in-class services like dedicated vCIOs, specialized security and compliance advisory services, a 24/7 help desk, and more. Our vision is to create a safer gaming environment worldwide by leveraging our cutting-edge technology to assist nations in achieving this goal.

Conference Sponsor

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) is the leading independent testing, assessment, and certification service in the gaming industry. Serving more than 710 jurisdictions, GLI gives you total access into both mature and emerging land-based, iGaming, and sports-wagering markets to help get your products anywhere you want them to go with consistency, speed, and accuracy. Our signature gaming technical standards, are relied upon by gaming regulators, operators, and suppliers the world over. We also offer a wide range of professional services, including world-class educational resources through GLI University® and comprehensive cybersecurity and managed IT services provided by Bulletproof™, a GLI Company. After years of leadership, we haven’t lost sight of why we opened our doors in the first place: To be a trusted, proven advisor, offering an unparalleled range of services designed to empower you to achieve your goals by ensuring that the work we do for you exceeds your expectations.

Closing Reception Sponsor

SportPesa is a growing technology and entertainment company that is focused on sports entertainment, live scores and sports news. Our technology platforms immediately update sport scores and, in certain markets, offer fully licensed, real money gaming services. We are a brand committed to responsibly delivering our services and investing in the development of grassroots and professional sports and giving back to our communities. We use the power of sport to unify people; connecting customers with excitement, sports clubs with funding and society with opportunities. Our growth has been rapid and sustained across Africa and Europe, enabled by a clear business strategy firmly committed to responsible gaming and best-in-class customer experience, delivered by a talented and dedicated team of professionals.

Gold Sponsors

With over 15 years of experience, Clever Advertising is a prominent multinational digital brand serving the iGaming industry. Specializing in Media Buying, SEO, PPC, In-App, and Influencer Marketing across five continents, Clever utilizes advanced technology and data analytics to enhance client acquisition, foster player retention, and promote brand awareness.

Silver Sponsors

We are a Malta-headquartered leading business law firm with a strong focus on advising businesses fuelling the digital economy, including in the areas of digital financial services and fintech, software and digital asset creation, digital entertainment, gaming & gambling, information security and privacy. Our firm is highly ranked by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, IFLR1000 and Who's Who Legal.

Bronze Sponsors

NOVOMATIC has been in Italy since 2007 and now has a workforce that has reached 4,000 units in the country, from the HQ in Rome, to the plants in Rimini, to the offices in Bolzano and Busto Arsizio, passing through the dozens of rental locations and all the places of the commercial offer, specialized in the supply of AWP (Newslot), VLT ( Videolottery) and betting.

To date NOVOMATIC Italia is the first provider in the VLT segment in the country, and one of the most important players on the domestic market, as well as one of the top countries of the NOVOMATIC Group in Europe. Over the years, the offering has expanded with nearly 300 ADMIRAL-branded gaming arvades, including 35 bingo halls, the ADMIRAL Gaming Network amusement machines concessionaire, the ADMIRAL Pay Institute, and HBG Online Gaming, the landbased betting and online gaming company active under the QuiGioco brand.

Superbet was founded in 2008, with the mission of bringing exciting, technology-powered entertainment in sports & gaming to millions of customers around the world. The Group has solid global footprint, being present in more than 12 countries, in terms of commercial operations, tech hubs and centres of excellence, with the most important markets being Romania, Poland, Belgium, Serbia and Brazil. In 2019, Superbet received €175 million strategic investment from Blackstone Inc., the world's largest private equity fund, to drive business growth and scalability. As leaders in compliance and best practices, Superbet Group is member of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the only company which has won four times the Best Sports Betting Operator in CEE

SBC is an industry-leading events company that organises global conferences and exhibitions, as well as operates the largest b2b news publisher for the sports betting and igaming industry.

SBC bring together the best-in-business for the igaming and sports betting sector, spanning across continents to report the latest industry news. We mobilise thousands of senior executives in the industry’s hotspots to initiate the right connections to innovate, grow and evolve the sports betting and igaming industry.

Supporting Sponsor

CRIF is a global company specializing in credit bureau reporting & business information systems, analytics, outsourcing, and processing services, as well as advanced digital solutions for business development and open banking.

Schedule

Monday, 21 October

7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Foyer, -2 Level

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
GLI Seminar
Fernandes Room

GLI’s seminar is designed for gaming industry professionals eager to stay ahead of the curve in regulation, technology, and cybersecurity.

All conference ticket-holders are welcome to attend.

9:00 AM
Welcome & Introduction: James Maida, President & Chief Executive Officer, GLI

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Certification Matters: The Importance of Regulation and Certification from a Recognized Test Laboratory

Speaker:
Devon Dalbock, Chief Operating Officer, GLI EMEIA, Netherlands

Explore the critical role of regulation and certification in the gaming industry. This session will highlight best practices, discuss the adaptation of regulations to the digital world, and address the regulatory challenges of online gaming. Gain insights into the importance of recognized test laboratories and the relevance of certification.

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM
Technology Disruptors

Speaker:
Ian Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer, GLI, United States

Dive into emerging technologies in the gaming industry and their potential benefits and risks. This session will cover cashless systems, microservices, AI, and cloud-based solutions, and their impact on responsible gaming, privacy, security, and AML/CTF. Learn about the importance of robust regulation and modern testing practices for safe technology deployment.

10:30 am – 10:45 am
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
GLI Seminar Continued
Cybersecurity: Autopsy of a Hacking Attack

Speaker:
Marco Capozzi, Managing Director, EMEA – Bulletproof a GLI Company, Canada

Understand the catastrophic potential of cyber attacks on the gaming industry. This session will provide insights into attackers’ tactics, techniques, and procedures, with real-world scenarios and case studies. Learn to detect, respond to, and prevent cyber attacks, and explore the role of AI in both attacks and defenses.

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Final Q&A

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
IAGR Arrival Luncheon
Farnese Room

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Welcome & Introduction: IAGR President, Ben Haden
Fernandes Room

1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
How Does the Regulator of 2024 Balance the Challenges They Face Today and Prepare for Those Ahead?

Moderator: Adam Rivers, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Dave Phillips, Chief Operating Officer, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada
Anders Dorph, Director, Danish Gambling Authority, Denmark
Are Bashir, Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority, Nigeria
Teo Chun Ching, Chief Executive, Gambling Regulatory Authority, Singapore

2:05 pm – 2:50 pm
A View of the Road Ahead for Gambling Regulation in a Digital Age

Speaker:
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer, UK Gambling Commission, United Kingdom

2:50 pm – 3:05 pm
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

3:05 pm – 3:50 pm
Perspectives: Building our Regulatory Approach

The Governance of Regulators

Speaker:
Paul Newson, Principal, Vanguard Overwatch, Australia

Regulatory Programs and the Reality of Delivery

Speaker:
Sonia Wasowska, Head of Supervision, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates

3:55 pm – 4:40 pm
Lessons from Around the World

Navigating Regulatory Disruptions: Case Studies and Lessons From Botswana’s Success Story

Speaker:
Peter Kesitilwe, Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Gambling Authority, Botswana

Implementing an Effective Responsible Gaming Framework for a Tourist Casino User Population

The Casino Gaming Commission (CGC) is the regulatory body charged with establishing the regulatory scheme for the conduct of casino gaming in Jamaica, including instituting measures and controls to facilitate responsible casino gaming. This session explores how the CGC contends with fulfilling its mandate to institute measures and controls to facilitate responsible casino gaming within the context of what is expected to be a largely tourist, rather than resident, user population while balancing the competing regulatory and commercial interests.

Speaker:
Anna Harry, General Counsel, Casino Gaming Commission, Jamaica

4:45 pm – 5:15 pm
Lessons from Around the World

The Gambling Recovery Information Network: An International Lived-Experience Collaboration

Speaker:
Matt Smith, Betknowmore, Head of External Affairs, Betknowmore, United Kingdom

5:15 pm – 5:30 pm
Closing Remarks

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
IAGR Welcome Reception
The Hoxton Hotel
**IMGL MEMBERS WELCOMED

Enjoy one complimentary beverage and nibbles with fellow conference attendees.

The Hoxton is a 12-minute walk from the Parco. No transportation provided.

Tuesday, 22 October

7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Foyer, -2 Level

8:30 am – 8:45 am
Opening Remarks: IAGR President, Ben Haden &
Fernandes Room

8:50 am – 9:35 am
Are Gambling Regulators Equipped to Regulate an Increasingly ‘AI-driven’ Industry?

Moderator: Simo Dragievic, Co-Founder, The Game Safety Institute, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Mark Pace, Vice-President, IGSA & GSA Europe Managing Director, United States
Dr. Ian Gauci, Managing Director, GTG, Malta
Sukriti Verma, Head of Analysis, Department for Culture Media and Sport, United Kingdom

9:40 am – 10:40 am
Exploring the Implementation of Self-Exclusion

Ready When You Are: Providing Australians with a One-Stop Self-exclusion Option
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) launched BetStop – the National Self Exclusion Register in 2023.

More than 18,000 Australians have self-excluded in the first 6 months of operations – making a significant contribution to reducing gambling harm in Australia.

The ACMA will present on the program’s delivery and provide its reflections on the register’s first year of operations, including the lessons that other jurisdictions can learn from Australia’s experience.

Speaker:
Matthew Anderson, Manager, National Self-Exclusion, Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australia

The Layered Approach to Self-Exclusion
Drawing from experience gleaned from the UK TalkBanStop partnership, Jack Symons will explore the value of layering tools and support to improve player protection outcomes. In this presentation, we will review the role of banks, self-exclusion schemes, blocking software, treatment services, and other stakeholders and how we can reduce harm by taking a collaborative approach to a complex problem.

Speaker:
Matt Zarb-Cousin, Co-Founder, Gamban, United Kingdom

Best Practice Self-Exclusion Standards

Speakers:
Dr. Margaret Carran, Associate Professor in Law, University of London, United Kingdom
Simon Vincze, Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, Casino Guru, Slovakia

10:40 am – 10:55 am
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

10:55 am – 11:40 am
AI in Practice

How Can We Trust What Other People Say About AI?

Speaker:
Chris Percy, Lead R&D Consultant, Playtech, United Kingdom

Integrating AI and Cyberpsychology for Effective Detection and Intervention of Harmful Online Gambling Behaviors: A Data-Driven Approach

Speaker:
Dr. Maris Catania, Safer Gambling Senior Consultant, SG:certified, Malta

11:45 am – 12:15 pm
Effective Regulation Through Technology and Innovation

Speaker:
Tom Mace, Senior Vice President, Regulator Services, Sportradar, United Kingdom

12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
IAGR Luncheon
Farnese Room

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Sustainability

Safer by design: How should regulators respond to emerging concerns with ensuring gambling products and environments are safe for all?

Speaker:
Simo Dragievic, Co-Founder, The Game Safety Institute, United Kingdom

The Positive Play Approach: A Responsible Gambling New Innovation

Speaker:
Dr. Mary Donohue, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, The Digital Wellness Center, Canada

2:05 pm – 2:50 pm
Navigating Borders: Cross-Jurisdictional Enforcement in Combatting Illegal Gambling

Speaker:
Are Bashir, Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Nigeria

2:50 pm – 3:05 pm
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

3:05 pm – 3:50 pm
Illegal Gambling: Perspectives and Actions from the IAGR Working Group

Speaker:
Ian Angus, Director of Policy, Gambling Commission, Great Britain

3:50 pm – 4:00 pm
IAGR Group Photo
Fernandes Room

4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
IMGL Board of Directors Meeting (Affiliate Members Welcomed)
Torlonia + Ruspoli Room

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
IAGR Annual General Member Meeting
Fernandes Room

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
IMGL/IAGR Joint Opening Reception
Casina Valadier
**20 minute walk from the Parco dei Principi through the Villa Borghese Park

We officially kick off Rome 2024 with a standing reception at the Casina Valadier, a 20-minute walk from the conference hotel through the beautiful Borghese Gardens.

This casual event is an opportunity to relax and meet new regulatory peers and old friends with drinks and light appetizers.

Wednesday, 23 October (Joint Day with IAGR)

7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Foyer, -2 Level

8:30 am – 8:45 am
Opening Remarks: Quirino Mancini, President of IMGL & Ben Haden, President of IAGR
Fernandes Room

8:50 am – 9:35 am
How Do the Regulator, the Regulated and the Interested and Affected Parties Work Best Together?
The gambling sector stakeholder ecosystem is a wide and complicated one, where all approach from a different perspective, with different values and goals that they are trying to achieve.

Or is it. This panel will explore this statement, seeking to provide a fresh perspective on where the opportunities to work better together really exist in 2024. Where are the moments and why hasn’t it worked in the past. Where are the lines that can’t be crossed and where and who can provide the previously unexploited opportunities.

Is now the right time to rip the co-operation rulebook of history up and create something different?

Moderator: Julian Harris, Consultant & Founder, Harris Hagan, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Atle Hamar, General Director, Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority, Norway
Kevin Mullally, Chief Executive Officer, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
James Maida, President, Gaming Laboratories International, United States

9:40 am – 10:25 am
The Local Picture: Gambling in Italy
After several postponements due to a disfavourable political climate, the long-awaited reorganisation of the Italian gaming market finally kicked off earlier this year with the enactment of Legislative Decree no. 41 of 25 March 2024, encompassing the relevant frame legislation including the general requirements concerning the online gaming licence tender expected to be called in the coming months. This panel will provide a real time update on the progress since made by the Italian authorities and also discuss the prospect, challenges and opportunities afforded by one the largest, competitive, dynamic and crowded European markets.

Moderator: Quirino Mancini, Partner, Tonucci & Partners, Italy
Speakers:
Stefano Sbordoni, Managing Partner and Founder, Sbordoni & Partners, Italy
Raffaele Gnazzi, Legal & Compliance Director, Novomatic Italia, Italy
Mario Lollobrigida, Director of Games, Customs and Monopolies Agency, Italy
Giuseppe Marra, Chief Business Legal & Compliance Officer, Lottomatica, Italy

10:25 am – 10:40 am
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

10:40 am – 11:40 am
Emerging Market Challenges
Regulatory developments continue to happen around the world. Either new gaming verticals or new jurisdictions legalizing gaming in general, the regulatory landscape continues to change, and this panel will discuss the status of jurisdictions from different regions of the world that are going through these changes. The discussion will include the challenges around creating legislation where there is an existent non-regulated market, how does regulation adapt to new technology, and the specificities of each jurisdiction where their unique cultural, economic and political situation calls for adaptation of international best practices and regulations.

Moderator: Karen Sierra Hughes, Vice President, Latin America Caribbean & Spain, Gaming Laboratories International, United States
Speakers:
Neil Montgomery, Founding and Managing Partner, Montgomery, Brazil
Tanisha Khanna, Associate, Nishith Desai Associates, India
Gifty-Rita Amoah, Deputy Director, Gaming Commission of Ghana, Ghana
Ivo Bozukov, Chief Strategy Officer, SportPesa Group, United States
Regis Dudena, Head of Prizes and Betting Secretariat, Brazil

11:45 am – 12:05 pm
A Framework for Independent Research Using Industry Funding: The Massachusetts Model
This presentation explores the institutional approach of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to research casino gambling and sports wagering activities. Specifically, a research mandate has been conferred upon by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission by legislative enactments and funded by proceed from gaming licensees that are deposited into a dedicated Public Health Trust Fund.

We’ll probe the ethical considerations associated with industry funding, even in instances of indirect financial support, and how the Massachusetts model has navigated those considerations to advance knowledge in the public health interest.

Presenter:
Bonnie Andrews, Research Manager, Massachusetts Gaming Commission, United States

12:05 pm – 1:00 pm
Joint Luncheon
Farnese Room

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Responsible Gambling Programs: From a Compliance Burden Towards Commitment and Success
Most gambling licensees are familiar with varying and diverse RG requirements under their (sometimes numerous) national / regional licences. Similarly, gambling regulators have experienced political and media pressure to act against problem gambling.

This panel inquires the commitment towards RG and success stories around RG. Where have we seen political and regulatory commitment to RG? Where do we see gaps and shortcomings in RG programmes, services and know-how? What is the role of the regulator and what the role of the regulated? Where have we seen consistent and effective measures? And last but not least: what does ‘success’ mean in the area of RG?

Moderator: Dr. Simon Planzer, Partner, PLANZER LAW, Switzerland
Speakers:
Francesco Rodano, Chief Policy Officer, Playtech, United Kingdom
Tracy Parker, Vice President, Policy, Standards and Accreditation, Responsible Gambling Council, Canada
Taina Grech, Responsible Gambling Quality Assurance Manager, Kindred Group, Malta
Ryan McCarthy, Director of Player Health, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Canada

1:50 pm – 2:35 pm
Navigating Through the Challenging Waters of Regulatory Approvals for Mergers and Acquisitions and Initial Public Offerings
M&A activity increased drastically since 2020, and even after the increase in interest rates, M&A activity remained very strong. M&A activity in the gaming sector is also characterised by gaming regulation that needs to be followed in the process of a change of corporate control or public listing, with operators involved in the transaction and their regulators ideally working in unison in order to allow for a smooth changeover. However, proper planning is key, as certain regulatory procedures related to fitness and properness, and regulatory good standing assessments, just to mention a couple, may prove to be challenging due to the time constraints and possible multi-jurisdictional licensing. The panel will assess the complex world of M&As from a gaming regulatory perspective and how can both regulators and operators face the challenges posed by an acquisition or public listing process that would benefit both.

Moderator: Reuben Portanier, Partner, Advisory & Compliance, GTG, Malta
Speakers:
Anton Kaszubowski, Founder & Managing Director, SBC Advisory Partners, United Kingdom
Andrea Marchetti, Equity Partner, Tonucci & Partners, Italy
David Yatom, General Counsel, Soft2Bet, Cyprus
David Zeffman, Partner, CMS, United Kingdom

2:35 pm – 2:50 pm
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

2:50 pm – 3:35 pm
Cross-border Advertising and Promotional Practices: Where is it Going?
Advertising and promotion restrictions in the gaming space are having a massive impact on the choices which gaming operators are making across the European Union. With landmark reforms underway in Ireland and different approaches impacting in other EU jurisdictions, this serves to highlight the lack of a harmonised regulatory approach across the European Union for gaming promotions and ad campaigns.

This panel will question what tips the balance in terms of advertising restrictions, and what makes a jurisdiction attractive (or indeed, unattractive) to establish in? Against the backdrop of a multitude of different rules and requirements across the EEA and beyond, how do businesses make smart choices in relation to licensing?

Moderator: Joe Kelly, Partner, A&L Goodbody, Ireland
Speakers:
Patricia Lalanda, Partner, Loyra Abogados, Spain
Luis Portela de Carvalho, Partner, Lektou, Portugal
Ian Angus, Director of Policy, Gambling Commission, United Kingdom
Rawa Kaftan, Associate, Wiggin, United Kingdom

3:40 pm – 4:25 pm
Responsible Cashless Payments
This panel will summarize the current landscape of cashless gaming regulation to identify those measures that various legislators have taken to address problem gambling. We will then explore the data that is available to the gaming operator and, potentially, the cashless casino patron. Finally, we will debate the utilization of this data to aide the casino patron in addressing responsible gaming and problem behaviors.

Moderator: Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer, Sightline Payments, United States
Speakers:
Giorgi Tsamalaidze, Chief Legal Officer, Random Systems Georgia, Georgia
Megan Basson, Executive Director, International Center for Gaming Regulation, United States
Raffaele Gnazzi, Legal & Compliance Director, Novomatic Italia, Italy

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Due and Undue Influence: The Use of Social Influencers, Celebrities, Entertainers, Athletes and Others in Gambling Marketing and Advertising
As media and communication formats both diversify and converge, and the need to differentiate from one’s competitors and capture the customer’s attention becomes increasingly acute, gaming businesses have sought to establish a connection with their customers through the use advertising and marketing employing individuals or characters that the public knows, trusts or otherwise has an affinity for. But at what point does society deem such use inappropriate?

A panel of practitioners, regulators and other experts will discuss where the lines can and should be drawn in the use of social influencers, celebrities, entertainers, athletes and other persons (both real and fictional). In particular, the panel will explore the nuances regulators, responsible gaming practitioners, suppliers, and operators must grapple with to ensure the benefits of new media forms are captured while contributing to broader regulatory goals. Along the way, it will look at the risks to underage and vulnerable consumers, lessons from various jurisdictions, and how the area may evolve in the future.

Moderator: Peter Czegledy, Co-Chair of Sports, Media & Entertainment and Chair of Gaming, Aird & Berlis LLP, Canada
Speakers:
Nina Henningsen, Attorney-at-law/Partner, Mazanti-Andersen, Denmark
David Phillips, Chief Operating Officer, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada
Maria McDonald, Partner, Nordic Gambling, Sweden
Luiz Felipe Maia, Founding Partner, MAIA YOSHIYASU Advogados, Brazil

6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Joint Gala Dinner at The Parco dei Principi, Sponsored by Mediastream
Reception – Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici
Dinner – Farnese+Orsini+Ruspoli+Torlonia+Colonna

The formal Gala Dinner is a sit-down event that celebrates a successful conference. Sit back and share key insights, stories and fabulous food with your colleagues and speakers.

The winners of the IAGR Regulatory Awards will be announced during the dinner.

Thursday, 24 October (Half joint day with IAGR)

8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Registration
Foyer, -2 Level

9:00 am – 9:10 am
Opening Remarks: Quirino Mancini, President of IMGL & Ben Haden, President of IAGR
Fernandes Room

9:15 am – 10:15 am
RG Programmes and the Use of Player Data
The 21^st century ‘consumer-citizen’ is leaving a massive trail of data to platform owners. On the one hand, user privacy in relation to their ‘big data’ is protected by data protection laws. At the same time gambling operators are supposed to analyse user data to protect their users under consumer protection laws and RG requirements.

In this dichotomy of interests, are the two sets of interests truly exclusive and jointly exhaustive? Does data protection exclude or limit the potential of RG measures? And are there further interests involved that we have neglected thus far?

What are the current regulatory requirements and prohibitions? How will and should online gambling operators use of player data in the future. And what can regulators do amid such diverse user interests? How can cashless gambling contribute to RG measures.

Moderator: Elizabeth Lusk, Speakers:
Dr. Tony Schellinck, Chief Executive Officer, Focal Research Consultants, Canada
Rasmus Kjaergaard, Chief Executive Officer, Denmark
Jochen Biewer, Managing Director, Chevron Group, Germany
Kasper Frandsen, Chief Adviser, Danish Gambling Authority, Denmark

10:20 am – 11:00 am
Presentation: Suitable or Not Suitable to hold a Casino Licence – That is the Question
During 2021, a Victorian Royal Commission found Crown unsuitable to hold its licence. The same occurred in two other states in separate inquiries. Crown’s Australian flagship casino operation was in Melbourne in the state of Victoria, where it employed over 15,000 people and hosted 200,000 patrons each week. According to the media it was “too big to fail.”

This will be conducted in a presentation format, followed by an interview where we discuss the fate of Australia’s largest casino.

Speakers:
Andrew Scott, Commissioner and Deputy Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, Australia
Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons, Australia

11:00 am – 11:15 am
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Sports Integrity
Sports betting and sports integrity go hand in hand and have always been a concern for punters and wagers whether for good or bad purpose, with sports being the trading value.

Transparency, accountability and good regulation are essential to increase fairness and combat match-fixing.

Where studies show that there is a strong correlation between the availability of sports betting products and onshore channeling, this panel will discuss issues such as: in-play betting, niche sports betting, regulatory and economic factors that influence sports integrity, the role of integrity associations, the process that stands behind the integrity alerts and how is that viewed by various regulators around the world.

Moderator: Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner, WH Simion & Partners, Romania
Speakers:
Ludovico Calvi, United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports, Italy
Cristian Radu, General Legal Counsel, Superbet, Romania
Dr. Eugenia Chidhakwa, Chair, Lotteries and Gaming Board, Zimbabwe
Yanica Sant, Group Legal Director (Regulatory), evoke, Malta

12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
Joint Luncheon
Farnese Room

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
State of Play of Crypto Casinos – What Does the Market Look Like?
Many companies like Stake and Roobet are global brands just based on their crypto offerings. It’s one of the fastest growing casino segments globally and it’s fostering some game types like crash games, binary option games, financial props betting, etc. that are becoming more and more popular.

This topic will also question whether MICA is a watershed moment for widespread adoption of crypto as a payment method.

Moderator: Dr. Andreas Glarner, Legal Partner, MME, Switzerland
Speakers:
Ron Segev, Founding Partner, Segev LLP, Canada
Andrew Tait, Partner and Head of Gaming, Ramparts, Gibraltar
Corinne Valetta, General Counsel, Betsson, Malta

1:50 pm – 2:35 pm
Best Practices for Casino Cybersecurity
In recent years, there has been a rise in cyber-attacks targeting casinos. The 2023 attacks on two major US based casinos demonstrated that casinos may not be as prepared as they think they are, and this must be seen as a wakeup call for the industry. Many casinos have undergone digital transformations to improve customer experience thereby increasing the amounts of sensitive data that they handle. These attacks can compromise personal and financial information of both employees and customers leading to significant costs in relation to remediation efforts, legal fees, operational disruption, theft of intellectual property, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. In fact, globally and on average, a data breach will cost approximately $4.88 million in 2024. To identify and mitigate these risks, casinos must adopt robust cybersecurity measures including performing regular security audits, implementing authentication systems, carrying out software updates, and providing adequate staff training. This panel will explore best practices across different jurisdictions for casino cybersecurity and by prioritizing these best practices, casinos can maintain the trust with their customers and employees and ensure that personal data is sufficiently protected.

Moderator: Diane Mullenex,
Speakers:
Frieder Backu, Attorney, Witzel Erb Backu & Partner, Germany
Olga Finkel, Co-Founder and Partner, WH Partners, Malta
Colm Callanan, Head of Data Protection, Flutter International, Ireland
Robert Griffin, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MIRACL, United Kingdom

2:35 pm – 3:05 pm
Networking Break
Estensi+Gonzaga+Pallavicini+Medici

3:05 pm – 3:50 pm
Bill 55 and its Impact on International iGaming Regulations
The panel will explore the origins and application of Malta’s Bill 55 on iGaming operators licensed in Malta. The panelists will discuss its immediate impact within the European Union and the UK as well as its potential implications around the world.

Moderator: James Scicluna, Founder & Managing Partner, WH Partners, Malta
Speakers:
Marc Dunbar, Partner, Jones Walker, United States
Nicholas Aquilina, Partner, BRANDL TALOS, Austria
Carl Brincat, Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, LeoVegas, Malta
Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm, Germany

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Closing Reception, Sponsored by Sportpesa
St. Regis Hotel
**IAGR Members Welcomed

Come join us at the St. Regis to celebrate the end of a successful conference week and get your final opportunity to network and mingle. Don’t miss out on the photo booth and to-go goodie bag!

There will be no transportation provided to the St. Regis. It is about a 20 minute walk and 7 minute drive from the Parco dei Principi. Please plan accordingly.

Accommodations

The IMGL has secured a room block at the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & Spa with a start date/end date of October 20 to October 26, 2024 for a Single Room starting at €473.00 a night, inclusive of breakfast and VAT. Reservations by attendees must be received on or before August 20, 2024.

As of 8/16/24, the Parco dei Principi is officially SOLD OUT.

You may still contact the hotel for a room, though the pricing will be different and will no longer reflect the room rate IMGL/IAGR secured. Please contact congressi@parcodeiprincipi.com for further information.

We have also secured room blocks at The Hoxton and Hotel Albani. Please see below for further information.

Book Hotel Albani

Please email manager.rom@albanihotels.com for reservations and refer to the confirmation internal numbers below. Room rates are inclusive of breakfast.

check-in 20.10→ dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336694

check-in 22.10 →dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336695

check-in 23.10 → dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336696

check-in 24.10 →, dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336697

check-in 25.10 → dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336698

check-in 26.10 → dbl/twin or DUS→ confirmation internal number 336699

– twin/double room € 200,00

– double room as single use € 190,00

Book The Hoxton

Dates: From 20/10/2024 – 27/10/2024

Booking Instructions:

Go here, click on Add Code and select Group Attendee.

Enter Code: IMGL

ROOM TYPES & PREFERRED RATES AGREED FOR THE PERIOD

Room Type Price Single Occupancy: €325

Price Double Occupancy: €347

***Free cancellation up to 30/09/2024 , 20 days prior to arrival***

Rates include Breakfast and VAT.
Rate Available until 21/08/2024
After this date we can offer best available rates, subject to availability.

Speakers

Adam Rivers, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal, United Kingdom
Adam Rivers is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Transformation Services in London and leads the firm’s practice in the betting and gaming sector. He brings over 13 years of experience in the sector, advising across strategy and analytics, M&A and regulatory compliance.

Andrea Marchetti, Equity Partner, Tonucci & Partners, Italy
Italian qualified lawyer, being a professional with an established and reputable track record in domestic and international panorama.

Specialized in the areas of business (commercial and corporate law), M&A, compliance and regulatory, insolvency & restructuring, wealth management.

Trusted advisor to companies, multinational groups, investors and family offices, entrepreneurs.

Thanks to distinctive skills such as:

– ability to integrate legal and business expertise

– extensive knowledge of industry sectors

– problem-solving-oriented and multi-jurisdictional approach

– professional ethics, confidentiality and ability to mediate and successfully handle even very complex and sensitive situations

Performs full-service in corporate and contractual matters, assisting in industrial, real estate and financial transactions, international agreements, business internationalization, development and implementation of M&A transactions (start-up, venture capital, corporate acquisitions and corporate reorganizations).

Provides strategic advice at the decision-making and corporate governance levels, for pragmatic and effective support at every stage of the business course.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer, UK Gambling Commission, United Kingdom
Andrew joined the Gambling Commission as Interim Chief Executive in June 2021, was appointed permanent Chief Executive in June 2022, and was appointed a Commissioner by the Secretary of State in July 2023.

As the Commission’s Accounting Officer, Andrew is personally responsible for safeguarding public funds, for propriety and regularity in the handling of those public funds and for the day-to-day operations and management of the Commission.

Andrew joined the Commission from Swansea University, where he was Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, and previously held a range of senior civil service roles at Director-General and Director level at the Department for Work and Pensions, the Food Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Andrew Scott, Commissioner and Deputy Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, Australia
Andrew is a Commissioner of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission and its Deputy Chair.

Andrew has practised as a lawyer in the private sector for over forty years as a business law specialist and a sports law expert. He is a past president of the Law Institute of Victoria and, in the public sector, has served as a board member of the Victorian Legal Services Board and Chair of the Liquor Licensing Panel. He is currently a director of Swimming Victoria and YMCA Victoria, where he chairs various sub-committees including YMCA’s Risk Sub-Committee.

Earlier this year he and the other four Commissioners decided the fate of Crown Melbourne Ltd, the holder of Victoria’s monopoly casino licence, in what was probably the most important decision by the gambling industry regulator in its history.

Andrew Tait, Partner and Head of Gaming, Ramparts, Gibraltar
Andrew joined the firm in 2017 and his key specialisms are gambling and skill gaming law and regulation, compliance, governance and risk management, AML policies and procedures, IT contracts and technology licensing, entertainment and media contracts, as well as copyright licensing, sports sponsorship agreements, e-commerce, and internet law.

Andrew is a director of Advennt Ltd, a joint venture between Ramparts and Amber Gaming, with the aim of providing a regulatory and practical analysis of the international gaming landscape. Andrew originated and then delivered this concept with his colleagues in Amber Gaming, leading to the launch of a digital research assistant called Advennt.

Advennt contains critical content provided by expert gambling lawyers from around the world, which is updated monthly and rated according to the difficulty of each aspect and type of gaming product.

Andrew also provides strategic consultancy services at board and executive level to a number of online gambling and skilled-based gaming operators to help grow their business internationally.

Anna Harry, General Counsel, Casino Gaming Commission, Jamaica
Anna Harry is a Legal and Governance Strategist who has practised law in Jamaica for over 15 years. She is currently the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Jamaica’s Casino Gaming Commission, and is passionate about leveraging governance as an enabler of strategy and sustainability in both the public and private sectors.

Anton Kaszubowski, Founder & Managing Director, SBC Advisory Partners, United Kingdom
Anton has been involved in the betting and gaming sector for over 20 years, and started his career in investment banking with JP Morgan and BancBoston. Since then he has built a wealth of experience holding senior management positions for companies such as FUN Technologies Plc (he managed multiple rounds of fundraising and the $500m sale to Liberty Media), and Stanleybet International (served on the management board).

Anton has direct entrepreneurial experience building Pitch Gaming (sold to Netplay TV), founding Novia Fund (invests in growth opportunities in the international gaming sector), and investing in emerging technology businesses XR Games (eSports betting), Askott Entertainment (acquired by FansUnite), and Mercurius (AI technology applied to sports betting).

Anton has advised on strategy M&A, and market entry for companies such as IGT, William Hill, Novomatic, SIS, and VC / investor groups on betting and gaming projects.

Anton holds Masters degrees from both Oxford University and CASS Business School. He enjoys walking his dog and watching Charlton Athletic.

Are Bashir, Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Nigeria
Are Bashir is a dynamic, innovative, result-driven private and public sector executive with over 28 years of proven technical, entrepreneurial, and managerial expertise. He’s vastly skilled in conceptualizing and implementing transformative business solutions. His background includes Business Process Reengineering, Project Management, Strategy Planning, Systems Integration, FINTECH, and International Trade.

He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, where he has served since 2019. His role as the CEO has been instrumental in driving innovative and strategic initiatives that have propelled the gaming regulatory industry to new heights. Bashir distinctly worked as Principal Consultant for Getronics, EMC, and Northrop Grumman Corporations at U.S. Departments of Treasury, Energy, Labor, U.S. Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO), and U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) long-term projects. He also worked as Senior Systems Engineer and Network Operations Manager for Lockheed Martin Corporation and Large-Scale Proteomics Corporation, respectively in Germantown, Maryland, USA.

Bashir began his service as a government executive when he served as Sole Administrator (Mayor) at Lagos Island East (LCDA) Government between June 2016 and August 2017, where he actively participated in strategic collaborations with Lagos State Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), a U.K. DFID funded project designed to boost employment opportunities and promote “ease of doing business” framework in Local and State Governments.

Before his Sole Administrator calling, Bashir worked as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Funds & Electronic Transfer Solutions (fets) Limited in Lagos, Nigeria. He superintended the operation of revenue collections and electronic payments for public and private clients in excess of $31m monthly and managed 12 District Managers and 3,782 Agents nationwide. He also oversaw the development of Lottery, Payment Aggregation and Mobile-Money platforms that saved the company more than $1.8m of annual software licensing fees and co-authored an innovative concept to amplify Mobile Money and Cashless Nigeria policy adoption that won fets $4 million in the IFC, DFID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded EFInA Innovation Grant. He liaised with Telecommunication companies, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and National Communication.

Atle Hamar, General Director, Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority, Norway
Atle Hamar has been Director General for the Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority since 2001.

Mr. Hamar has served as a board member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators for ten years, and was elected IAGR President in 2007.

Mr. Hamar has 30 years’ experience with politics and state administration, including serving as deputy minister in the Ministry for Police and Justice Affairs, deputy minister in The Ministry of climate and environment, and as political advisor in the Ministry for Transport and Communication.

Mr. Hamar has served on a variety of boards and committees:

Board member Consumer Council Service (2020-)
Board member The Norwegian Cultural Heritage Fund (2020-)
Board member of the Regional Hospital (Helse Førde) (2014-2018)
Chairman of a government-appointed Expert Group (Hamar-utvalget) advising the Norwegian Government on how Norway may continue to offer a socially responsible gambling and gaming market, including social gaming, in the future (2013-2014)
Member of the government-appointed committee to advice the Authorities on how to receive and accept refugees in Norway (2010-2011)
Board member of the National Civil Aviation Authority (2003-2006)
Board member of the Enivest (telecommunication company) (2002-2006)
Committee-chairman for the official report regarding the future gaming in Norway (2001)

In younger years, chairman of Young Liberal Democrats in Norway

Ben Haden, President of IAGR
Ben works in the UK as a director at the Gambling Commission. He has responsibility for a portfolio which brings together the Commission’s market and social research function. His team produces the Commission’s official statistics and delivers a varied research programme to support policy making and advice to government.

He has recently led initiatives such as the industry challenges programme, understanding the impact of the pandemic and the evidence workstream for the Commission’s response to the Gambling Act Review.

Talking to him about IAGR he noted that ‘the power of genuine collaboration is something that I believe in passionately – I’m always struck by the range of skills and experience around the international table. There is always either someone who has gone through something before or knows someone else that can help. Unlocking that is core to our ongoing success. Helping to deliver a conference last year in spite of everything thrown at us was definitely a career highlight’.

Ben arrived at the Gambling Commission through the merger with the National Lottery Commission. He had worked in a variety of senior roles within the NLC across Insight, Corporate Affairs and Operations, including Head of Evaluation during the third National Lottery licence competition process.

He is also a trustee of a multi-academy trust covering a range of schools in the UK.

Bonnie Andrews, Research Manager, Massachusetts Gaming Commission, United States
Bonnie Andrews, MPH, PhD, is the Research Manager for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. She also previously served as a Research Reviewer for the Commission.

Bonnie is a licensed psychologist with a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She also has an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Tufts University School of Medicine and previously served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Statistics and Evaluation in the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Carl Brincat, Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, LeoVegas, Malta
Brincat served as chief executive of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) from January 2021 to January of this year, having joined the regulator in 2014 as a legal advisor. He also held roles as the regulator’s chief legal counsel and chief legal and enforcement officer. Brincat left MGA in January after the expiration of his three-year fixed appointment as CEO. He held multiple positions during his nine-year tenure with the company, including Chief Legal Counsel, Chief Legal & Enforcement Officer and, most recently, CEO. As of August, Brincat will serve as director of policy and regulatory affairs, reporting to LeoVegas chief legal and compliance officer Abby Cosgrave.

Chris Percy, Lead R&D Consultant, Playtech, United Kingdom
Chris Percy PhD has researched tools to reduce gambling-related risk since 2011. He was part of the founding team of BetBuddy and has over 20 research publications and conference presentations in the field. He brings a cross-sector focus, with functional expertise in econometrics, machine learning, and AI governance. He currently supports Playtech Plc as their lead R&D consultant.

Corinne Valetta, General Counsel, Betsson, Malta
Corinne Valletta is the General Counsel for Betsson Group, leading all legal, regulatory and compliance matters for the Group’s daily operations, based in Malta.

She originally joined Betsson Group in May 2017 as the Head of Regulatory Affairs and Group Compliance. Corinne has been following the industry since 2010. Her interest in its regulation, but particularly its politics, started with her role within Malta’s gambling regulator, where she spent the majority of her time supporting Malta’s participation in international and EU affairs. While this aspect remains her

dearest one, as in-house counsel Corinne enjoys overseeing various areas from licensing, horizontal

regulation and public affairs to commercial matters and tech contracts.

Corinne graduated Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2009 and obtained her Masters Degree in Computer and Communications Law from Queen Mary University of London in 2011.

Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner, WH Simion & Partners, Romania
Cosmina Simion is a corporate, regulatory, technology, and intellectual property lawyer with more than 20 years of professional experience and expertise in various industries, with a particular emphasis on the media and entertainment, online, and gambling industries.

She is a licensed European trademark attorney and a Romanian National Chamber of Intellectual Property Attorneys member.

Cosmina has a history of a “practice crafter” (IAM Patent 1000, 2024) and combines her strong advisory expertise acquired during her coordination roles in leading private law firms with the specific approach built during her in-house role at a US group, leader in the CEE region for the media sector.

Cristian Radu, General Legal Counsel, Superbet
Cristian Radu is a highly experienced legal professional, currently serving as General Counsel at Superbet Group, a leading multinational sports betting and gambling company. Since October 2020, he has been responsible for overseeing the legal strategies of the company, which operates across 12 countries, with significant markets in Romania, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, and Brazil. Prior to this, Cristian spent over 15 years at the prestigious law firm Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, where he became a partner and contributed to its recognition as one of Romania’s top legal firms. His tenure at the firm saw him rise through the ranks from Associate to Partner, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial law, gambling, and real estate.

Cristian began his career as a trainee at Haarmann Hemmelrath, now Mazars, a global audit, tax, and advisory firm, where he gained his foundational experience in law. He is a member of the Bucharest Bar Association and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Bucharest.

With proficiency in multiple languages, including Romanian, English, Spanish, Italian, and French, Cristian brings a wealth of international legal expertise to his current role, supporting Superbet’s continued growth and global presence. His extensive background in corporate law and leadership in the legal domain makes him a key player in the global gambling industry.

David Phillips, Chief Operating Officer, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada
Dave Philips is the Chief Operating Officer at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) in Canada.

Dave has extensive experience as a regulator of the gaming industry in Ontario. His leadership responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations of AGCO’s front-line personnel across multiple gaming verticles (land-based, casino, iGaming, lottery and charitable gaming) in such areas as licensing, compliance and enforcement, technology testing and approval and audit and financial investigations.

Dave was one of the key architects of the highly successful open and competitive iGaming market in the Province.

Dave is a lawyer who has served in a wide range of positions in the private and public sectors, including the Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of Ontario, Principal and General Counsel at Navigator Ltd, as vice-President of Strategy and Interim President of the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, and multiple leadership positions at AGCO.

David Yatom, General Counsel, Soft2Bet, Cyprus
David Yatom’s rich background as a corporate, commercial, and regulatory legal consultant, coupled with his expertise in the online gaming industry, makes him an important addition to the Soft2Bet team. Mr Yatom previously acted as the General Counsel for SBTech and later on, after taking material part in the latter’s business combination agreement with Diamond Eagle Acquisition and DraftKings, assumed the role of senior director of legal at Draftkings.

As Soft2Bet’s General Counsel, David Yatom is in charge of Soft2Bet’s legal and compliance initiatives and continue to promote the company’s strategy of expanding and focusing on existing and emerging regulatory markets, as well as playing a vital role in outlining Soft2Bet’s corporate and commercial strategy.

David Zeffman, Partner, CMS, United Kingdom
David has been one of the leading lawyers in the UK media sector for over 30 years and has extensive experience providing strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the gambling, sport and television sectors. He has been involved in many of the major transactions that have taken place in these sectors, including the launch of several television channels and the sale of media rights to some of the world’s biggest sporting competitions.

Diane Mullenex, Global head of telecom, gaming and gambling practices, Pinsent Masons, France
Diane is a dual-qualified French lawyer and UK Solicitor, heading the international telecom and gaming & gambling practices. She specialises in and has extensive experience advising a wide range of clients in telecommunications, technology and other highly regulated industries, such as gaming and gambling.

Dr. Andreas Glarner, Legal Partner, MME, Switzerland
Dr. Andreas Glarner is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on legal and regulatory issues relating to Web3, blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), FinTech, NFT and gaming.

As a proven advisor to high-profile international technology, Web3 and Web2 companies, Andreas understands the needs of the industry and supports the deployment of digitization strategies and cutting-edge technologies in an ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Andreas balances the intersection of technology and regulation, helping his clients to design technology to meet their vision while complying with regulatory requirements.

Dr. Eugenia Chidhakwa, Chair, Lotteries and Gaming Board, Zimbabwe
Dr E. Chidhakwa is the first woman to be appointed the Chairman of the Lotteries and Gaming Board, Zimbabwe since October 2020. She is also a seasoned Sport Administrator in the Government of Zimbabwe as the Acting Chief Director for Sport and Recreation; currently the Chairperson of Sport Development Committee African Union Sports Council (AUSC), Member of the AUSC Council Advisory Board; Chairperson of Sport Development and Technical Commission AUSC Region 5 (SADC).

She is a holder of a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education Management attained from the Stafford University of Uganda; A Master’s Degree in Olympic Studies; Executive Masters in Sports Organisations Management (Olympic solidarity) among other qualifications.

Dr. E. Chidhakwa has contributed immensely to the growth of the Gaming Industry in Zimbabwe through developing various policies. She is currently spearheading the adoption of the Gaming Online Monitoring System to ensure effective monitoring in the Gaming industry. She champions the Social Corporate responsibility for indigent communities in Zimbabwe.

Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm, Germany
Dr. Joerg Hofmann is a senior partner at Melchers Law Firm, where he heads the gaming and betting law practice group. He is a past president of the International Masters of Gaming Law (“IMGL”).

Hofmann completed his Doctor of Laws degree at Heidelberg University in 1989. His career also includes a role as a research assistant at the University of Heidelberg’s Constitutional Law Institute for Financial and Tax Law, and a position in the legal department of the Chamber of Foreign Trade in Sydney in 1992.

Hofmann has been practicing gaming law since the mid-90s and has been acknowledged by legal directories such as Chambers and Partners Global, Who’s Who Legal and Best Lawyers for his expertise in the field. His achievements include receiving the “Entertainment Lawyer of the Year 2020” award from Who’s Who Legal.

Hofmann’s working languages are German and English.

Simo Dragievic, Co-Founder, The Game Safety Institute, United Kingdom
Simo has over 25 years experience in business, technology and research and development. He was the founder of BetBuddy, a pioneer in the use of software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to protect consumers from gambling-related harm. Following the acquisition of BetBuddy by Playtech Plc, Simo was head of Playtech AI and also headed up Playtech’s responsible gambling unit (Playtech Protect). Simo is currently on the Board of the Responsible Gambling Council.

Simo previously supervised on the PhD programme at City, University of London’s Research Centre for Machine Learning. His research interests are focused on making AI more accountable, transparent and ethical. His research has been published at NeurIPS, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), IJCNN, External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAI) and in The European Journal on Artificial Intelligence, as well as the leading gambling scientific journals.

Before founding BetBuddy, Simo spent over a decade working in the financial services industry, including as Director of Major Programmes at Barclays Plc.

Dr. Simon Planzer, Partner, PLANZER LAW, Switzerland

Dr Simon Planzer is a partner at PLANZER LAW AG, which features an internationally widely recognised legal niche-specialisation in technology, gaming and entertainment. The firm’s team provides highly specialised services on all gaming matters relating to Switzerland and the EU/EEA and navigates clients through intricate multi-jurisdictional challenges and complex international projects. Services notably include strategic advice, regulatory work, ensuring compliance and a wide range of legal services.

Dr Planzer has specialized in gaming law for more than 15 years. He has been internationally recognised by both regulatory authorities and clients as a leading expert in the area of gaming regulation and has been regularly invited as an expert speaker by regulators at IAGR and GREF. Through his legal practice, publications, and presentations, he has substantially contributed to the cause of empirical and sound gaming regulation. He wrote his PhD on gaming regulation (“Empirical Views on European Gambling Law and Addiction”, Springer) and has published extensively on gaming matters.

Dr Planzer serves as a Lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen where he heads the Competence Center on Gaming & Entertainment. He studied and did research i.a. at Harvard University, the College of Europe and the European University Institute. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the IMGL Magazine.

Elizabeth Lusk, Chief Strategy Officer, Gambling Research Exchange Ontario, Canada
Elizabeth Lusk is among Canada’s leading Knowledge Translation and Exchange experts with over 20 years of experience working across the health and wellbeing sectors. Her work has focused primarily on population health issues, including substance use, mental health, domestic violence, immunization, and, more recently, gambling.

In her role as Chief Strategy Officer with Greo, Liz supports her teams to meaningfully engage stakeholders and integrate strategic innovations throughout Greo’s portfolio of work and services.

Francesco Rodano, Chief Policy Officer, Playtech, United Kingdom
Francesco Rodano, Chief Policy Officer at Playtech, is a leading expert in gambling regulation and responsible gaming with over 15 years of experience spanning both government and industry roles. As the former Remote Gaming Director at the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency, he played a pivotal role in developing Italy’s regulatory framework for online gaming. In his current position at Playtech, one of the world’s largest suppliers of gambling services, Francesco leads international public affairs efforts and spearheads the company’s safer gambling initiatives. He has been at the forefront of integrating AI and behavioural analytics into responsible gambling practices, including the development of BetBuddy, an industry-leading AI-powered tool now adopted in 15 jurisdictions across three continents. A recognised thought leader in gaming policy and regulation, Francesco has represented both government and industry interests in various European policy discussions and is an active member of several trade associations. His unique blend of regulatory expertise, industry experience, and focus on AI-driven solutions makes him a valued voice in shaping the future of responsible gaming.

Frieder Backu, Attorney, Witzel Erb Backu & Partner, Germany
Frieder Backu’s areas of specialism are IT law, corporate law and tax law for IT and technology companies.

He advises companies on formations, transactions and contractual negotiations and is their trusted partner for comprehensive, continuing legal advice, including complex and cross-disciplinary issues. His many longstanding clients include technology companies and corporates in Germany and abroad.

Frieder is an expert in the highly controversial field of gaming / gambling law.

Gifty-Rita Amoah, Deputy Director, Gaming Commission of Ghana, Ghana
Gifty-Rita Amoah, is the Deputy Director Legal at the Gaming Commission of Ghana. She has been in the gaming industry for almost a decade and is instrumental to legislative reforms, restructuring efforts and modernization of the Commission to meet the needs of an evolving gaming industry in Ghana.

With over 12 years legal experience, Gifty- Rita currently oversees the Inspection, Investigation, Compliance Enforcement (IICE) Directorate, and leads the Gaming Act legislative review and amendment team. She has also been appointed as an Ambassador for the Women in Gaming, African chapter.

Gifty-Rita holds a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, an LLB and LLM in Oil and Gas, all from the University of Ghana. Additionally, she holds a Certificate in Regulation and an Executive Masters in Leadership from the prestigious London School of Economics.

Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, she is a fashion enthusiast passionate about art and crafts, having trained as a fashion designer, balloon, and beadwork artist.

Giorgi Tsamalaidze, Chief Legal Officer, Random Systems Georgia, Georgia
Giorgi is a CLO at Georgian Gaming Regulator (Random Systems Georgia) and is the forefront of regulating and shaping the dynamic landscape of gaming in the vibrant country of Georgia.

With a wealth of experience in legal affairs and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the gaming industry, Giorgi’s role includes advising on responsible gaming, crafting and enforcing regulatory framework. As the CLO, Giorgi holds a pivotal position in the heart of the gaming industry, responsible for shaping the legal landscape that governs this thriving sector. With an extensive background in legal affairs and a deep expertise in gaming regulations, Giorgi is entrusted with the critical task of ensuring compliance and fairness within the gaming ecosystem.

Giuseppe Marra, Chief Business Legal & Compliance Officer, Lottomatica, Italy
Chief of Business Legal with more than 20 years of experience in the Public Gaming sector in Italy, with particular reference to the legislation on amusement machines (AWP and VLT), betting (sports and virtual), remote gaming (online) and bingo.

Over the course of my professional career, I have developed expertise in numerous sectors, assisting numerous national and multinational companies with a professional approach that is always business-oriented, becoming not only a point of reference for internal functions within companies, but also an interlocutor of the various competent Authorities.

In particular, I have developed significant professional experience in the field of Public Gaming, first as a consultant, then as coordinator of legal functions and finally as Legal Director, becoming a lawyer specialized in the Public Gaming sector in Italy. I have acquired, among other things, solid expertise in the field of Public Gaming legislation, in corporate law, in labor law, in civil law in general, in administrative law applied to public gaming concessions, in civil and labor litigation, in competition law and in Antitrust matters.

My knowledge of Italian and European jurisprudence and regulations in the field of Public Games allowed me to join GOLDBET, starting from June 2015. Since October 2018, with the acquisition of GAMENET and the subsequent merger between GOLDBET and INTRALOT, I have taken on the role of Betting Business Legal Director, managing the entire legal sector relating to the two “Betting” brands. In March 2020, I was appointed Head of Business Legal of the GAMENET Group, whose area includes the legal department of the “Gaming Machines & Retail” and “Betting & Online” BUs, as well as the “Regulatory Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering & Quality” department. Following the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Lottomatica Scommesse S.r.l. and Lottomatica Videolot Rete S.p.A. by Gamenet Group S.p.A., which in the meantime took the name of LOTTOMATICA S.p.A., I took on the role of Chief of Business Legal which includes the following areas: “Contracts, Support & Prelitigation”, “Retail Betting Contracts & Support”, “Regulatory Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering & Quality” and “Business Litigations”. I participated in the acquisition of BETFLAG, the listing of LOTTOMATICA GROUP S.p.A. on Euronext Milan of the Italian Stock Exchange, as well as the acquisition of SKS365.

Ian Angus, Director of Policy, Gambling Commission, United Kingdom
Ian is the Gambling Commission’s Director of Policy. His portfolio includes domestic and international regulatory partnerships and delivery of the Commission’s policy commitments stemming from the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper. He is also chair of the IAGR Working Group on Illegal Gambling.

Before joining the Commission, Ian worked for various public and charitable bodies, including the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism and the Department for Communities and Local Government. He also worked for a Member of Parliament and has extensive experience of local government.

Ian holds a degree in Political Theory & Government from Swansea University and a Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Birmingham.

His interests include current affairs, history and sport. He is a season ticket holder at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Dr. Ian Gauci, Managing Director, GTG, Malta
Dr Ian Gauci is the Managing Director of GTG. He advises multiple government bodies and is a key figure in technology law matters. He is also an international speaker, lecturer and author.

Dr Gauci is recognised as a Tier 1 leading individual in Fintech by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.

Ivo Bozukov, Chief Strategy Officer, SportPesa Group, United States

James Maida, President, GLI, United States

James Scicluna, Founder & Managing Partner, WH Partners, Malta
James Scicluna is a founder and managing partner of WH Partners. He is a lawyer qualified in both Malta and U.K. James is well-known for his in-depth knowledge of the gambling industry. He advises some of the world’s major gambling operators and investors in the industry on significant M&A and regulatory issues. James is highly-ranked by the foremost independent legal directories in a number of practice areas, including gaming and gambling by Chambers & Partners Global. He is a long time member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and has been recently appointed to Chair the International Bar Association’s Subcommittee on Electronic Entertainment and Online Gaming.

Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons, Australia
Jamie has developed a deep expertise advising on the complex and increasingly restrictive regulations that affect operators and investors in the gaming and gambling sectors. His pre-eminent understanding of these sectors is consistently recognised in legal benchmark surveys and directories.

This global reputation sees Jamie’s guidance sought by Australian and international gaming machine manufacturers, wagering operators, casinos, social media platforms, online gambling and other gambling service providers. His clear advice and commercial approach help them navigate licensing, regulatory and compliance issues, sports and racing integrity, consumer, advertising and privacy law issues.

Jamie’s experience is particularly valued by clients looking to enter these sectors, including inbound and outbound investors into gambling businesses. In this capacity, he has advised many leading private equity firms.

Jamie’s expertise extends to assistance to international parties in setting up business in Australia. He works closely with clients in developing their Australian business strategies, particularly in connection with the use of new technologies and where business is being conducted in a highly regulated sector. In addition to advising gambling industry participants and investors, he has assisted numerous direct selling/MLM companies, as well as retailers and e-commerce companies in understanding the Australian regulatory environment.

Jamie has been recognised as a leading gambling and gaming lawyer by several key ranking bodies including Chambers and Partners (in which he has been recognised as a Global Market Leader every year since 2008) and Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession. Since 2017 Jamie has been recognised as a WWL Global Elite Thought Leader. He is also a previous President of International Masters of Gaming Law.

Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer, Sightline Payments, United States
Jennifer Carleton: Jennifer is the Chief Legal Officer at Sightline Payments, a cashless gaming service provider. Before joining Sightline, Jennifer was in-house counsel for an American Indian casino for a decade and then spent 14 years in private practice in Las Vegas as an adviser to some of the premier public and private gaming and investment companies in the world.

Jochen Biewer, Managing Director, Chevron Group, Germany
To their very first client, Jochen established Chevron Consultants in 2000 to provide support in an application within a regulated market. Over time, the company expanded and evolved into the Chevron Group, a prominent provider of compliance consulting, outsourcing, training, and audits in multiple jurisdictions. Today, the Chevron Group has offices in Frankfurt (Germany), Sliema (Malta), Milan (Italy), and Barcelona (Spain). Notably, one of the group’s members has been recognized as an ODR (Online Dispute Resolution) body by the European Commission since 2019.

Apart from his involvement in compliance, Jochen also has a keen interest in technology. He has founded several tech companies and currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of MGT. MGT specializes in providing a regulatory API orchestration platform, a transaction monitoring system, and risk assessment reports. Jochen’s expertise is widely recognized, and he frequently serves as a speaker and moderator at international conferences. Additionally, he holds positions on the boards of various associations, further contributing to his industry influence and involvement.

Joe Kelly, Partner, A&L Goodbody, Ireland
Joe is the Head of the firm’s Gaming & Betting group which advises a wide cross section of online and land-based gaming operators, casinos, bookmakers, betting exchanges, betting shops, fantasy sports providers, amusement arcades, and the suppliers of equipment and services (including financial services) to the gaming industry.

Joe is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) organisation, and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) and is a regular speaker at international conferences on gaming and betting topics.

Julian Harris, Consultant & Founder, Harris Hagan, United Kingdom
Julian co-founded Harris Hagan with John Hagan in May 2004. He came to specialise in this sector representing the Gaming Board for Great Britain (the then British regulator) for five years early in his career.

Specialising in all aspects of online and land-based gambling law, and with over 30 years’ experience of gambling law, Julian is recognised as a leading gambling lawyer by operators, suppliers and regulators throughout the world. He advises many of the world’s largest land-based and online gambling businesses (B2C and B2B), as well as many start-ups, investors and leading law firms. Julian has extensive gambling legal, regulatory and licensing experience advising on legal classification, non-remote and remote operating licence applications, casino competitions and premises licensing, personal applications, change of corporate control applications, transaction due diligence, corporate investments and transactions, complex group restructuring and the rationalisation of group licences. He also has extensive compliance and enforcement experience advising on general compliance and reporting requirements, compliance assessments, regulatory investigations, corporate evaluations, operating and personal licence reviews and developing associated remedial compliance programmes and action plans. Julian has also advised a number of government and regulatory authorities on the drafting of gambling legislation (primary and secondary).

In his spare time, Julian enjoys vintage cars, vintage wines, photography and shooting.

Karen Sierra Hughes, Vice President, Latin America Caribbean & Spain, Gaming Laboratories International, United States
Karen Marcela Sierra-Hughes is a Panamanian attorney with a Master’s in Commercial Law and Specialization in Public Law.

Karen has been with GLI since 2004, driving GLI’s strategy for both regulatory and business development throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region. Prior to joining GLI, she practiced law in the Republic of Panama and was later appointed Legal Director of the Panama Gaming Control Board.

Sierra-Hughes received Latin American Gaming Hall of Fame’s prestigious Recognition Award at the 2019 Juegos Miami gaming conference and was listed in the 2019 iGaming Business Magazine´s 10 Most Influential Women List. She is a sought-after speaker and has appeared at dozens of international gaming conferences around the world.

Kasper Frandsen, Chair, Danish Gambling Authority, Denmark
Kasper Frandsen is a Chief Adviser at the Danish Gambling Authority and the Chair of IAGR’s Statistics Advisory Sub-Committee. In his position he is working with data, statistics, and market analysis in relation to the Danish gambling market. Furthermore, Kasper was a part of the monitoring group of the latest study of the prevalence of gambling and gambling problems in Denmark that contributed to the qualification of the quantitative and qualitative data collection, and also a qualification of the analyses based on the data.

Kasper Frandsen holds a master’s degree in economics from University of Southern Denmark and he is currently studying a Diploma of Leadership.

Kevin Mullally, Chief Executive Officer, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
As inaugural CEO of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) of the UAE, Kevin has been tasked with introducing a robust regulatory framework for the country’s first national lottery, as well as laying down regulations for iGaming and the region’s first casino in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

His experience as former VP of government relations and general counsel at Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will be invaluable as he looks to kickstart the UAE’s lottery and gaming industry. It is exciting times for the UAE, and this is just the beginning.

Ludovico Calvi, United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports, United States
Ludovico Calvi is a truly international Senior Gaming Executive and former CEO with excellent execution and analytical skills, a thorough professional leader with global sport and I-gaming industry experience – 33 years – and a solid track record of results generated from diverse and complex business scenarios.

In October 2017, Ludovico launched his own Strategic Sport Betting Consultancy Practice providing strategic, regulatory and operational consultancy services to private and public stakeholders including sport organizations, private licensed operators, governments, ministries of finance, regulators, lotteries, sport federations and law enforcement agencies. Since May 2019 Ludovico joined Bain & Co as External Gaming Advisor. Sport Betting HALL of FAME in 2021. Since March 2022 he joined iPro, Inc. headquartered in Nevada, USA.

Since June 2015, he is a Member of the Global Lottery Monitoring System, today United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) Executive Committee and in June 2017, he was elected President, and with an overwhelming majority of votes, he was re-appointed again in May 2019 for the terms 2019-2021 and 2021-2023. ULIS is the state lotteries’ mutualized monitoring system on sports betting aiming at detecting and analyzing suspicious betting activities. Ludovico contributed to the expansion of the GLMS/ULIS membership base to 50 members in 4 continents and 32 countries with operational hubs in Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Montreal. In addition, he was appointed Member of the World Lottery Association (WLA) Sports Integrity Committee in May 2019 and Honorary President of ULIS in June 2023.

Expanding into North and South America, Ludovico was appointed a Member of the American Gaming Association Sport Betting Task Force in May 2015. The remarkable efforts by the Association Sports Betting Task Force has led to the US Supreme Court ruling declaring the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional, a decision that has paved the way for legalized sports betting in the U.S. Since 2018 Ludovico worked with the Brazilian Ministry of Finance to create the main Sports Betting regulatory framework (MP 846/2018), which, after 4 years led to the signing of Law 14.790, ushering in a new era for the Sports Betting and iGaming industry inBrazil. In 2019 Ludovico contributed to the launch of Sport Betting in Oregon as Strategic Gaming Advisor of the Oregon State Lottery.

Since March 2022 he joined iPro, Inc. headquartered in Nevada, USA and contributed to the launch of its operations in Ontario – Canada. Ludovico has served in a number of senior executive positions in the sports betting industry, leading multi-million projects to generate profit and value for shareholders. From December 2006 to May 2016, Ludovico was Head of Betting of Lottomatica Betting Ltd (a former IGT Plc Italian subsidiary), a leading gaming operator licensed in Italy, with business across multiple segments and products.

From 2009 to 2016, Ludovico was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lottomatica Betting Ltd. As CEO, Ludovico created a new and profitable division, was accountable for profit growth achieved on all betting products, and delivered the fastest start-up in the history of European sports betting operations serving a market of 50 million current and potential customers.

From May 2013, Ludovico also held the position of Vice President, Product Marketing Betting heading GTECH Plc Betting Division across all regions, while maintaining his role as Head of the Italian Betting Business serving all segments of the betting industry; as an operator in the retail and digital space in Italy; and as a technology partner delivering B2B and B2B2C solutions.

From April 2015 to August 2017, Ludovico was also Senior Vice President, Global Product Marketing Betting at International Game Technology (IGT), following its acquisition by GTECH Plc and becoming the Global Leader in B2B Gaming (products, software and services).

In this position, Ludovico executed the first combined betting group business which delivered on an integrated strategic planning cycle for innovative products, designed and promoted IGT Sport Betting products, roadmaps and services with customized turnkey solutions worldwide: Betfred, Paddy Power, Sporting Bet, Stan James, Boyles Sports (Ireland-UK), Loterie Nationale De Belgique (Belgium), Singapore Pools (Singapore), OPAP (Greece), Lottomatica (Italy), Szerencsejáték Zrt (Hungary), William HILL Spain, Marca (Spain), Pronosticos (Mexico), Polla Chilena (Chile), MGM Resorts (US).

Before joining Lottomatica, GTECH and IGT, Ludovico spent 8 years as a strategy consultant working for Sisal Spa (Italy), successfully advising the Italian regulator in the creation and implementation of the national legal and regulatory sport betting framework. Ludovico also stood up a new betting division within Sisal SpA.

Earlier in his career, Ludovico worked as Operations Manager at William HILL Plc (UK) delivering the startup and profitable operation of the International Sport Betting Division which led to the launch of William HILL spread betting venture – William HILL Index.

Luis Portela de Carvalho, Partner, Lektou, Portugal
Professional Background

Partner at Lektou since 2024

Head of Legal and Acting Head of People at Clever Advertising from 2019 to 2023

Intellectual Property Consultant at Patentree from 2018 to 2019

Trainee Lawyer at PBL & Associados from 2016 to 2018

Education

Law Degree from the Faculty of Law of Catholic University, Portugal

Master’s Degree from the Faculty of Law of Catholic University, Portugal

Advanced Sports Betting Course from the Catholic University, Portugal

Data Protection Officer (DPO) Course from the Deloitte Privacy Knowledge Center

Erasmus exchange program at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest

Brevet Blanc issued the French Education and Youth Ministry

Dr. Margaret Carran, Associate Professor in Law, University of London, United Kingdom
Dr Margaret Carran is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Education) at City, University London who is currently actively researching gambling regulations, protection of minors from gambling related-harm and gambling harmonization attempts.

She completed her PhD on Children and Gambling: Attitudes, Behavior, Harm Prevention and Regulatory Responses at Queen Mary, University of London, and published her monograph, Gambling Regulation and Vulnerability, with Edward Elgar Publishers.

Most recently, Margaret undertook two major research projects on behalf of the European Gaming and Betting Association on the regulation of gambling across the European Member States and on how European countries monitor and measure gambling engagement and gambling problem prevalence levels within their jurisdictions. The current project addresses the need to devise globally accepted self-exclusion standards.

Dr. Maris Catania, Safer Gambling Senior Consultant, SG:certified, Malta
Maris Catania is a gambling industry veteran with more than fourteen years of game integrity and safer gambling experience. Prior to joining SG:certified as a Senior Safer Gaming Consultant, Maris was Head of Responsible Gaming and Research at Kindred.

At Kindred, Maris led its overall RG strategy and several RG research projects and coordinated university and treatment centre collaborations. She was also instrumental in the concept of a behavioural detection system at Kindred known as PS-EDS (Player Safety—Early Detection System) alongside Karim Chikh, who later formed Integrity Analytics.

Maris is an instrumental player in the SG:certified team. She leads and develops up-to-date and effective content for SG:certified on safer gambling issues. In addition, she supports our clients with their safer gambling needs using the SG:certified platform.

Maris has a Diploma in Gambling Addiction Counselling and Psychology, Msc in Psychology and has a PhD focusing on consumer protection, markers of harm, and responsible gambling, at Nottingham Trent University under the guidance of the leading distinguished Professor Mark Griffiths.

She has also been awarded the Gambling Compliance Most Significant Contribution to Responsible Gambling Research for three consecutive years.

Dr. Mary Donohue, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, The Digital Wellness Center, Canada
Dr. Mary Donohue is a renowned figure in digital psychology and mental health, serving as the Founder and CEO of the Digital Wellness Center (DWC). Her dedication to the field was sparked by witnessing her brother Tim’s challenges with online betting, motivating her to develop preventative measures akin to a ‘seatbelt’ for gamblers, aimed at mitigating the risks associated with digital gaming and addiction.

Named by Fortune Magazine as one of the “10 Businesswomen to Watch in 2023,” Dr. Mary is acclaimed for her pioneering approaches to wellness and mentorship. Under her leadership, DWC has secured accolades such as the winner of Flutter’s Alpha Hub Play Well Challenge, 2023 Marketplace Champion Award and was a finalist in the 2024 SBC Player Protection Award. The DWC is renowned for its innovative technology that synergizes mood mapping with microbreaks, revolutionizing player digital health. This perspective is detailed in her best-selling book, Message Received, celebrated as the “digital communication bible” for its profound insights into bridging generational gaps in the digital era.

Dr. Mary and her team have created myStridePositivePlay™, a patent-pending digital therapeutic platform that has evolved from over 34,000 interactions. This initiative underscores her commitment to reducing problem gaming by 30% by 2030. Her influential work has earned accolades from peers, prime ministers, and Queen Elizabeth II, marking her as one of 18 Outstanding Women in Tech and one of the 100 Most Influential Women in America by Diversity MBA.

Her contributions have been featured in prestigious publications like the Harvard Business Review and across major North American news networks. As a Columbia Business School Lang Center Innovation Fellow, Dr. Mary integrates cutting-edge research with practical applications to enhance both corporate and societal wellness.

Beyond her professional commitments, Dr. Mary is an avid volunteer, yogi, runner, and enjoys life’s diverse experiences. She also fondly remembers a brief, unforgettable stint as a Supreme alongside Diana Ross.

Under Dr. Mary’s visionary guidance, the Digital Wellness Center remains at the forefront of advancing digital wellness for players, leveraging neuroscience to create microbreaks that act like mental stretches—offering essential relief and preventing mental strain in today’s digital landscape.

Matt Smith, Betknowmore, Head of External Affairs, Betknowmore, United Kingdom
Matt Smith is Head of External Affairs for UK charity Betknowmore and has lived experience of gambling with 10 years in continuous recovery.

Matt is part of the senior management team at Betknowmore, building relationships with stakeholders across the gambling sector including work on their communications, policy strategy as well as international development.

His working background was in the broadcast media industry, where he spent over a decade working in management for UK radio station talkSPORT heading up major live sports events.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, Co-Founder, Gamban, United Kingdom
Matt Zarb-Cousin is a co-founder of Gamban, director of Clean Up Gambling, a senior government affairs advisor to YieldSec and an advisor to the Campaign for Fairer Gambling in the US. As spokesperson for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling in the UK, he lobbied successfully for a reduction in the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals from £100 to £2 a spin.

Matthew Anderson, Manager, National Self-Exclusion, Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australia
Matthew has worked in the Commonwealth Government of Australia for 15 years. He has been responsible for the delivery of Australia’s national self-exclusion register since inception and is now responsible for the team monitoring and enforcing industry compliance with the new rules.

Before this, Matthew worked on a number of high-profile initiatives in government, including establishing a new airport in Western Sydney and significant changes to Australia’s aviation security arrangements, as well as working in the office of a federal Minister.

Marc Dunbar, Partner, Jones Walker, United States
With a successful career spanning more than two decades, Marc focuses his practice on governmental relations and legislative advocacy, commercial transactions, and gaming. He has served as counsel to a wide range of clients, with a particular emphasis on highly regulated industries. Marc’s practice began in regulated utilities and currently includes legal and lobbying representation for a host of diverse industries, such as motor vehicle dealerships and manufacturers, gaming, tobacco, alcohol, healthcare services and providers, and medical cannabis.

Marc has a reputation as a creative problem solver and excels at helping people navigate challenging situations. He is regularly engaged to litigate complex statutory and constitutional matters both at trial and appellate levels with more than two dozen reported appellate cases on behalf of clients in regulated professions. In addition to civil, administrative and appellate litigation, he has been very active in assisting regulated entities and private equity firms in exploring and evaluating opportunities in regulated industries and handling complex internal investigations. Mr. Dunbar is regularly asked to provide assistance in drafting changes to complex rules and statutes affecting regulated professions in Florida and elsewhere.

On the political front, Marc is active in a variety of campaigns, having served in paid and volunteer capacities at the local, legislative, and statewide levels. Among others, he has served in the campaign for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Governors Association. His legal practice also includes practicing before Florida’s Ethics and Elections Commission.

Maria McDonald, Partner, Nordic Gambling, Norway
Maria McDonald is one of the founding partners of Nordic Gambling. She is a Swedish lawyer, with extensive experience as in-house counsel with international operators. Maria specialises in all legal matters related to gambling, sports, media and sponsorships but also has extensive experience working with dispute resolution, IT and data protection. Maria has during the majority of her career worked as in-house legal counsel and as the Head of Legal in Unibet and as General Counsel in Lagardère Sports Scandinavia. Maria has also previously acted as Chairman of the Danish Online Gambling Association and treasurer of the Swedish Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS). Maria is also the author of the chapter about Sweden in the publication “Gambling Laws and Regulations Sweden 2023”.

Mario Lollobrigida, Director of Games, Customs and Monopolies Agency, Italy
Mario Lollobrigida, currently the Gaming Director at ADM, has built a distinguished career spanning over three decades. After completing his education in law, he embarked on his managerial path in 1993 and has been a permanent executive of ADM since 2007. In addition to his executive role, he was a respected lecturer at the Guardia di Finanza’s Tax School.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Lollobrigida has overseen numerous key departments within the Gaming Directorate, including the Number Games and Lotteries Office, Lotto and Lotteries Office, Enalotto Office, and Bingo Office. His deep expertise in the gaming sector is further enriched by his experience as Director of the Monopoly Offices in Lazio, Veneto, and Trentino Alto Adige.

Mark Pace, Vice-President, IGSA & GSA Europe Managing Director, United States
Mark is a seasoned gaming industry executive with a career spanning land-based casino operations, slot machine manufacturing, gaming systems development, online gaming, lottery technical operations and regulatory affairs at the local and federal levels internationally.

His resume includes working at Harrah’s Entertainment at the property and corporate level, at WMS Gaming Inc. and at Scientific Games. He worked with the International Gaming Standards Association for fifteen years representing those gaming companies and also as a Board of Directors member. In 2017 he joined the association as the Managing Director of GSA Europe. In 2018 he was named Vice President of IGSA in addition to his responsibilities looking after the European office. In 2024, he was appointed President of IGSA. He retained his responsibilities as Managing Director of GSA Europe.

In 2019, Mark was named co-project leader of the European Committee for Standardization’s TC/456 which, at the European Commission’s request, successfully created the first ever pan-European gaming standard for “Reporting in support of Online Gambling supervision”. He recently worked with the government of the Republic of Georgia creating regulations and technical requirements for land-based and online gaming as well as help establish the Regulatory Authority.

Megan Basson, Executive Director, International Center for Gaming Regulation, United States
Megan O. Basson is currently the executive director for the UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation (ICGR). The center is the world’s only organization dedicated to the study of regulatory imperatives as aligned to their development for the dynamic and innovative gaming industry.

Basson brings almost two decades of gaming-related experience to the position.

She served more than 14 years as the Head of the Licensing Department for the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board where she directed all activities relating to the licensing of gambling operations in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Basson previously worked as a legal advisor and mediator at a legal advisory company and served as a Deputy Director: Chief Financial Analyst for the Western Cape Provincial Treasury. She earned both her B.Proc and LLB degrees from the University of the Western Cape.

Neil Montgomery, Founding and Managing Partner, Montgomery, Brazil
Neil is the Founding and Managing Partner at Montgomery (formerly Montgomery & Associados), a Brazilian law firm with head offices in São Paulo and a footprint in Rio de Janeiro and London.

Montgomery innovates in the way law is practised. The firm launched the concept of Lean Full Service – LFS®, whereby each of our lawyers is a specialist in more than one area of law. This keeps legal teams lean, thereby reducing costs and providing clients a personalized and added-value relationship with our people.

Neil is a dual national (British/Brazilian) and has practised business law (encompassing the many different areas of law that foreign clients and multinational companies doing business in Brazil and Brazilian clients investing overseas require advice on) in Brazil for more than two decades. As a lawyer, his objective is to add value to and build strong and lasting relationships with clients and to fully know their business and corporate values and principles.

Nicholas Aquilina, Partner, BRANDL TALOS, Austria
Nicholas advises international gaming, betting and entertainment companies on regulatory, licensing, compliance, commercial and transactional matters.

He is an expert in international gambling law, including aspects of EU law, social gaming, e-sports and fantasy sports. Nicholas regularly represents clients in regulatory and licensing matters before national regulators, at European associations and before EU institutions. He has (co-) authored several publications and is excited to be driving the LegalTech initiative at BT.

Nina Henningsen, Attorney-at-law/Partner, Mazanti-Andersen, Denmark
Nina Henningsen specialises in intellectual property law as well as Media & Entertainment, including Gaming & Gambling.

Nina is the head of Mazanti’s IP and Media & Entertainment department and is acknowledged as a leading legal advisor within her field. She advises on complex copyright issues and has extensive experience within advising national and international companies on all matters in relation to creating, exercising and enforcing IP rights, including in the context of transactions.

Through the years, Nina has been involved in a number of high-profile cases within the media and entertainment industry. She assists a large number of leading national and international media groups, TV stations, production companies and publishing houses in their use of copyright and advises in negotiations with Danish and international collective management societies in cases involving the clearing of copyrights in relation to the many new distribution forms within radio, television and music on all platforms, including “catch-up”, TV, SVOD and APPs. Her many years of experience has resulted in in-depth industry knowledge and an extensive, international network.

Nina also has comprehensive experience within advising on cases concerning social media, sports rights, television formats, advertising and computer games. She assists international, online game operators and platform providers and advices on all aspects of the Danish gaming legislation, including the complicated license procedure, compliance issues, marketing, trademark issues, formation of contract as well as regulatory issues in connection with international transactions.

Nina often speaks at national and international conferences. She is on the committee for the Association for Entertainment and Media Law (Foreningen for Entertainment- og Medieret), is on IBA’s Media Law Committee and is a member of the Danish Copyright Society (Dansk Selskab for Ophavsret) and IMGL (International Masters of Gaming Law).

Olga Finkel, Founder and Partner, WH Partners, Malta
Olga Finkel is the co-founder and partner of WH Partners. She founded WH Law in 2006 which has progressed to become WH Partners. Olga practises law in the gaming, gambling, technology and compliance fields. She is widely regarded as one of the leading global gambling lawyers and a pioneer in the online gaming & gambling sector, having an experience of over 22 years in the industry.

Olga’s main practice areas include regulatory frameworks for real money gambling, skill games and social gaming, AML, privacy and corporate transactions. Over the span of her career, she advised some of the largest global online gaming groups and land-based casinos on applicable regulatory frameworks, compliance matters (gaming, AML, privacy, consumer rights) as well as mergers and acquisitions.

In addition to a Doctor of Laws degree, Olga holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Economics from the Academy of Economics, Kharkov, Ukraine.

Patricia Lalanda, Partner, Loyra Abogados, Spain
Ms. Patricia Lalanda Ordóñez is Partner at LOYRA Abogados (part of the international group of law firms ETL Group), a gaming and gambling specialized law firm, where she leads the intellectual property, new technologies and data protection department. She advises the whole array of land based an online gaming industry stake holder such as governments, casinos, online gaming operators, affiliates, media, social gaming operators, payment providers and other gambling service providers. Ms. Patricia’s advice includes licensing, regulatory and compliance, M&A, consumer, advertising, and privacy law issues both in Spain and cross-border, including a business and technology perspective.

Ms. Patricia is a lecturer on subjects such as land-based and online gaming regulation and market knowledge (national and international), blockchain, cryptocurrencies and esports, in various educational centres such as the Autonomous University of Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Law School (LLM New Technologies Law and Special Course on ESPORTS law), LaLiga Business School (LLM on Law on Professional Soccer) IE Business School and FIDE (Foundation for Investigation for Law and the Company) and participates in national and international conferences. She frequently publishes on regulatory developments and opinion in leading industry journals. Her latest collaboration is in the book “The Future is now: present and future of online gambling” in 2021. In 2015, she was awarded the title of “40under40 Emerging Leader” by the American Gaming Association. Ms. Patricia studied Law at Carlos III University in Madrid and obtained her LL.M. degree in IP, IT and NNTT from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Working languages: Spanish, English and French.

Paul Newsom, Principal, Vanguard Overwatch, Australia
Paul Newson is a Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and the founder of the gambling law and regulation conference Regulating the Game held in Sydney and London.

Paul was a former Deputy Secretary in the NSW Department of Industry responsible for liquor, gambling & racing public policy and regulation in NSW. Paul is a patron and former president of the International Association of Gaming Regulators and former trustee of the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics), a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Legal Studies, and a Master of Law & Management.

Peter Czegledy, Co-Chair of Sports, Media & Entertainment and Chair of Gaming, Aird & Berlis LLP, Canada
Peter is a member of the firm’s Corporate/Commercial Group, as well as the Intellectual Property, Mergers & Acquisitions, Technology and Licensing Groups. He is Chair of the Gaming Group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Esports & Gaming Group and Sports, Media & Entertainment Group. His practice includes assisting a spectrum of clients ranging from start-up private businesses to large multinationals.

The transactional portion of Peter’s practice includes experience in the purchase and sale of businesses and substantial assets in industries ranging from information products and retail businesses to esports, health, mining and heavy industry. He has acted extensively on both domestic and international/multi-jurisdictional matters and on both strategic and financial portfolio/private equity acquisitions.

Peter acts on behalf of high technology clients active in the software, hardware, network and internet fields, including global industry leaders. He advises such parties in respect of strategic, competition, compliance and policy development matters as well as commercial relationship management, including license, distribution, supply, franchise, partnering and service arrangements. He has also provided advice on international trade matters as they relate to the provision of his clients’ goods and services.

Peter’s esports practice includes corporate, commercial, transactional and regulatory matters for domestic and international clients. He has advised game publishers, platform providers, financing parties, regulators, payment processors, hardware manufacturers, underwriters, industry associations and other parties active throughout the sector. He frequently writes and speaks on legal issues related to the esports industry.

In the financing area, Peter has represented a number of private and public lenders, including Schedule I and Schedule II banks, in a variety of secured lending relationships. With respect to private lending, he participates in both traditional arrangements and angel, early-stage and venture capital situations.

Peter also has substantial expertise in the area of gambling and gaming law, with experience both in the acquisition/establishment phase and as ongoing corporate counsel managing compliance with applicable regulatory regimes and advising on technological applications. He has acted in both private transactions and public procurements, and has represented a multitude of leading participants in the casino, track, i-gaming, mobile gambling, skills gaming and social gaming industries.

Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Gambling Authority, Botswana
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe is the Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Authority of Botswana, a state-owned enterprise tasked with the regulation of all gambling activities in Botswana through the Gambling Act of 2012.

Peter’s main role as CEO is to provide leadership in promoting the economic development of Botswana through a gambling sector-focused approach that is aligned with the strategy of Botswana Gambling Authority and Botswana’s national priorities, policies and strategies. His role focuses on ensuring optimal stakeholder engagement, strategy execution and organisational performance. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Botswana Gambling Authority.

Peter is a renowned international speaker, having been a panelist at the ICE VOX London 2023, where he formed part of the Africa perspective forum. At the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Botswana Conference 2023, he presented on the Landscape of the Botswana Gambling Industry. At the International Gaming Conference 2023 in Lagos, Nigeria, Peter spoke on overcoming stigmatisation in gaming, the success story of Botswana. Peter is a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators.

Peter is a corporate executive with strong business acumen leveraging over 20 years of experience working for large State-Owned Entities and Private Companies which have a presence in Botswana and the African region. He has over eight years of experience as an Executive within the gambling regulatory space. A Fellow Chartered Accountant (Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants), Chartered Management Accountant (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), as well as a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Strategic Business Management from the Manchester Metropolitan University.

Quirino Mancini, Partner, Tonucci & Partners, Italy
Global Head of the Gaming & Gambling practice.

20+ years of experience as a gaming law specialist.

Acts for most foreign-based companies operating in the Italian gaming market handling the local licensing process as well as advising on the intended business model (online and/or land-based) and its subsequent implementation, delivery and ongoing operation including any related contracts and licensing arrangements.

Alongside a vast, consolidated and diversified legal and regulatory practice he also offers a bespoke matchmaking and business strategy service aimed entailing introduction and facilitation of dealings with the local regulatory authorities and banks as well as research, scouting and suitability checks on potential business partners.

Advises market analysts, banks, investment houses and venture capital funds directly or indirectly involved in the Italian and other European gaming markets.

Regular speaker at the most important international gaming conferences as well as member of the editorial board of various sector magazines and publications.

Co-founder and editor of www.gaminglaw.eu, a panEuropean information and commentary portal focusing on legal and regulatory issues under European and national gaming laws.

Vice-President and fellow member of the Leadership Committee of the International Masters of Gaming Law, a worldwide organisation gathering regulators, lawyers and advisors, in-house counsels and educators engaged in the gaming business.

Raffaele Gnazzi, Legal & Compliance Director, Novomatic Italia, Italy
Raffaele Gnazzi is the CEO of ADMIRAL Pay IP, a payment institute specialising in the field of digital payment services for the gaming industry, both in Italy and internationally. He is also the Legal & Compliance Director of NOVOMATIC Italia Spa, one of the main players in the public gaming sector in the country, with a workforce of over 4,000 employees and a consumer offer counting on about 300 ADMIRAL-branded gaming venues, and several concessionary companies for the collection of land-based and online gaming in Italy.

Of Italian-Belgian citizenship, he was born in Rimini in 1980. After graduating in Law in 2003, and subsequent habilitation, he practised as a lawyer from 2004 to 2011, in several prominent legal firms, between Rome and Bologna. In 2011, he joined the NOVOMATIC Italia Group as Legal and Compliance Director, a role he still occupies today. Over the years, he has been a member of the Supervisory Board pursuant to Legislative Decree 231/2011, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for several companies belonging to the Group. In 2019, he earned an Executive MBA at the Bologna Business School.

Currently, in addition to serving as CEO for ADMIRAL Pay IP since 2018, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of HBG Online Gaming Srl and SPATI S.r.l.,the NOVOMATIC Italia Group companies active in the betting and online gaming segments, and Board Member of ADMIRAL Gaming Network Srl, the concessionaire company for land-based gaming through VLT and AWP machines.

Rasmus Kjaergaard, Chief Executive Officer, Mindway AI, Denmark
Rasmus Kjaergaard has been CEO of Mindway AI since December 2019.

Mindway AI is a Danish founded, now international and award-winning safer gambling software company 100% focused on developing and providing innovative tech solutions for fully automatic detection and monitoring of at-risk and problem gambling behavior.

Based on neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and human expert assessments' Mindway AI works with gambling operators, incl. Entain, Flutter, Evoke, Tabcorp, and Holland Casino, platform providers, regulators, and governments to provide state-of-the-art solutions. This includes GameScanner, a “Virtual Psychologist” AI-based solution for earlier, more individualized, and enhanced detection, customer service, and intervention on gambling behavior. The other solution is Gamalyze, a neuroscience-based gamification self- test as a card game, much more engaging, proactive, and less sensitive compared to traditional self-test questionnaires.

Currently Mindway AI software is used in 61 jurisdictions and 37 different countries, incl. UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Australia, NL, Denmark, and Sweden. GameScanner® currently detects in total 7.7 million Active Players monthly with Mindway AI customers. Gamalyze is translated into 14 different languages.

Rasmus has 20+ years of experience in commercially developing businesses based on complex B-to-B IT- solutions. He has also participated in commercially developing another Danish IT-startup business from a small company to market leader with all the aspects regarding customer relationships, marketing, delivery of the IT solutions to the customers and supporting the customers afterwards at a very high customer service level.

Rawa Kaftan, Associate, Wiggin, United Kingdom
Rawa is a regulatory lawyer in Wiggin LLP’s Betting & Gaming team and advises key stakeholders in the gambling industry, including many of the world’s largest online B2C operators, software suppliers, payment service providers and investors. Rawa is experienced in advising clients on regulatory compliance matters, licensing and product classification, seeking M&A regulatory approvals and cross-border jurisdictional risk.

Regis Dudena, Head of Prizes and Betting Secretariat, Brazil
Regis is a PhD student in Law at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), in the area of Studies ‘National Financial System and repression of administrative offences and criminal offences’. He has a Master’s Degree in the ‘Erasmus Mundus: European Legal Practice’ Programme, by the Consortium between the Universities of Hannover and Católica Portuguesa. He graduated in Law from the University of São Paulo.

Regis is a lawyer specialising in public and regulatory law. He was a partner in a law firm, working in the area of legislative and regulatory advocacy. Worked as Legal Superintendent of Desenvolve SP – São Paulo State Development Agency, Legal Adviser to the President of BDMG – Minas Gerais Development Bank and Legal Manager of ANTF – National Association of Railway Transporters. He was also Special Adviser to the Executive Secretariat and Deputy Head of Legal airs, both at the Affairs, both in the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic.

Reuben Portanier, Partner, Advisory & Compliance, GTG, Malta
Mr Reuben Portanier is GTG’s Advisory and Compliance Partner. Reuben joined the GTG Group in 2018 as the co-founding partner of Afilexion Alliance (which was rebranded as GTG Corporate in 2022). Prior to joining GTG, Mr Portanier founded his own gaming and financial services advisory firm, Avviza which merged with Afilexion in 2018. Mr Portanier is a C-Level professional with executive management experience in the consulting, technology and gaming sectors. At GTG, he is responsible for the Gaming Advisory, Business Advisory, Outsourcing Services and Compliance Consulting portfolios. Mr Portanier is also specialised in financial services, fintech, ESG and other regulated sectors, and leads licensing support.

Mr Portanier is a former CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority, and a former board trustee of the International Association of Gaming Regulators. Reuben also acted as an advisor to the Government of Malta on Gaming Policy and European Regulatory policy, whilst he was a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group till end 2013. Mr Portanier was the author of Malta’s submission to the European Union’s Green Paper on On-line Gaming. Mr. Portanier also held management consultancy experience with Arthur Andersen, and held C-Level positions in the ICT sector with MITTS Ltd (now MITA) and with the Siemens part owned Datatrak Holdings plc (now Loqus).

Mr Portanier is an internationally recognised expert in Gaming, being a frequent speaker on international conferences, whilst he was awarded as one of the 50 most influential persons in the gaming industry by the Gaming Intelligence Magazine in 2013, and as iGaming Consultant of the Year by iGaming Idol in 2018. Mr Portanier is a Board Member of the Malta Football Association, sitting on the board which adjudicates charges on bribery and illegal betting in football, whilst he was a visiting lecturer on sport betting and sport integrity with the ISDE University in Barcelona. Mr Portanier is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL). He is also a member of the Malta Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Portanier holds an honours first degree in Economics and a Master in Financial Services Law, both from the University of Malta. Mr Portanier is also qualified in Virtual Financial Assets and holds a post graduate certificate in ESG from the University of Malta.

Ron Segev, Founding Partner, Segev LLP, Canada
Ron is a specialized gaming and betting lawyer, experienced assisting online and land based casinos and sport books, and developers, studios, platforms and operators offering social games, skill games, sports betting, fantasy sports, esports, v-sports, live-dealer, and other gaming and betting products. Ron has assisted clients worldwide with their corporate finance and M&A, commercial, IP, transactional, licensing, regulatory and compliance needs. Ron has extensive experience in the iGaming sector and has appeared as an expert speaker on the topic for various media outlets and at various high-profile events, and conferences. Ron is also a member of International Association of Gaming Advisors, a General Member of the International Masters of Gaming Law, and is ranked by Chambers & Partners as a Band-1 lawyer in Canada, Chambers’ highest ranking.

Ron is also a member of Segev LLP’s busy Securities Practice Group and has experience guiding clients through the complexities of private/public finance. Beyond gaming and betting, Ron has considerable experience assisting clients in highly regulated industries (blockchain, cannabis, for example) with their financing needs.

More broadly, Ron has years of experience working with a wide variety of technology clients including data analytics companies, digital media and creative agencies, online marketers and affiliates, e-commerce companies, software, SaaS, enterprise software (CRM, ERP, etc.) and app.

Along with Segev LLP’s Blockchain Practice Group, Ron has experience working with some of the top distributed ledger technology companies in Canada, and worldwide. He has assisted blockchain application development companies, miners, brokers, exchanges, token projects, DeFi, GameFi, Web3, NFT and other multiverse related projects.

Ryan McCarthy, Director of Player Health, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Canada
Ryan provides strategic oversight and guidance for BCLC’s approach to player health, including thought leadership and innovation related to safer play, data-driven health behaviour change and reducing potential harm across all lines of BCLC’s business (lottery, land-based and online gambling). Throughout his career, he has worked with stakeholders from several sectors and industries to close the gap between what we know from research evidence and data and move it to actionable solutions.

Simon Vincze, Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, Casino Guru, Slovakia
Simon Vincze is Casino Guru’s Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, and an advocate for Responsible Gambling. He provides guidance on player protection, steers the company towards current best practices, and seeks opportunities for Casino Guru to have a positive influence. He leads the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative and the Casino Guru Academy.

Šimon is dedicated to making gambling sustainable and secure for all involved parties, prioritizing legitimate entertainment with acknowledged risks for players, while ensuring operators uphold responsibility.

Within the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, Šimon is guiding a dedicated team that envisions an effective global self-exclusion scheme to deter struggling players. Recognizing shortcomings in existing tools, he aspires to create a strong barrier against online gambling allure. As part of the Initiative, Šimon is working on Self-Exclusion Standards together with the City, University of London.

In Casino Guru Academy, a free educational hub embodying collective knowledge, a team led by Šimon offers interactive courses on industry best practices, while emphasizing safer gambling. With insights from the Casino Guru and esteemed partners, the Academy fortifies player-operator relationships and shares vital practical knowledge.

Sonia Wasowska, Head of Supervision, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
Sonia has two decades of experience in regulatory and operational compliance across the gambling industry, driving cross-discipline collaboration and working on improving functional compliance programs while focusing on practical, research and data-driven solutions. Operated on both sides of the regulatory fence, leading cross-regulator and industry collaboration projects, jointly tackling challenges around data use in harm identification, risk management, marketing, and regulatory innovation.

Sonia is currently working as the Head of Supervision at the UAE General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).

Stefano Sbordoni, Managing Partner and Founder, Sbordoni & Partners, Italy
Stefano Sbordoni, Supreme Court atterney-at-law, is a professor of Information Tecnology Law in Political Science Department of The University of Tuscia. He also lectures at the Higher School of Economics and Finance and has taught courses for public broadcasters at the University of Malta.

Mr. Sbordoni advises the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies on administrative law matters pertaining to the field of gaming and betting. He acts as a consultant to the main Italian and foreign gambling operators. During his many years of experience he has dealt with, among other things, the standardization of Bingo, the reorganization through public tendering of the gaming sector, privatization of instant lotteries, and the comercialization of games and lottery in more than forty countries worldwide.

Mr. Sbordoni is the author of chapters on Italy in the last two editions of the Internet Gambling Report. He has published articles for the Academy of European Law and has edited the materials of the information technology law course at the University of Tuscia on “electronic game“, and numerous handouts for courses in the School of Economics and Finance. He is the author of the monograph Giochi concessi e giochi on line published in March 2010 by the Italian National Printing Istitute.

Mr. Sbordoni is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law, and is a registered journalists, he cooperates with the major specialist publications in the field of gambling in Italy (TS, Jamma, Agicos). He publishes with Atlante (Economy and Sustainable Development), e con Technet (IT specialist).

Sukriti Verma, Head of Analysis, Department for Culture Media and Sport, United Kingdom
Sukriti Verma is currently the Head of Analysis for Sport and Gambling at the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) in the UK Government. With a diverse career across multiple departments in both the UK and Indian governments, Sukriti has been at the forefront of delivering complex analytical insights that shape strategic policy decisions. Her expertise spans various high-impact sectors, and she has played a pivotal role in driving data-driven solutions for critical policies, including her contributions as part of the UK’s COVID-19 Taskforce and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Sukriti is a passionate advocate for evidence-based decision making, leveraging her analytical skills to inform and influence outcomes that benefit communities and organizations alike. In her current role, she leads the analytical agenda for the sport and gambling sectors, ensuring that policy interventions are grounded in rigorous research and tailored to address the most pressing challenges.

Taina Grech, Responsible Gambling Quality Assurance Manager, Kindred Group, Malta
Taina Grech is Responsible Gambling Quality Assurance Manager at Kindred Group, with experience in Responsible Gambling since 2018.

Her expertise includes steering RG measures for player protection, ensuring regulatory compliance, identifying improvement areas, and managing liabilities.

Taina has in-depth knowledge of understanding harmful gambling from her work with Kindred’s award-winning Player Safety Early Detection systems.

Known for sound judgment and a commitment to excellence, she is passionate about sharing insights on creating a safe and responsible gaming environments, through dynamic RG projects and initiatives.

Tanisha Khanna, Associate, Nishith Desai Associates, India
Tanisha is an integral member of the Technology-Media-Telecom and International Dispute Resolution Practice Groups at the multi-skilled, research based international law firm Nishith Desai Associates.

Tanisha has advised clients on IP, gaming laws, general commercial laws, and on privacy issues.

Apart from transactional and advisory work, she has also been integrally involved in a number of litigations and arbitrations and pre- litigation strategy in a range of industries.

Tanisha has played a key role in the firm’s policy initiatives and representations to the Government. She regularly writes thought leadership and research articles and papers for internationally acclaimed publications. She is admitted to the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa and regularly appears before the Bombay High Court. Tanisha has completed her LLB in the UK as well as in India.

Tom Mace, Senior Vice President, Regulator Services, Sportradar, United Kingdom
Tom Mace has 20 years of experience in the betting industry, initially working for prominent UK operators, followed by 13 years developing the Integrity Services unit at Sportradar.

Tom is the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Services at Sportradar, a unit dedicated to providing innovative technology for regulators.

Tomás Paiva Rosado, Head of Legal, Clever Advertising, Portugal
With over eight years of legal experience, Tomás Rosado has been Head of Legal at Clever Advertising since May 2024, overseeing the company’s legal strategies and navigating the complexities of the iGaming industry’s regulatory landscape. Previously, he served as Legal Counsel at Clever Advertising from 2018 to 2019 and worked at renowned Portuguese law firms Morais Leitão and TELLES.

Dr. Tony Schellinck, Chief Executive Officer, Focal Research Consultants, Canada
During his full-time tenure at Dalhousie University, Tony held the FC Manning Chair in Economics and Business, publishing articles and papers in consumer psychology, research methods and gambling.

As co-chair of the Informatics Initiative at Dalhousie University, he was responsible for the research program in data science, measurement, and construct development, working with large consumer databases for financial, retail and insurance clients.

At Focal, Tony leads a team of data analysts setting new standards in risk detection and safer gambling through research, data insights, leading-edge processes, analysis, and predictive modelling.

Tracy Parker, Vice President, Policy, Standards and Accreditation, Responsible Gambling Council, Canada
Tracy Parker serves as the Vice-President of Policy, Standards, and Accreditation at RGC, where she leads the development and implementation of RGC’s assurance and accreditation practice. With nearly 30 years of experience, Tracy has dedicated her career to enhancing the positive impact of businesses on society across various industries. Over the past decade, her focus has been on promoting harm minimization in the gambling industry by implementing robust standards and assurance practices.

Her work involves leveraging best practices through comprehensive assessments of player education, player protection, and employee training policies to help organizations provide safer gambling experiences and foster continuous improvement.

Prior to joining RGC, Tracy held several key roles within the Social Responsibility team at Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG). In these roles, she worked collaboratively to develop, deliver, monitor, and evaluate responsible gambling policies and programs across four key business sectors: Gaming, Lottery, Charitable Gaming, and Internet Gaming. Her efforts were centered on crafting and implementing strategies related to culture building, player education, and responsible

gambling policy.

Tracy is also an accomplished presenter and educator, having developed and led seminars and workshops on ESG and CSR reporting and communications, international business ethics, ethical decision-making, and a broad range of gambling-related topics. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a specialization in Sustainability and Strategy.

Yanica Sant, Group Legal Director (Regulatory), evoke, Malta
Yanica Sant holds the role of Group Legal Director (Regulatory) at evoke plc, heading the regulatory team within the legal division, and is responsible for providing the legal perspective on various regulatory matters. She was previously General Counsel of the Malta Gaming Authority, having spent just under 8 years there, fulfilling various functions within the legal, policy and enforcement department.

IMGL/IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

Filter

Overview

IMGL / IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

Registration

Register here now!

Sponsorships

Sponsorship information can be found here

Annual 2024 Sponsors

Annual Platinum Sponsor

Annual Gold Sponsor

Annual Silver Sponsors

Annual Bronze Sponsor

Rome Sponsors

Gala Dinner Sponsor

Conference Sponsor

Closing Reception Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Supporting Sponsor

Schedule

Monday, 21 October

Tuesday, 22 October

Wednesday, 23 October (Joint Day with IAGR)

Thursday, 24 October (Half joint day with IAGR)

Events

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Accommodations

As of 8/16/24, the Parco dei Principi is officially SOLD OUT.

Speakers

See and Do

Restaurants by the Parco dei Principi

Conference brochure

IMGL/IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

Filter

Overview

IMGL / IAGR 2024 Autumn Conference

Registration

Register here now!

Sponsorships

Sponsorship information can be found here

Annual 2024 Sponsors

Annual Platinum Sponsor

Fox Rothschild LLP

www.foxrothschild.com

Annual Gold Sponsor

Saiber

https://www.saiber.com/

Annual Silver Sponsors

Jones Walker

https://www.joneswalker.com/en/

MELCHERS Law

https://www.melchers-law.com/

EM Group

https://the-emgroup.com/

GeoComply

https://www.geocomply.com/

Annual Bronze Sponsor

AGEM

https://www.agem.org/

RMC Legal

https://rmclegal.com/

Lektou Advogados

https://lektou.com/

Rome Sponsors

Gala Dinner Sponsor

Mediastream

https://mediastream.ag/#

Conference Sponsor

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)

www.gaminglabs.com

Closing Reception Sponsor

SportPesa

http://www.sportpesa.org

Gold Sponsors

Clever Advertising

Silver Sponsors

WH Partners

https://whpartners.eu/

Bronze Sponsors

Novomatic

https://www.novomatic.com/en

Superbet

superbetgroup.com

SBC Gaming

https://sbcgaming.com/

MIRACL

Supporting Sponsor

CRIF

https://www.crif.com/

Schedule

Monday, 21 October

Tuesday, 22 October

Wednesday, 23 October (Joint Day with IAGR)

Thursday, 24 October (Half joint day with IAGR)

Events

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Accommodations

As of 8/16/24, the Parco dei Principi is officially SOLD OUT.

Speakers

See and Do

Restaurants by the Parco dei Principi

Conference brochure