Ethics Session #1: Ethical Dos and Don’ts for Outside Counsel From In-house Legal and Compliance Teams
In-house legal and compliance teams are responsible for a wide range of critical internal duties while also providing oversight and guidance to the external attorneys and firms that support the company’s business. This panel will explore the in-house ethical do’s and don’ts across a wide range of issues including integrity, confidentiality, and adherence to legal standards. The panelists will also look at the importance of clear communication, avoiding conflicts of interest, and upholding the highest ethical standards in all interactions. 

Moderated by Michael Fries, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Light & Wonder, the panelists include: 

• Karin Ashford, Chief Legal Officer, Greenwood Racing
• Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer, Sightline Payments
• John Cuddihy, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Light & Wonder
• Stacey Rowland, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Genting Americas

Welcome to Washington, D.C.
Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), will offer brief remarks welcoming IAGA members to the nation’s capital.  The AGA, based in Washington, DC, represents the regulated gaming industry in the halls of Congress and with the Administration. Bill will share how the perception of the industry in DC has changed and what he sees for the future. 

The Lobbying Process: Exploring State and 
Federal Lobbying Current Issues and Challenges
As the industry continues to evolve, so too does our perception among policy makers.  From state houses to Capitol Hill, gambling has never been more visible which provides opportunities as well as challenges. This roundtable of experts will discuss strategies to get the most out of your lobbying efforts both at state, federal and international levels, how to leverage coalitions and outside stakeholders, the value of political engagement as well as the headwinds the industry faces with policy makers. It will also explore some of the current issues being considered around North America including wider federal and state efforts to introduce higher standards of gambling related consumer protections and the slow burner of iGaming regulation and whether part of the hold-up is a perceived higher risk of gambling addiction associated with online casino games. Finally, the panel will also crystal ball gaze to discuss what they think lies ahead in the next 12 months, including strengthening consumer protections through responsible gambling.

Moderated by Alex Costello, Vice President of Government Relations for the American Gaming Association, the panelists include:

• Howard B. Glaser, Head of Government Affairs and Legislative Counsel, Light & Wonder
• Martin Lycka, Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs & Responsible Gambling, Entain
• Jonathan Nabavi, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, National Football League (NFL)
• Loretta Tuell, Principal, Tuell Law
• Paul Wierbicki, Chief Legal Officer, Rush Street Interactive

Regulator Roundtable: Balancing Effective Regulation 
with Constantly Changing Consumer Expectations
As the global gaming industry continually pivots to encompass new markets, products and technologies, its regulators are simultaneously tasked with following suit while new opportunities and threats, public perception and other governmental and social responsibilities. Within this context, our distinguished panel of North American regulators will discuss the critical issues they’re currently addressing, evaluate ongoing ’hot button’ compliance and licensing issues they see, and provide some thoughtful guidance on do’s and don’ts for anyone interested in becoming licensed. 

Moderated by Luke Orchard, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer for IGT, the panelists include: 

• Marcus Fruchter, Administrator, Illinois Gaming Board
• Kirk Hendrick, Chair, Nevada Gaming Control Board
• Cathy Judd-Stein, Chair, Massachusetts Gaming Commission
• Jay McDaniel, Executive Director, Mississippi Gaming Commission
• Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

International Regulator Roundtable: 
Current Regulatory Challenges and Trends
Featuring an impressive lineup of international regulators tasked with facing extensive and diverse market challenges, our international regulator roundtable will give you the opportunity to hear about what’s top of mind for regulators outside the US. The session will explore a wide range of issues including current opportunities and challenges, as well as lessons learned from navigating dynamic jurisdictions.

Moderated by Ben Haden, Director of Research & Statistics, UK Gambling Commission, and IAGR President, the panelists include:

• Are Bashir, Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority
• Atle Hamar, Director General, Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority 
• Jason Lane, Chief Executive, Jersey Gambling Commission 

Lunch

Preparing for the Inevitable: A Real-World Look into
Cyber Breaches and Practical Considerations for the Gaming Industry 
The data security and privacy regulatory landscape is evolving quickly, requiring specific expertise to identify and address evolving business and legal risks. In the past year, the gaming industry has faced real-world cyber breaches that demonstrate the changing threat landscape, and the importance of focusing on cybersecurity preparedness across the business. Coupled with the new SEC Cybersecurity Governance rules, the gaming industry, like many other industries, is dealing with increased pressure on legal advisors to provide guidance in this increasingly complex regulatory and risk environment.  

Our panel will discuss the key considerations for the gaming industry when it comes to the intersection with cybersecurity, technology and gaming industry requirements. The discussion will focus on the role of various stakeholders, including operations, customer service, HR, InfoSec, technology and legal teams to provide key guidance for cyber preparedness as well as incident response and crisis communications. We will walk through real-world scenarios and lessons learned to better help all stakeholders at the business to understand their role in helping to mitigate overall cyber risk to the organization, decrease financial implications, and control reputational harm, where possible. We will discuss case studies on what to expect during a cyber incident, and how teams can plan to walk through discovery, mitigation, regulatory notification, and additional considerations. Attendees will walk away with a practical understanding of key questions and considerations for the various role and responsibilities in cybersecurity preparedness, governance, and response, and its overall fiduciary duties in this space.

Moderated by Jordan L. Fischer, a Partner with Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, the panelists include: 

• Nancy Ramirez Ayala, General Counsel & SVP Global Compliance, Ainsworth Game Technology
• David Brace, Principal, Innovation & Technology, Continent 8 Technologies
• Scott Melnick, Principal Security Research & Development at Bulletproof, a GLI company
• Louis Rogacki, Deputy Director, New Jersey Division
  of Gaming Enforcement (DGE)
• Manjit Gombra Singh, Founder & CEO, DruvStar

CEO Roundtable
The view from the top is ever-changing, as the industry’s C-Suite must continually balance a wide range of stakeholder considerations, geopolitical concerns and regulatory restrictions. With an impressive international roundtable of leading CEO’s sharing their perspectives, concerns and visions for the coming year, this panel’s illustrious leaders will opine on a wide range of issues including the biggest challenges and opportunities they see facing the industry.

Moderated by John Stawyskyj, a Partner with Ashurst, the panelists include:

• Erwin van Lambaart, CEO and Chairman, Casinos Austria
• James Maida, CEO & President, Gaming Laboratories (GLI)
• Richard Schwartz, CEO, Rush Street Interactive
• Simon Thomas, Executive Chairman, The Hippodrome Casino London

Networking Break  

M&A Financing and What the Future Might Hold 
Building on recent Summits in which panels discussed M&A activity in the sector, trends and challenges, and what might lie ahead in the next three to five years, including pre-regulated jurisdictions and those in the early stages of regulation.  In this panel, we reflect on their predictions, the deal drought in the face of inflation and rapidly increasing interest rates and look ahead to consider what lies ahead in 2024 and 2025, and what the future holds on financing mergers or acquisitions of public or private companies when interest rates decrease. Some of the specific themes the panel will consider include the potential for traditional distributed gaming companies to acquire “skill” companies if regulation shifts and they start to be taxed and regulated given recent court rulings find that they’re legal,  a discussion on how interest rates are affecting the M&A market, consideration of what might replace SPACs and a look at the reasons they failed so quickly, and speculating on whether 2020 will be a banner year for gaming supplier market consolidation.

Moderated by Donna More, a Partner with Fox Rothschild, the panelists include:

• Reza Akhavi, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Securities Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging & Leisure
• David Berman, Head of Consumer, Gaming and Leisure, Macquarie Capital
• Katie Lever, General Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer and Corporate Secretary, Great Canadian Entertainment
• Paul Richardson, Partner, Partis
• Daniel Vyravipillai, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Investment Banking Division

Exciting Developments with Tribal Class II and Class III Mobile Gaming 
Featuring an impressive lineup of experts on the legal and regulatory issues surrounding mobile gaming, the panel will explore legal and regulatory issues associated with mobile gaming offered by Indian tribes pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Topics will include Class II mobile gaming for patrons located on Indian lands, as well as state-wide Class III mobile gaming under the model developed by the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida.

Moderated by Joseph H. Webster, a Partner with Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker, the panelists include:

• Paula L. Hart, Director of the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Gaming, US Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Michael Hoenig, Vice President and Associate General Counsel – Gaming, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
• John T. Plata, General Counsel, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
• Kevin C. Quiqley, Partner, Foley Quigley Law