A Message from the President Susan Hensel

Transcription

1 August 2012 Edition Leading the World in Gaming Regulation A Message from the President Susan Hensel NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE IAGR is con nuing its evolu on as an independent associa on. An important next step in this effort is the introduc on of a new and improved website that leverages the latest in technologies to keep members up-todate on regulatory happenings around the world. The new website, which is being unveiled simultaneously with the issuance of this newsle er, is available at Among the features you can enjoy are the following: A dynamic design Integra on with Twi er Blogging Video Podcasts Subscrip on to the IAGR Newsle er and other features A to be developed IAGR Library Pictures In addi on to the new website, IAGR is introducing a new Member s Only Portal. You can access the new portal through the website. The new portal works as a project management tool. The pla orm is called Basecamp and its aim is to make it easy to handle planning, deadlines, communica on and all other aspects of project development. Some of the core features are: Write boards Cha ng Project Milestones and no fica ons To-do-lists with no fica ons The ability to chat on secure and dedicated cha ng forums on your adroid/iphone And much more Basecamp Once available, current members of IAGR will automa cally receive a login and password to Basecamp. Watch for an from IAGR Secretariat Mariah Echele that will contain this informa on. IAGR CONFERENCE TIME TO REGISTER Reminder to submit your registra on for the Singapore Conference. The member, early bird registra on fee of $500 expires on August 31, Visit for more informa on on the conference and to obtain registra on materials. You can also follow us on Twi er by searching on iagr_org.

2 UPDATES MEET THE IAGR SECRETARIAT Since April of this year, IAGR has been ge ng a part- me helping hand with its day to day opera ons thanks to Mariah Echele of Echele Consultants. Among Mariah s many tasks are providing accoun ng services, processing membership and conference registra ons, and assis ng with conference logis cs. Mariah has more than 25 years of accoun ng and management experience in a variety of companies with missions that ranged from interna onal event produc on to digital publishing to a non-profit, 600 member private golf club organiza on. In the developmental periods for both IGC (Interac ve Gaming Council) and IMGL (Interna onal Masters of Gaming Law), Mariah provided much of the associa on management services for membership, accoun ng, organiza onal and conference planning prior to both of those organiza ons appoin ng permanent staff. Mariah currently has her own bookkeeping & consul ng business providing accoun ng structure and support to small-to-medium sized businesses. Mariah Echele IAGR CONFERENCE SINGAPORE 2012 CONFERENCE PROGRAM EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS SOON!!! Prepara ons for the IAGR Conference in Singapore are well underway with the IAGR Board of Trustees in the final stages of confirming the conference program. The program will include an Opening Address by Singapore s Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry, Mr. S. Iswaran. In addi on, there will be panel discussions led by fellow regulators and involving industry representa ves on a range of issues such as Internet Gambling, social media and gaming, casino crimes, sports be ng and responsible gambling. We will also explore emerging gaming markets and why they ma er to you. More informa on on the conference program is available on the IAGR website. The final day of IAGR s conference will feature visits to Singapore s two Integrated Resorts (IR) Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa where you will experience for yourself the concept of an IR. The IAGR formal dinner and other networking events will give you an opportunity to form professional rela onships with other regulators Conference Registra on: USD $ 500 IAGR Members / Early Bird Rate (Ends on 31 Aug 2012) USD $ 700 IAGR Members / Regular Rate (Effec ve 1st Sept 2012) USD $ 800 Non-IAGR Members To enjoy the members-only early bird conference rate of US$500 you must register by August 31, A er that, the fee will be US$700. For more informa on visit the IAGR website at IAGA WAIVES REGULATOR FEES FOR ITS SINGAPORE CONFERENCE The Interna onal Associa on of Gaming Advisors is waiving its registra on fee for gaming regulators. IAGA will hold its conference back-to-back with the IAGR Conference in Singapore. The IAGA conference begins with a networking recep on October 23, The conference runs October IAGA invites regulators to a end the conference at no cost. For more informa on about the IAGA conference including registra on materials, visit IAGA s website at

3 UPDATES NEW TRUSTEES, OFFICER ELECTIONS, BYLAW AMENDMENTS During the Singapore conference, IAGR will convene its annual business mee ng. There will be a number of important items put before the membership for discussion and ac on, including elec on of new trustees and officers and amendments to the Bylaws. In an cipa on of the business mee ng, IAGR will be seeking nomina ons for the Board of Trustees. Pursuant to the Bylaws, we will begin seeking nomina ons soon. Watch your in the weeks leading up to the conference for more informa on on nomina ons and the business mee ng. We look forward to your par cipa on. WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS IAGR is pleased to welcome the following new members to the associa on: Hellenic Gaming Commission (Greece) represented by Evgenios Giannakopoulos New Jersey Casino Control Commission represented by Ma hew Levinson Government of Gibraltar, Gaming Division represented by Phill Brear Coljuegos EICE (Colombia) represented by Rodrigo Velez Illinois Gaming Board represented by William Bogot New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement represented by George Rover & David Rebuck Maryland State Lo ery Agency represented by Steve Mar no Kahnawake Gaming Commission represented by Murray Marshall Loto-Quebec represented by Roger Garceau Washington State Gambling Commission represented by Gary Drumheller Mississippi Gaming Commission represented by Nolen Canon Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission represented by Gize e Thomas & Ronan David Oliver Arizona Department of Gaming represented by Rudy Casillas Na onal Gaming Control Commission (South Korea) represented by Sung-Yee Kim CREATING A BUSINESS FORM IAGR s Mul -Jurisdic onal Business Form Subcommi ee is seeking your feedback on its dra business form. The subcommi ee is tasked with crea ng a form similar to the Mul -Jurisdic onal Personal History Form, only the new form will be geared to business en es. Once finalized, the business form will be available on the IAGR website for use by your jurisdic on. To obtain a copy of the dra form or to submit your comments, please contact Lau Peet Meng at Lau_Peet_Meng@cra.gov.sg. The new form is being created as an electronic Adobe Smar orm to ensure: Portability User Friendliness Security of confiden al informa on through encryp on Easy data extrac on Ability to detect incompleteness or error Please provide your comments by September 15, The dra form will be shared with the membership during the upcoming conference. Mul -Jurisdic onal Business Form Sub-Commi ee Members: Lau Peet Meng, Chief Execu ve, Singapore s Casino Regulatory Authority Chair Mike Sarquis, Execu ve Director, Office of Liquor and Gaming Regula on, Queensland Mark Lipparelli, Chairman, Nevada Gaming Control Board Bheki Mlambo, Chief Execu ve Officer, Mpumalanga Gambling Board, South Africa Shawn Reid, Member, Nevada Gaming Control Board We welcome any contribu ons to the newsle er. If you are interested in contribu ng an ar cle or offer any sugges ons, please IAGR Secretary James Chan at: jamescra@starhub.net.sg IAGR now has a regularly appearing column in the Interna onal Masters of Gaming Law Publica ons. Read Playing by the Rules A Global Perspec ve on Gaming Regula on at

4 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES LEGAL ON-LINE GAMING IN THE NETHERLANDS, IS IT STILL WISHFUL THINKING? In March 2011 the Secretary of State for Security and Jus ce informed Parliament that he would modernize the gaming policy, under which on-line gaming is regulated. Not only for poker as was advised earlier by the Commi ee Jansen that was installed by the former Minister of Jus ce to review the possibili es and wis ulness of online gaming in the Netherlands, but for all possible games of chance on the internet. In the discussion in the House of Commons in September 2011 about the legisla on for introducing a Gaming Authority, most poli cal par es were not worried with regard to this specific proposal, but instead focused on the subjects of on-line gaming as well as problem gambling, marke ng and adver sing. Several mo ons on these subjects were adopted by the House of Commons. In May 2012 the Secretary of State for Security and Jus ce reacted to these ques ons and mo ons. In this reac on the Secretary of State explained his plans with regard to on-line gaming, whilst referring to the mo ons he discussed the several possibili es of regula ng on-line gaming, only to conclude that he favors the Danish system and will choose an open licensing system. As the present cabinet is under resigna on and in June 2012 the subject of gaming has been declared controversial by the House of Commons, there will be no formal progress un l a er the elec ons in September. In the mean me, the Gaming Authority came into func on as of 1 April As the Gaming Authority has enforcement powers towards legal and illegal offering of gaming, and games of chance on the internet are under the present Act forbidden, the Gaming Authority also has to combat the illegal offerings on the internet. As for many years operators have been working the Dutch market. These operators have been warned that the Gaming Authority will enforce the law. An arrangement has been proposed in the sense that as long as operators do not ac vely adver se in the Netherlands, nor address the Dutch market with sites that have Dutch signs like flags or that use the Dutch language, and live up to some other condi ons, they will be le alone and will not castaway their chances for ever ge ng a license for opera ng in the Netherlands. In short, un l the Gaming Act will be changed, legal on-line gaming in the Netherland will s ll be wishful thinking. Contributed by: The Netherlands Gaming Authority

5 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES GAMING LAW OF BULGARIA A er almost 2 years of discussions on 15 March 2012 the Bulgarian Parliament finally adopted the long expected Law on Gambling, effec ve as of July 1, The most important part of the Law is the regula on of online gaming (for the first me in Bulgarian legisla on) in Bulgaria and increased requirements for investment and control of gaming operators and manufacturers. The new gaming law is a step forward in modernizing the regulatory framework, which allows new technologies to be applied to gaming market in Bulgaria and furthermore will allow operators to offer more advanced and more innova ve products to their customers. The legaliza on of remote gaming is an important change, which ranks Bulgaria among the countries regula ng this ac vity and ensuring the quality of services to their customers. The new gaming law will have an effect on both the operators and manufacturers of gaming equipment. The high requirements for the operators who have to prove the investment and to increase the minimum number of gaming equipment will lead to the closure of a number of gaming halls, which cannot meet these requirements. Meanwhile other operators will purchase new equipment in order to meet the requirements and this will make the market more dynamic during the next 18 months. The new gaming law also foresees increased requirements for the manufacturers. Such requirement is to prove the ini al investments and recourses for the licensing. The process of development, implementa on and manufacturing of products for the gaming industry is a complicated and very responsible one, which requires insurability and security of the gaming equipment. This can be achieved only by inves ng in major developments and tes ng in independent laboratories. In addi on to the above men oned requirements for the manufacturers an increased control of the gaming equipment distribu on is foreseen by the law. The new Gaming Law sets new requirements for the investments, increased minimum of the gaming seats, etc., which will surely lead to further displacement in the industry. The legal opera on of the online games and be ng will also change the product supply on the market, where the players will have various op ons to choose from. These factors will definitely change the market. Contributed by: State Commission on Gambling, Bulgaria UNITED STATES RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GAMING IN THE UNITED STATES New Jersey has approved the use of handheld gaming devices allowing patrons to play their favorite casino games on mobile, wireless devices while si ng poolside, relaxing in a lounge or ea ng in a restaurant. The devices can only be used on the casino property or in an adjoining hotel. Nevada has tenta vely approved a casino operator, The South Point, to operate an online poker website accessible only within Nevada boundaries. Nevada has already approved several gaming equipment manufacturers to provide casinos with technology for interac ve gaming. If all goes well, The South Point could begin offering online poker later this year. Delaware officials have expanded sports be ng beyond the walls of the state s three casinos to more than 30 loca ons, including restaurants pubs and nightclubs. The expansion was authorized in a law that authorizes online casino wagers. Meanwhile, four major professional sports teams have filed a lawsuit to block sports wagering in New Jersey. Major league baseball, football, basketball and hockey have filed a complaint in federal court.