The annual conference of the International Association of Gaming Advisors and the International Association of Gaming Regulators, which was held October 9-13 in Washington, D.C., was attended by more than 300 gaming advisors, regulators, casino executives, financial experts, and others in the gaming industry. The conference began with a series of regulator-only meetings and concluded with three days of joint IAGA / IAGR meetings and social events.

Three leading executives presented their views on the gaming industry in general: Gary Loveman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.; Richard Haddrill, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Bally Technologies; and Virginia McDowell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Isle of Capri Casinos in St. Louis; while James Maida, President & CEO of Gaming Laboratories International, Inc. and Anthony Sanfilippo, President & CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment, discussed international development opportunities. Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming Corporation, offered his perspective on navigating financing.

Speakers during the conference included top-level international regulatory officials Peter Cohen, Executive Commissioner and CEO of the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation in Melbourne, Australia; and T. Raja Kumar, Chief Executive of the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore; as well as U.S. officials Chairman Peter Bernhard of the Nevada Gaming Control Commission and Linda Kassekert, Chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

Frank Fahrenkopf, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, presented a keynote address. Leading issues such as navigating bankruptcy, finding financing, online gaming, Native American gaming, compliance, and responsible gambling were addressed and discussed.

The 2010 IAGA / IAGR conference was an unprecedented, and greatly successful, gathering of casino executives, advisors and regulators. It served as an opportunity for the leaders in our industry to gather and present, discuss, and debate the current issues which face the industry. Paul West, 2010 IAGA President, said: “Personally, and on behalf of Peter Cohen, Chairman of IAGR, I express my sincere appreciation to all of the speakers and the attendees. We look forward to IAGA’s 2011 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in October of 2011.”

The International Association of Gaming Advisors newly elected officers for 2011 are: President Gavin Isaacs, Chief Operating Officer, Bally Technologies, Las Vegas, Nevada; Vice President Marc Rubinstein, Senior Vice President – Law and Administration & Secretary, Tropicana Entertainment Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada; Secretary Julian Harris, Partner, Harris Hagan, London; Treasurer Thomas B. Shepherd, III, Shareholder, Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, Jackson, Mississippi; Appointed to General Counsel, Katie Lever, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Global Cash Access, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada. (S-10.21.10)

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