The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) hosted the 2011 conference at Las Vegas’ Sands Expo and Convention Center. The conference commenced on September 30th and continued till 2ndOctober. More than 260 professionals from the gaming industry attended the conference.

On September 30, the IAGA conference started with an introductory discussion on the regulatory, legal and financial aspects of the gaming industry. The two hour session, called “Gaming 101”, was presented by the Director of Licensing for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Susan Hensel; Paul West from Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz who led IAGA previously; and WMS Industries Inc.’s main financial officer, Scott Schweinfurth.

Personalities Who Spoke in the Event

The speaker list of the conference included eminent personalities from the industry. On Saturday, an interview with the President of Las Vegas Sands Corp, Michael Leven was taken by Richard Bryan-US Senator. Quite a few topics pertaining to the gaming industry were addressed during the discussion. On the following day, a speech on online gambling’s future was delivered by Joe Barton, who co-sponsors the federal online poker legislation.

Proceedings of October 1

Saturday’s schedule started with a round table discussion moderated by the CEO of Shuffle Master, Gavin Isaacs along with the CEO and President of Boyd Gaming Corp, Keith Smith and Lee Amaitis, Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Gaming. A discussion on the importance of regulations in the gaming industry was carried out after the round-table meet. In this, the key focus was on maintaining a balance in the online gambling area to suit a global industry that is fast growing. The session was moderated by Robert Melendres, IGT’s Corporate Secretary and the main Legal Officer.

The chairperson of Nevada Gaming Commission, Peter Bernhard, Director of Government Affairs and General Counsel of Gaming Laboratories International, Kevin Mullally, the Executive Vice President of MGM Resorts International, John McManus and the CEO of Alderney Gambling Control Commission were the chief participants of the session.

The chief financers of the gaming industry spoke towards the end of the morning session. The panel included, David Berman, the Senior Managing Director of Macquarie Capital along with main financial officers of Ameristar Casinos, Pinnacle Entertainment, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts.

Second Day’s Schedule

Sunday, October 2nd started with a session titled – Online Gaming – A Status Update. It was moderated by Michael Cohen, the Corporate Secretary and Vice President of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. The panel consisted of Carl Rohsler – the attorney of Squire Saunders Hammonds, AG Burnett – Member of Nevada Gaming Control Board, the Managing Director of Agility Interactive, Craig Coleman – the CEO of Tote Tasmania and many more.

The final session of the day, ‘Evolution of a Gaming Advisor’ was moderated by a Shareholder of Greenberg Traurig and participated by various professionals of the industry.

Thoughts of IAGA President

As stated by Marc Rubinstein, who heads IAGA, the conference held this year was one of the most informative among those hosted by IAGA till date. The participation of a host of business leaders made the conference extremely useful for not only IAGA members but also every individual associated with the gaming industry, said Rubinstein. In additional to the informative round tables and panel discussions, networking events were also held by IAGA at three happening spots in Las Vegas. With the increasing demand for gaming options in online casinos that offer games like online roulette, such conferences are likely to become an important component of the gambling world.