IGSA NEWSLETTER: The Voice of Standards for the Gaming Industry – December 2024

A Look Back Before Looking Ahead

While there is a saying along the lines of “You can’t drive a car looking in the rear-view mirror”, I believe that it is important to reflect on where we have been and what we have accomplished. So, as 2024 comes to an end, I’d like to look back at IGSA’s journey in 2024 as a guide to plotting the course for 2025.

• We started the year attending and speaking at the inaugural African Gaming Expo in Lagos, Nigeria, and learned that IGSA Standards are being adopted and deployed in a number of Central, Eastern, and Western African nations. I look forward to opening our GSA Africa office in 2025!
• Thanks to the support of Clarion Events, we once again had a booth at the last ICE show to be held in London. I spoke at the World Regulatory Briefing, conducting a survey of top regulatory concerns. I am excited to speak at ICE Barcelona, where IGSA will be a media partner in Booth 3M33.
• As a result of speaking at the CGS Santiago conference, we have established a beachhead in Latin America and are being sought out by regulators from various countries for unbiased information, education and our Standards.
• It has been a very dynamic and active year for our Cyber Resiliency, Ethical AI, and Payments committees. This portfolio will grow in 2025 to include committees on Emerging Technology and Regulatory Affairs, as well as a rejuvenated Responsible Gaming committee.
• We have strengthened our relationship with other sister gaming associations, including AGEM and NCLGS, and look forward to working with them on collaboratively addressing issues in our industry.
• For the fourth consecutive year, IGSA was represented at the IAGR annual conference, speaking on the ethical use of AI in our industry. We appreciate the relationship we have with regulatory associations such as IAGR and NAGRA, and look forward to expanding that list to include African, European, Latin American, and Tribal regulatory associations in 2025.
• Thanks to the support of Reed Exhibitions, IGSA once again had a booth on the G2E floor after a six year hiatus! It was great to represent the industry once again, and we look forward to growing our presence in 2025.
• IGSA co-hosted the Retail and Hospitality ISAC’s Gaming Workshop during G2E. This event was especially exciting, and kudos go out to the leadership at R-H ISAC and the Cyber Resiliency committee members that made this possible. I believe that by working together, we can significantly grow this important event to share information on a topic that will only become more critical as gaming continues to expand in 2025.
• Our fourth IGSA Technical Summit, focusing on Future Technology, was a great success! We had incredible speakers from diverse backgrounds taking us on a technology journey that at times was frightening in its potential implication, but also packed with the potential to do good and to add much needed fun and excitement back into gaming. GSATS 2025 is in the planning stages, so stay tuned!
• After much discussion and interviews with current, former, and prospective members, we replaced our Membership and Dues Structure. Based on the feedback received, in terms of comments,  the velocity of membership renewals, and the number of membership upgrades, the change was a success!
• 2024 came to a close with IGSA’s first ever speaking engagement at the NCLGS Winter Conference. It was a great opportunity to speak with legislators from different states discussing issues that ranged from the growth of online gaming to helping combat illegal gaming. I look forward to participating in future NCLGS events.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank each member of IGSA’s Board of Directors, especially our Chair Nimish Purohit and Vice-chair Martin Pedak. Without their input, direction and most importantly support over this past year, we would not have been able to accomplish so much.  Lastly, I want to thank Michelle, Austin, and the team at AMS, who work behind the scenes to keep IGSA—and truth be told, myself—on track. Thank you very much!!