Thirty-three representatives representing 27 countries gathered in London for the first General Assembly of the European Casino Association in 2018, held at ICE Totally Gaming at London ExCeL.
Central to the agenda was the election of a new board of directors for the next three-year term.
Per Jaldung, CEO of Casino Cosmopol in Sweden, was elected chairman, while Tracy Damestani (CEO, National Casino Forum, UK) and Professor Dietmar Hoscher (member of the board, Casinos Austria) were picked for vice chairs.
In addition, the following appointments were made:
- Vice president: Guido Berghmans (director-general, Casino 2000 – Luxembourg);
- Vice president: Pascal Camia (executive vice president of gaming activity, Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer);
- Treasurer: Marko Hurme (Vice president, casinos and racetracks, Veikkaus Oy – Finland);
- Board member Janny Wierda (corporate vice president security and responsible gaming, Holland Casino);
- Board member: Laurent Lassiaz (CEO, JOA Group – France);
- Board member: Marc Friedrich (director, Swiss Casino Federation);
- Board member: Thomas Schenk (chief compliance officer, Deutscher Spielbankenverband);
- Press co-ordinator Hermann Pamminger (head of CSR, Casinos Austria);
- Executive director: Philip Easthill.
Jaldung said: “It is a great honour to receive the trust of all ECA members and be able to continue to build on the substantial achievements of the past years.
“The ECA has really fulfilled its motto to be ‘the voice of the licensed land-based casino industry in Europe’, towards the EU institutions and beyond. However, there are permanently new challenges and opportunities on the horizon in fields such as technology, regulation, public perception and so on.
“Representing the licensed land-based casino industry, we have to make sure that the right information is available for those who need it to make well-informed decisions,” said Jaldung.
“Furthermore, we will continue to be a very valuable source for information, best practices, education and much more for our members and partners”.
Another significant decision was the approval of Liechtenstein as the 28th member country of the ECA. Liechtenstein will be presented by Casino Schaanwald, which was opened in the country on October 25.
