The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) has announced that longtime President Peter DeRaedt has stepped down after more than 20 years with the organization, effective December 31, 2023.
Mark Pace, IGSA’s vice president and managing director of GSA Europe, will fill in as acting president until a permanent replacement is named during the organization’s first board meeting of 2024.
DeRaedt has been a staple in the international gaming industry since he started working with IGSA in the late ‘90s as a representative for Aristocrat, having overseen the group’s expansion into Europe, Macau, Japan and Africa—as the organization said in a release, he was also pivotal in pioneering “numerous Standards that have been adopted world-wide and which have had positive transformational impacts on many gaming companies.”
As a recognition for his service to IGSA, the organization also said that it would confer upon him the honorary title of “President Emeritus” for life. DeRaedt has also reportedly agreed to stay with the board in an advisory role for the next two years.
In an interview with GGB last August celebrating the IGSA’s 25th anniversary, DeRaedt deflected praise, and instead chose to “recognize the people who’ve supported this organization so far. More than 1,800 engineers from more than 195 companies have contributed to the technology that IGSA has developed. Those companies supply 70 percent of the global marketplace. It’s quite significant.”
Earle Hall, current chairman of IGSA, called DeRaedt’s legacy “profound,” and lauded his ability to steer the organization “through numerous challenges and opportunities.”
“His foresight and leadership have been pivotal in shaping an industry that is dynamic and ever evolving,” Hall continued. “He leaves behind a robust and well-respected organization, poised for continued success and innovation.”
When asked about his hopes for the future of the organization and the industry as a whole, DeRaedt told GGB last year that “the best step moving forward is a closer regulatory relationship.”
“Regulations shouldn’t be fragmented over the world, because there’s no need for that,” he said. “It should be a national or international set of regulations that are practical, enforceable and can be monitored. Open access to data and full transparency, that would be the next phase.”
