The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) has announced it has appointed gaming industry veteran Daron Dorsey as its new Executive Director, effective March 1, 2022.

A press release confirmed Dorsey will begin his new position next year after previously serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Group Compliance Officer at Ainsworth Game Technology in Las Vegas. Dorsey has also been an Officer and General Counsel of AGEM since 2016.

Dorsey will be replacing Marcus Prater, who has served as AGEM Executive Director since 2008.

In addition to his prior roles with AGEM and Ainsworth, Dorsey served as General Counsel for William Hill US after several years of service at two established law firms – Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. and Jolley Urga Wirth & Woodbury. Dorsey has been a member of the State Bar of Nevada since 2001 and is admitted to practice before state and federal courts in Nevada, along with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“Daron’s broad knowledge base, diverse skill set, and experience will be tremendous assets as he assumes this new role,” AGEM President David Lucchese said. “While we’re sad to see Marcus step away, Daron’s manufacturer background and familiarity with AGEM make him a perfect fit to step in.”

“Marcus devoted over a decade of service to AGEM, overseeing a period of exponential growth in membership, and our industry appreciates all that Marcus has done for us,” Dorsey said. “My hope is AGEM can further build on what it has already accomplished and continue to foster a business environment where its members prosper.”

That news comes as the AGEM Index reached another record high mark in September 2021, building upon its previous record set last month.

The Index grew by 33.86 points to a new high of 1,046.74 last month. That means that over the past year, it has nearly doubled from 525.44 points in September 2020.

The latest monthly rise in the index was driven by gains from five companies, which overcame negative index contributions by the other seven companies in the AGEM Index. The top contributor in September was International Game Technology (IGT), whose 22.5 per cent increase in stock price led to a 23.20-point gain for the index. Scientific Games was also a significant contributor to the overall growth in the index, adding 22.67 points as the result of a 14.8 per cent rise in stock price.

AGEM is a non-profit international technology trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of electronic gaming devices, lotteries, systems, iGaming / online, game content, table games, sports betting, key components and support products and services for the gaming industry. AGEM works to further the interests of gaming equipment suppliers throughout the world. Through political action, regulatory influence, trade show partnerships, educational alliances, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the members of AGEM work together to create benefits for every company within the organization.

The current AGEM membership roster consists of 167 companies based in 22 countries.