2021
March 18th, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic, the US Supreme Court, state budget deficits and new technologies have emerged as unrelated forces that have upended traditional gaming, bringing in new participants, new players and new rules that will create new challenges and opportunities and shake up plans for states, operators and suppliers. What will this new future look like? Join us for Digital Gaming Comes into Focus and find out.
Moderator:
- Jon Ford, State Senator Indiana and National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) Board Member
Expert Panel
- Howard Glaser, Scientific Games, Global Head of Government Affairs and Special Initiatives
- Enrico Drago, IGT, Senior Vice President, PlayDigital and Sports
- Rick Kalm, Michigan Gaming Control Board, Executive Director
- Blake Rampmaier, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Boyd Gaming Corporation
- Juliann Baretto, Spectrum Gaming Group, CFO – Q&A Host
2020
June 24th, 2020
As state policymakers grapple with expected budget shortfalls and the need to fund critical government services, many will clearly consider leveraging digital gaming as a source of revenue.
With the closure of every commercial and tribal casino in the U.S. and stay-at-home orders in effect, the online channels appear to offer an important alternative to distribute gaming and lottery content in a safe and reliable manner, while generating state revenue as shown with New Jersey's iGaming experience and Pennsylvania's iLottery offering. Should states pursue this opportunity? If so, in what form and in what timeframe? What are the drawbacks and caveats to be considered?
Moderator:
- William Coley II – Ohio Senator and President, NCLGS
Expert Panel:
- Howard B. Glaser – Global Head of Government Affairs & Special Initiatives, Scientific Games
- Michael Lightman – Principal, Cerpien Solutions
- Michael Pollock – Managing Director, Spectrum Gaming Group
- Thomas Winter – Senior Vice President and General Manager of Online Gaming, Golden Nugget Casinos
July 29th, 2020
The Lottery model, which has been in place in the US for more than a half-century, has worked well and generated billions of dollars for worthy causes. Our team of experts will discuss whether the current model is still the best one, as new technologies, new forms of gaming, and new demographic challenges emerge. Questions to be addressed include:
- How can – or should – the model change?
- Why should it change?
- How should state governments change their views of lotteries? As regulators? As revenue generators? As both?
- How will the role of retailers change?
Expert Panel:
- William Coley II – Ohio Senator and President, NCLGS
- Shawn Fluharty – West Virginia House of Delegates, Vice - President of Programming, NCLGS
- Rose J. Hudson – President and CEO, Louisiana Lottery Corporation
- Moti Malul – CEO Neogames, Co-CEO, NeoPollard Interactive
- Gordon Medenica – Director Maryland Lottery and Gaming
- Patrick McHugh – Executive Vice President and Lottery Group Chief Executive, Scientific Games
- Wendy Montgomery – Senior Vice President of Global Brand, Marketing, and Communications, IGT
Gaming is a product of the political process, which governs everything from tax rates to the location of casinos. Policies that were established for political purposes have been in place for years, in some instances for decades. Is it time to re-think those policies? Questions to be addressed include:
- As states perennially face fiscal pressures, how should they view gaming tax rates and gaming policy?
- Do fiscal pressures translate into pressures for either tax increases, more casino locations or new forms of gaming including mobile, distributed gaming?
- What is the effect of such potential expansions on gaming facilities, employment and other goals?
- Can gaming ever be fully divorced from politics? How should policies evolve?
- Should one policy govern both lotteries and casino gaming?
Expert Panel:
- Jon Ford – Indiana State Senator & Vice President, National Council of Legislators from Gaming States
- Howard Glaser – Global Head of Government Affairs and Special Initiatives, Scientific Games''
- Bill Miller – President and CEO, American Gaming Association
- Keith Pickard – Nevada State Senator and President Elect, National Council of Legislators from Gaming States
- Michael Pollock – Managing Director, Spectrum Gaming Group
- Jay Snowden – President and CEO, Penn National Gaming
September 30th, 2020
Indian gaming has evolved into a major national industry unto itself, generating more than $40 billion in gaming revenue and creating opportunities for tribal members and communities from coast to coast. How can the relationship between states and tribes evolve and improve to identify common interests and pursue common goals? Questions to be addressed include:
- What does geographic “exclusivity” mean to tribes in a digital world?
- Do compacts need to be re-considered, re-worked or left alone in a world being roiled by technologies that did not exist when those compacts were negotiated?
- What do state legislatures need to understand about the economic benefits of tribal gaming? How can those benefits be enhanced?
Expert Panel:
- Jonodev Chaudhuri - Muscogee Creek Nation Ambassador/Indian Law and Policy Practice
- Steve Geller Esq. - Founder and General Counsel, NCLGS, Broward County Vice Mayor, former Florida Senator
- Ken George Jr. - Spectrum Gaming Group Tribal Gaming Senior Advisor, Former Chair, Forest County Potawatomi Gaming Commission
- Knute Knudson - IGT Vice President of Global Business Development
- Sheila Morago - Executive Director at Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association
- Kevin Ryan (Moderator) - Deputy Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, Past President of NCLGS
October 28th, 2020
The growth of non-gaming revenue and the expansion of new forms of digital gaming, esports and sports betting creates new opportunities and challenges. New entrants – from restaurant chains to sports teams and beyond – are seeking their spot in the legal gaming firmament. This expansion raises new questions, including:
- What will this mean for their existing business models?
- Will the line between gaming and non-gaming continue to blur?
- What regulatory and licensing issues will they confront?
- How will the commercial and Indian gaming industries respond, and what are their opportunities and challenges?
Moderator:
-
Keith Pickard -Nevada State Senator and President, NCLGS
Expert Panel:
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Sherry Amos - Principal, Spectrum Gaming Hospitality Group
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Edward R. Bedrosian Jr.- Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Former Executive Director, Massachusetts Gaming Commission
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A.G. Burnett - Former Chair, Nevada Gaming Control Board, IGT Global Compliance & Governance Committee Member and Partner Gaming & Administration Law Group McDonald Carano
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Jeff Ifrah - Founding Partner, Ifrah Law PLLC
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Keith O'Loughlin - Senior Vice President Sportsbook and Platforms, SG Digital
