National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer and National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., will deliver keynote addresses at the upcoming 20th annual North American Regulators Roundtable, hosted by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) from March 4-5 at the Tropicana Las Vegas.
The 20th annual North American Regulators Roundtable, a.k.a. the Roundtable, features leading subject matter authorities from around the world addressing the gaming industry’s most timely topics.
“We have labs strategically placed all over the world, and suppliers of all sizes bring their latest technologies to our labs at all phases of the R&D process. Because of that, we see the future as it is unfolding. With the Roundtable, we bring that prescient knowledge to regulators — guiding, educating, and working side-by-side to bring that future to fruition, providing insights from world-leading experts to help illuminate the path forward,” said GLI’s President and CEO James R. Maida.
The other dignitary to provide a keynote speech is futurist Gabe Zichermann, who will shed light on gamification and artificial intelligence.
Simermeyer’s keynote follows one of his first public meetings since being commissioned to serve as Chairman. In January, he addressed Tribal regulators in New Mexico, announcing the new NIGC Bulletin on Sports Books, which responds to requests from Tribal officials and the Indian gaming industry seeking clarification from the NIGC on the topic of sports books on Indian lands.
READ MORE: Simermeyer Outlines NIGC Bulletin on Sports Books
Stevens will offer perspective on the expansion of Tribal gaming across the U.S.
READ MORE: Ernie Stevens, Jr.: Serving Tribal Governments as the Global Face of Indian Gaming
The Business of Indian Gaming
In the more than 31 years since Congress enacted IGRA, Indian gaming has steadily and responsibly grown to provide a consistent source of governmental revenue for Indian Tribes nationwide.
READ MORE: On IGRA’s 30th Anniversary, Tribal Leaders Reflect on the Act and its Impact on Emerging Markets
In 2001, approximately 200 Tribal governments were involved in Indian gaming, generating just under $10 billion in gross revenue and offering new opportunities for employment that many had never seen before.
In 2018, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) reported that 241 Indian Tribes engaged in Indian Gaming, generating $33.7 billion in gross gaming revenue – a 4.1 percent increase over 2017. When adding in the $5.3 billion generated from ancillary revenues (hotels, restaurants, and other nearby entities), Indian gaming generated a total of $39 billion in 2018 alone.
Additionally, in 2018, Indian gaming generated 308,000 direct jobs, as well as an additional 458,000 indirect jobs for American families in 28 states. This is a total of just under 767,000 good-paying jobs.
NIGA Upcoming Events
Stevens will additionally share information of critical relevance to gaming Tribes next week at NIGA’s Winter Legislative Summit, February 25-26, 2020, taking place at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Conference Center at NIGA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The following month, NIGA’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention will take place at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, from March 24-27, 2020.
