- iGaming North America, one of the most important events in the industry calendar, gets underway on Tuesday.
- Topics of key sessions include European regulatory models, social gaming, state legislation, interstate compacts, tribal perspectives and a poker player panel.
Frank Fahrenkopf, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, is expected to address future political possibilities of legalized internet gambling at the iGaming North America conference in Las Vegas this week.
The third-annual event runs Tuesday through Thursday at Planet Hollywood, attracting some of the most important figures in Internet gaming and panels of influential poker minds.
With real money online poker on the verge of launch in some states and proposed legislation creeping up in others, the conference aims to “introduce the land-based gaming businesses of North America to the global iGaming industry” and “foster understanding regarding the potential impacts of regulation of internet gambling in the U.S. and Canada.”
Pokerfuse staff will be at the event to report on the discussions.
Here’s a look at some highlights of the scheduled sessions:
- Player and Affiliate Marketing: The CEO of American iGaming Solutions, Jason Wolf Rosenberg, will touch on issues such as effective player promotions and affiliate compensation.
- European Regulatory Models: The current path of state-by-state regulation of igaming in the US could mirror that of Europe. Panelists expected to talk about what North American can glean from the European experience are: Michael Ellen, Director, Licensing & Strategy, Alderney Gambling Control Commission, Robin Le Prevost, Director of eCommerce Development, Alderney eGambling Limited and Katie Lever, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, SHFL entertainment, Inc.
- Visionaries Panel: Moderator Steve Lipscomb, founder of the WPT and panelists Atul Bali, President of Aristocrat Technologies in the Americas, and Stephen Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, plan to talk about how they view the North American igaming market in the next five years.
- Monetizing Social Gaming: Experts in this session will “evaluate the viability of monetizing social gaming … getting beyond the reality that a social media is a necessity and identifying opportunities for profit.”
- Rapid Fire Panel: A quick Q&A perspective from the industry’s veteran CEOs on how online gaming should be divided in North America. The lineup incudes Vin Narayanan, Editor-in-Chief of Casino City, Gavin Isaacs, CEO of SHFL entertainment, Inc., Mitch Garber, CEO of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, and Joel Leonoff, President & CEO of Optimal Payments
- State Legislation Issues: Lawmakers from across the US are expected to address the latest information on igaming policies and talk about potential obstacles.
- Interstate Compacts: A panel of attorneys and Terry Rich, CEO of the Iowa Lottery, plan to talk about whether state-to-state agreements could help online poker and take a look at the tax implications of enacting compacts.
- Internet Lotteries: State and provincial lotteries are delving into the online poker world.
- Tribal Perspectives: This panel will discuss the progress of tribal online gaming, “especially reviewing any impact on tribal sovereignty and the existing provisions of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.”
- Players Speak: A perspective from the online poker community “about their wants and needs as gamers.” This session aims to bridge the communication gap between the players and the industry. Marco Valerio, editor and promotion manager of Global Poker Index, will moderate the session, with panelists Matt Kaufman, editor of PokerStrategy, Collin Moshman, leader of Team Moshman Staking and Coaching, and team PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu.
