The Indian Gaming Association has finalized its educational tracks for its annual tradeshow and convention March 30-April 2 in San Diego and attendees should expect a focus on threats tribal casinos are facing and how they should respond.
Featuring 70+ hours of sessions, this year’s theme is “Innovate. Entertain. Inspire: The Future of Tribal Gaming Begins Here.”
The specific breakdown of the sessions and speakers won’t be determined until the end of January, but the categories have been outlined for the main educational day, Tuesday of convention week. The conference starts Monday afternoon with four consecutive sessions in the same room covering a deep dive on sports betting prediction markets that tribes argue are operating illegally in their states and across the nation.
On Tuesday, nine tracks will feature six educational sessions each over the course of the day that cover Casino and Gaming Operations; Interactive Wagering; Regulatory And Compliance; Marketing & Player Development; Technology & Innovation; Emerging Trends; Economic Impact & Development; Legal & Tribal Sovereignty; and Security & Surveillance.
On Wednesday and Thursday when the tradeshow is underway, there will be more educational sessions in two different locales on the showroom floor as in the past.
Conference Chairman Victor Rocha said he just received his last submissions from people suggesting the detailed program and will be going through them before finalizing the schedule.
“Different this year isn’t just a focus on good business practices, efficiencies, and artificial intelligence, but a conference loaded for the threats ahead,” Rocha said. “We’re getting tribes focused on prediction markets, with workshops on lawsuits and going after black- and gray-market threats. If there’s a secondary theme of the conference, it’s that prediction markets aren’t too big to fail.”
Rocha said if land-based casinos don’t step up and become destination resorts with more than slots, they’ll be left behind in the future.
“Gambling is on every device and Polymarket and Kalshi are in every market,” Rocha said. “Is everybody going to stay home? No. We’re still a social society, but we’re putting an emphasis on preparing for the next generation of gambling. We’re focusing on making our facilities more entertaining and welcoming with less friction.”
Rocha tries to create a broad agenda to cover as many topics as possible with the goal to be as effective as he can in the short amount of time. “I wish we could put on sessions for three days (instead of one full day), but we have the trade show floor,” Rocha said. “You have to keep it short and simple and be as impactful as possible. I have a well-rounded agenda. I don’t feel I’m missing anything.”
The DigitalPlay Summit will return to the tradeshow floor for the third year and is expected to incorporate more vendors. There will be sessions on the tradeshow floor with a digital focus.
“We’ll be looking at crypto and blockchain. We’re bringing in people to talk about how Wall Street is looking at that,” Rocha said. “We’ll be looking at sweepstakes, technology, payments, and AI. I’ll be going to ICE Barcelona (next week) and I’m always looking for innovation and where the industry is going. Hopefully, we can do the same thing at IGA and be the place where tribes go to learn about innovation.”
Rocha said tribal gaming is entering a new era shaped by innovation, technology, and hospitality. As digital technology changes the gaming experience, tribes are using it to modernize operations and elevate service and entertainment.
“This conference highlights how innovation drives excellence across the industry, from AI and data analytics to digital engagement, with tribal gaming setting the standard for the future of entertainment,” Rocha said. “We’ll be talking a lot about sports betting and the casino floor, artificial intelligence, and running a better business. Our mission is to explore the evolving landscape of tribal gaming and focus on the dynamic advancements shaping the future of the industry.”
Rocha said he accepted submissions for his educational sessions through the first week of January to help shape the agenda. “We’re trying to help tribes move forward. Now, with sports betting and online gaming, it becomes more important that we create these great environments for our customers, not only for gaming, but entertainment. That’s what separates online gaming and terrestrial gaming – the entertainment and person factor.”
The convention at the San Diego Convention Center is moving into a bigger hall to accommodate the ongoing growth of the show that can attract more than 8,000 people as the largest gathering in tribal gaming, bringing together leaders, operators, and regulators.
The conference will be held in San Diego in 2026, before returning to Las Vegas in 2027 and going back to San Diego in 2028. The group plans to go back to Las Vegas in 2029, before returning to San Diego in 2030.
