Sure, the American Gaming Association helped spread the message about sports gambling, says Geoff Freeman, the organization’s president and chief executive officer. But the real credit for a shift in national attitudes toward sports betting should go elsewhere, he says.
“The AGA gets a lot of credit, but I give the credit to daily fantasy sports giants DraftKings and FanDuel,” he said. “They did the best job of mainstreaming our business.”
Freeman spoke Wednesday morning in an early session of GameOn, the AGS customer summit held at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. If Freeman is basking in the glow of his multiyear endeavor that climaxed in the Supreme Court’s repeal of Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act on May 14, it’s a short bask. He now has moved on to discussing what casinos can now expect after the ruling.
“Whether you care about sports betting or not, what’s happened and what’s about to happen is good for every aspect of the industry,” he said. “It has further mainstreamed the gaming industry and every time it is mainstreamed, we thrive.”
He said those looking for massive sports betting revenues, though, will be disappointed.
“When we look at the opportunity for sports betting, I’m not going to get up here and blow smoke,” he said. “But it’s a good opportunity on several fronts.”
But there’s still work to be done.
Freeman said casino operators need to empower state and tribal regulators.
“States and tribes have proven to be effecttiveite regulators of gaming,” he said. “There’s nothing left for Washington to do. They tried that once and we saw how it worked.”
He also sees a need for allowing mobile sports gambling.
“If we want this product to work, doing it within the walls of the casinos is not enough,” he said.
He also cited fears that states are rushing into sports gambling with initiatives that can’t be undone later. For example, Pennsylvania is issuing a $10 million licensing fee for sports betting. And if some companies pay that money, they would have a right to complain if the rules were later changed and companies got into the state at a lower price.
“I fear we’re going to do things that are short-term wins and long-term losses,” he said.
The talk at GameOn is part of a farewell tour of sorts for Freeman, who took control of the AGA in 2013 after the organization’s founding CEO, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., retired.
Freeman, 43, announced Monday he accepted a similar position with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a Washington D.C.-based organization that speaks for the $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer product industry. He is expected to leave the AGA by Aug. 1.
Most of the attendees cheered earlier when AGS CEO David Lopez asked whether they were supporting the Vegas Golden Knights or the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Upon taking the stage for his talk, Freeman, who is based in Washington, D.C., surfaced as a dissenter. He ditched his sport coat in favor of a red Capitals long-sleeved T-shirt, which he wore throughout his presentation.
