At the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention, Randi Topham, Chief of Staff & Head of Marketing, Gaming at Light & Wonder, moderated the panel “From Supplier to Operator: Turning Marketing into a Growth Engine,” guiding a conversation centered on how suppliers and operators work together to drive stronger launches, higher engagement, and more sustained performance.
The discussion stayed grounded in how that collaboration actually happens — how messaging is aligned, data is used, and go-to-market strategies are built across both sides of the partnership.
From the supplier side, Tashina Lazcano, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at Konami Gaming, spoke about how visible everything has become, with players seeing new games and experiences almost immediately, often without context. “Your competitors aren’t going to post their budget or their resources.”
She also pointed to how that visibility shapes expectations, especially when properties are comparing outcomes without seeing what went into them. “There’s so much exposure now to what’s happening in other markets,” she said.
That perspective carried into one of the more practical takeaways from the panel.
“You don’t need to buy something new to have an excuse to bug your supplier’s marketing team,” Lazcano said. “We can look at what you already have and figure out how to build something around it.”
It was a reminder that supplier partnerships don’t have to start with a new product. Often, opportunities within a property’s existing portfolio can be developed further through better alignment and more intentional collaboration.
From the agency side, Mary Kilmer, VP of Client Services at Red Circle Agency, spoke about what collaboration looks like when a campaign is built around an audience a property doesn’t know as well.
“We had to understand the limits of our expertise,” she said, describing a baccarat launch that required expanding beyond the usual approach to better connect with a new player segment.
That awareness showed up across the panel, particularly in how teams approach building campaigns together rather than in isolation.
Aaron Olson, Vice President of Marketing Analytics at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, discussed how data supports that process and even small levels of transparency can influence decisions.
“You can share information without opening up your entire database,” Kilmer added, reinforcing that collaboration doesn’t require full access to be effective.
That balance between insight and access allows teams to refine messaging, improve targeting, and build campaigns that reflect both supplier and operator perspectives.
On the operator side, Triston Andrews, Director of Marketing at Spokane Tribe Casino, spoke about how coordination plays out internally, especially as properties grow and more teams are involved.
The conversation stayed focused on how those pieces come together before and after a launch, and how often teams have the opportunity to look at what resonated and why.
“I mean, getting in your own way is really easy to do,” Olson said, describing how quickly attention moves to the next initiative.
That pace makes it easy to miss what players are actually responding to.
Potawatomi had taken a club sandwich off the menu. Apparently, it was less of a menu update and more of a declaration of war. Meanwhile, they’re running campaigns, promoting new games, doing everything right. And the feedback coming in across every platform and comment section? “Where’s the club sandwich?”
Triston Andrews from Spokane Tribe Casino nodded in solidarity before adding, almost solemnly, “We had a similar experience when we pulled the Reuben sandwich.”
Same thing. Different sandwich. Same level of concern.
You can have alignment, strategy, and great campaigns and still be reminded that what stands out most to players is often something simple, familiar, and personal. Sometimes, it’s the sandwich.
Later in the conversation, Topham made an observation that reflected the dynamic playing out across the panel. “Everyone has an opinion about marketing.”
There was a brief pause before Kilmer leaned forward and added, “Well …” before continuing after a few collective (and exhausted) laughs from the room.
The moment landed because it reflected the reality of how many voices are involved in shaping campaigns, and how important it is to bring that input together in a way that stays clear and focused.
For operators and suppliers alike, the opportunity is not merely about adding more, but making better use of what is already there.
Stronger alignment, clearer communication, and a closer read on what resonates with players will drive more impact than any single new initiative.
