The Indian Gaming Association will host its Mid-Year Conference & Expo in mid-September in Washington state with a focus on cannabis and green energy and the use of artificial intelligence in gaming operations.
As many as 500 tribal leaders and members are expected to attend the conference Sept. 16-18 at the Tulalip Resort Casino. Tribes will talk about the issues facing them during the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas in October.
“The mid-year has a higher ratio of tribal leaders and is meant for them to get together,” said Victor Rocha, conference chairman. “It’s a well-known secret in the industry that if you want to get close to the industry, the mid-year is the place to go.”
There are session themes each of the three days as part of an overall theme for tribes looking forward to their future, Rocha said.
“This year is a little different from what we’ve done before. We added a couple of new tracks and went full-throated endorsement in looking at green energy and cannabis,” Rocha said.
On opening day, a panel will look at 10 years of cannabis in Washington and how it’s blossomed into a thriving industry and a fight for tribal sovereignty. The sessions will celebrate successes and explore how collaboration can continue to empower tribal nations economically.
“The tribes in California are on the outside looking in, but the state is working with the tribes in Washington,” Rocha said. “My goal was to look at these new verticals for tribes as diversification.”
The four sessions on day one include celebrating the 10 years, navigating state compact negotiations and how it impacts gaming licenses, cannabis banking solutions, and the role of cannabis in health and healing.
“My intent was to show that gaming tribes are doing this in Washington. A lot of tribes haven’t done it elsewhere, because of the opaqueness, especially with the classification of it as a Class I drug,” Rocha said. “I want tribes to look at this as a legitimate diversification opportunity.”
On day two, sessions related to green energy will detail renewable-energy initiatives within Native American communities. Experts and tribal leaders will share insights on successful solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass projects that foster economic growth and sustainability. There will be specific sessions on tribal energy sovereignty, green-energy financing and opportunities, innovation and emerging technologies.
“This came from our annual conference in Anaheim where we see more tribes moving into green energy, especially with the Biden Administration putting all of this green-energy money on the table,” Rocha said. “But the tribes have been a little slower to adapt than you’d think Native American tribes would be. You think we’d all be on green energy, but that’s not the case. I want tribes to look more into green energy and the opportunities there.”
On day three, the theme is integrating AI in gaming operations. Sessions will explor the transformative impact of artificial intelligence. Participants will gain insights into how AI technologies are integrated into casino operations to enhance efficiency, personalize experiences, and ensure integrity and compliance.
There’s a session on safeguarding data in AI-enabled tribal casinos, along with accompanying security and privacy challenges. Other sessions involve AI vis-a-vis the future of casino marketing, revolutionizing casino operations, and efficiency, security, and player engagement.
“These aren’t panels, but presentations about where I believe the industry is going,” Rocha said.
“These are smaller shows,” Rocha said. “The annual IGA is close to 8,000 but this gets 300 to 500 people.”
Rocha is excited about the tribal topics that will come up at G2E, expected to cover sports betting, cybersecurity, online gaming, diversification, regulatory issues, human trafficking, new federal gaming-compact rules, and how a Supreme Court decision impacts regulations. Sessions are scheduled on cashless, tribes moving into commercial gaming, and the presidential election and its impact.
As the fall approaches, Rocha said the current working relationship with the Biden Administration has tribes looking forward to the future and hoping that approach will continue into the next Administration.
“The election is on everybody’s mind,” Rocha said. “We were shut out of the process in the Trump Administration. Hopefully, we’ll have another Administration that works with the tribes. Things have really been moving and we want to keep that going.”
Both the mid-year and G2E are “forward looking” when it comes to the educational agendas, Rocha said. Three years ago, tribes couldn’t talk about online gaming and now it’s front and center.
“I’m starting to work on the agenda for IGA next year (March 31 to April 3 in San Diego), and it’s going to be about interactive wagering,” Rocha said. “The theme is the future of Indian gaming, the next chapter. It’s getting tribes comfortable with online gaming, interactive wagering, sweepstakes, and daily fantasy sports betting.”
You can see the mid-year agenda here.