Momentum is building as the tribal gaming industry prepares to gather in San Diego this week for the Indian Gaming Association’s 2026 Tradeshow & Convention.
IGA recently hosted a webinar previewing the four-day event that starts Monday at the San Diego Convention Center.
“We put together a really good show and we’re on top of the issues to give the tribes the information they need when they leave to understand where the industry is, what the threats are, and what are the opportunities,” said Conference Chair Victor Rocha. “That is what our job is.”
This year’s conference will honor the passing of then-Chair Ernie Stevens Jr., who unexpectedly died in September. Stevens’s family will be in attendance this week and be at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the tradeshow Wednesday morning.
Starting Monday at 1 p.m., four sessions will focus on sports betting prediction markets that have come under fire from tribes, commercial gaming, and state regulators. The final session will feature IGA Chair David Bean and James Siva, chair of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, talking about building a coalition to fight prediction markets as the battle unfolds in the courts and Congress.
“It’s very important we lay out a game plan and not just talk about it,” Rocha said. “Tribes are rising up to meet the challenge. We want to get everyone united and pointed in the right direction.”
IGA will host its membership meeting Monday night with tribal leaders. Tuesday marks the start of the show with educational sessions all day starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m. The tradeshow floor is Wednesday and Thursday with some educational sessions on the floor.
Bean said he’s visited 15 tribal organizations in the last five months to educate them about prediction markets and encourage them to come to the tradeshow to hear from tribal lawyers and the American Gaming Association and its CEO and President Bill Miller, who will appear at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Bean will host a press conference Wednesday morning following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“I’m excited to see all our members come together,” Bean said. “We’re bringing people together to understand the true threat of prediction markets through illegal online sports betting. We’ll make sure more folks are educated about it and come up with a plan of action.”
The Association will honor Eddie Leon Tullus with its Sovereign Warrior Award at the Chairman’s Leadership Luncheon on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Tullis is the former tribal chair of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Stevens and his family will also be honored.
“We miss him. His spirit will be there,” Rocha said. “He showed us how to fight.”
A networking event will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Convention Center.
The Matriarchs of Indian Gaming will be honored at the show on Thursday.
Don Wells, a senior account executive with Clarion Events, said the tradeshow will have nearly 350 exhibitors. All of the major players in the industry will attend, he said.
IGA leaders highlighted the return of the TribalBond networking event at this year’s show. It brings together tribes and company executives in the gaming industry.
The Digital Play Summit features igaming and sports betting and exhibits and content sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Thursday is the day you close the deals,” Rocha said. “You want to walk away with a signed deal. That’s our whole agenda, people with ideas looking for partners. We have created a pro-business environment I am very proud of.”
There will be a series of sessions on the tradeshow floor about food and beverage, where the industry is going, robotics, and costs of doing business.
“One of the underrated aspects of our show is the Thursday speaking sessions on the floor,” Brian Giles, the IGA executive director. “Last year, we had tremendous presentations. If you want to learn something, come for those speaking sessions.”
Giles said he and Bean will come by any tradeshow booth as requested.
