Sports Betting And Tribal Gaming Will Be The Focus Of Upcoming Conference For State Lawmakers

The National Council Of Legislators From Gaming States (NCLGS) will host its annual winter meeting in Miami from Jan. 5-7. The organization will discuss many of the relevant gaming topics state legislatures will tackle in the coming years.

Next year is shaping up to be one of the most important in gaming history:

• New Jersey’s sports betting case will be decided by the Supreme Court, most likely in the spring.
• Online lottery and gambling legislative efforts will occur in multiple states.

Online Poker Report and Legal Sports Report will provide coverage from what should be a very interesting NCLGS conference.

What is NCLGS?

The NCLGS is one of the most important organizations for advancing gaming legislation in the US. The organization’s website sums up its mission thusly:

“The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) is the only organization of state lawmakers that meets on a regular basis to discuss issues in regard to gaming. Members of NCLGS chair or are members of committees responsible for the regulation of gaming in their state legislative houses.  NCLGS does not promote or oppose gaming but is primarily concerned with the proper regulation of the industry.”

A look at the NCLGS winter meeting

The NCLGS has highlighted two areas of interest for the upcoming winter meeting:

• Sports betting
• Tribal gaming

Other topics to be discussed include:

• Responsible gaming policies and the implications of convenience payment options.
• Women in gaming, with keynote addresses by Jan Jones Blackhurst (Caesars Entertainment) and Holly Gagnon (Seneca Gaming Corp.)
• As both move online, is a convergence of casinos and lotteries on the horizon?
• Tax treatment of promotional play at terrestrial casinos.
• A look at the implications of interstate and international compacting.
• Pari-mutuel wagering, including how it intersects with esports and daily fantasy sports.
• Gaming regulations, fiscal challenges and encouraging capital investment from gaming operators.

Tribal gaming at NCLGS

On the tribal gaming front, a panel will discuss:

• How compacts need to evolve in the face of rapid technological change; and
• Can tribes offer internet gambling? If so, what are the legal or regulatory steps to implementation?

This panel comprises:

• Jonodev Chaudhuri, Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission
• Kathryn Isom-Clause, Vice Chair, National Indian Gaming Commission
• Sheila Morago, President, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association
• Sequoyah Simermeyer, Associate Commissioner, National Indian Gaming Commission

It will be moderated by Ohio state Sen. Bill Coley.

“Our goal at NCLGS is to foster dialogues at the local, state and national levels, so that state and tribal governments can work together as effective partners,” said NCLGS President Bill Galvano, president of the Florida Senate. “Florida has shown that Indian gaming can be a powerful economic generator, and that success rests on a foundation of working together.”

Sports betting at NCLGS

Sports betting will be discussed on several NCLGS panels.

“The future of sports betting is the dominant issue in gaming across the nation, and is arguably the most important gaming issue that lawmakers and industry officials must confront in 2018,” Coley said in a press release. “NCLGS is rising to the occasion by making sure our members fully grasp all its ramifications.”

Sports betting will make an appearance during a Coley-moderated panel on internet gambling. Panelists will discuss the online aspects of sports betting and its impact on the legal and regulatory planning for states. The panel will also look at the true potential of sports betting in the US, which won’t be reached until online and mobile wagering is available.

The panelists are:

• Michael Clohisy, Director of Sports Business Development, Publicis.Sapient
• Richard Schwartz, President, Rush Street Interactive
• Adam Steinberg, Executive Vice President, Spectrum Gaming Group
• Seth Young, Director of Online Gaming, Foxwoods Resort Casino

At least one other panel will focus on sports betting in January.

The Committee on Casinos will discuss if and what states can do to prepare for sports betting as they wait for the Supreme Court to decide the New Jersey sports betting case.