NIGA panel: Tribal regulators “easier to work with” for sports betting
Gambling Insider was in attendance at a NIGA panel in the Anaheim Convention Center on Wednesday, as a panel discussed the ins and outs of negotiating sports betting deals.
Naturally, tribal sports betting was high on the agenda, with executives from within the industry praising the open nature of both tribes and tribal regulators.
On the supply side, Kambi’s Sarah Robertson and OpenBet’s Jessica Feil were on the panel – which was moderated by Gene Johnson of Victor Strategies.
But there was plenty of praise for tribes from the operator side of the discussion, namely industry giants FanDuel and DraftKings.
Jonathan Edson, SVP FanDuel, said: “We find it easier to work with tribal regulators. That’s generally our experience. But with all regulators, there’s an educational process.
“There’s a little bit of a learning curve and sometimes people aren’t talking the same language, which is a source of frustration.
“But we do find tribal regulators to be open-minded, ensuring they have responsible gambling and AML. They are collaborative.”
Jeremy Elbaum, SVP of direct rival DraftKings, was in agreement with his FanDuel peer on this occasion.
He added: “I would tend to agree the collaboration is strong. We’ve seen that in Connecticut and Michigan. It’s a strength for tribes and it’s also because of how passionate the tribes are.
“They know what they want and they know what they need help with.”
Sports betting was one of a number of pressing topics discussed at the NIGA education sessions.
A panel on cashless payments was particularly popular, with guests standing at the back of the arena by the end. A bigger room next time, no doubt.
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