I’m an attorney and from 1992 to 2016 I worked in the Attorney General’s Office in New Jersey. I did a whole bunch of things there, including law enforcement with state police and Alcohol & Beverage. In January 1999 I was assigned to the Gaming Division until I retired in 2016. I focused mostly on the Division of Gaming Enforcement in New Jersey. The last five or six years I was Deputy Director of the Gaming Division, retired in 2016 and started my own consulting company.
I’m the only person really involved in it. I do consulting for a lot of companies, primarily on licensing, regulatory matters, enforcement matters, things of that nature. Again, with respect to the RGAA, they’re aware that I’m going to continue my consulting practice. It doesn’t present any conflict with the association.
What have been your first impressions of the RGAA?
My first impressions are they’re really sharp people. Obviously, I had some involvement with affiliates as a gaming regulator. I remember in 2013, New Jersey was the first state to launch any type of online gaming in the US. I was intimately involved in that. Affiliates then were a mystery to me. I’m becoming more and more understanding of what affiliates actually do.
I represent some affiliates, but when you talk to the folks at the RGAA, I have a lot of respect for them. When they asked me I was flattered because they’re really successful at what they do. They want people to understand that they have a positive impact on the industry.
Could you give me a brief overview of the mission statement of the RGAA?
The mission statement they put out in November listed five pillars. First was promotion of competitive gambling markets, second was industry education. The third was consumer protection, empowerment and choice, while the fourth was advertising codes of conduct; the last was responsible business practices. I think, from an overall perspective, when you look at those together, they want to make sure affiliates are focusing on regulated legal markets. They see their role as trying to assist in lessening the offshore illegal market.
Very important to them is responsible gaming, making sure affiliates post content in a responsible manner. RG issues are front and centre in 2024 for US gaming regulators for good reason. They also want to make sure there’s common-sense regulation when states are passing or changing laws and regulations, they want to make sure they understand how affiliates can play a very positive role; and that they don’t pass regulations that make it difficult for affiliates to conduct business in a responsible way.
You have plenty of experience in gaming regulation in the US. You were part of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for quite a long time and you’ve had several of other roles. How do you believe those experiences will help you at the RGAA?
They’ve helped a lot. I suspect that’s one of the reasons why I was asked and interviewed for the position. Being in a gaming regulator, I’m very well versed in all aspects of the industry. I know all the players pretty well. I know all the issues pretty well. I think knowledge of the industry was number one.
Number two, the role requires that you have the ability to act collegially not only with your association members but with the other stakeholders, regulators, elected officials and RG folks; to try and foster a cooperative relationship where you’re all rowing in the same direction to get positive results. The knowledge and ability to work and collaborate with people, I think, put me over the top.
How are responsible affiliate practices different from responsible operators? Could you give me some examples?
They’re all part of the same ecosystem, right? Operators enter into relationships with affiliates. I don’t think they’re separate, I think they complement each other. Licensed operators want to make sure they’re dealing with affiliates that do things the right way. They want to make sure they’re effective business partners. But when you’re in a regulated market like this, you need to make sure the people you’re associating with are doing things the right way.
For example, they’re not involved with the offshore market. They have responsible gaming initiatives on their page, a 1-800 gambler number because, again, affiliates in many cases are direct points of contact with the player. We believe they have the ability to really drive home responsible gaming.
What do you personally hope to achieve in your role with the RGAA?
Well, I obviously want to keep my Board happy! But you know what? I’ve been around a long time and I like new challenges. One of the key challenges is seeing if there’s a way to expand membership. I think the larger the association, the more ability it has to positively influence stakeholders. That’s not easy to do.
I’ve been involved in other organisations where you have to bring on members. It’s complicated. It involves economics, vision requirements, and standards and conditions. The goal here is to expand membership and for the RGAA to be looked at by regulators and elected officials as a good, forward-thinking organisation that is contributing positively to gaming sustainability.
Can you tell me about any projects or initiatives the RGAA is currently working on?
I knew you were gonna ask me that but it's very early on! We have ideas. I spoke to the Board a little bit over the weekend and I don’t want to box us in. Aside from expanding membership, we have a goal of creating certain standards. How we do that is under discussion; it could be an outside audit or self-imposed audit. Every year, you check you’re not involved with the offshore market, check all the boxes on responsible gaming, check your content is not misleading.
I’m not in a position right now to lay out anything concrete, I can’t pinpoint anything specific. We want to come up with something meaningful and substantive. To do that, you’ve got to think it through. When you have a number of different members, it’s hard to get everyone on the same page. But I’m sure with this group, because they’re really sharp, we’ll come up with a few things that will be meaningful.
Operators enter into relationships with affiliates. I don’t think they’re separate, I think they complement each other
