The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) kicks off today in Las Vegas, Nevada. About 25,000 people are registered for the event, the largest gaming conference in the world.
Tribal leaders and Indian gaming experts will be among those presenting at the conference. The agenda includes sessions on land-into-trust, financing, the Obama administration and gaming compacts.
Here is the schedule for the Indian gaming track at G2E.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009CD2: Big Brands: Native American Casino Design
Room: N115 ~ 9:15AM – 10:15AM
Just as in the commercial market, a brand is what separates a successful Native American operation from its more pedestrian competitors. This session will examine branding as part of the overall design process, including the minimization of costs and implications for long term success. Executives from some of the most recognizable brands in Indian Country will discuss their experiences and offer valuable insights for expanding your casino brand through resort design.
Moderator:
Tom Hoskens – Vice President, Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A.
Speaker:
Charles “Chief” Boyd – Partner, Thalden-Boyd-Emery Architects
J R Mathews – Vice Chairman, Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
David Stewart – CEO, Cherokee Nation Entertainment
CSR7: NCRG at G2E: Myths vs. Evidence: The Impact of Indian Gaming
Room: N103 ~ 11:45AM – 12:45PM (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)
Myths about the impact of Indian gaming on the health of tribal members, crime and economic development persist in the media. Does scientific research support these assumptions? The panel, representing a variety of perspectives, will examine these myths in the light of research.
Moderator:
Christine Reilly – Executive Director, Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling & Related Disorders, Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance
Speaker:
Harry Ashton – Head of Legal Research, Gambling Compliance Ltd.
Jacob Coin – Director, Office of Public Affairs, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
Kate Spilde – Chair, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, San Diego State University
FIN2: Spreading the Wealth: Tribal Financing Options
Room: N109 ~ 2:00PM – 3:00PM (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)
The money is still there for tribal gaming projects, but lenders are much more careful now about who receives loans from them and for what purpose. Speakers at this session will explain how to best qualify for loans, what lenders require and how they expect to be repaid, while tribal officials involved in these financial deals will reveal how they convinced banks and other financial institutions to provide capital or refinance existing loans.
Moderator:
Kristi Jackson – CEO, Tribal Financial Advisors
Speaker:
Rochanne L. Hackett – Senior Vice President / Director of National Gaming Development, Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
Jeff Hartmann – Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority
Mike Lettig – Executive Vice President, Native American Financial Services, Key Bank
Dave Rebich – CFO, Turning Stone Resort Casino
CLR5: Tribal Perspective: Indian Gaming and the Obama Administration
Room: N109 ~ 3:15PM – 4:15PM (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)
Some of President Obama’s most ardent campaign supporters were Native Americans. The tribes believed they needed a change in the way they related to the federal government and that Obama would deliver. Now, one year later, tribal leaders, former and current federal officials and other experts will come together to discuss whether the change they sought has been delivered, and what the future holds for Indian Country during this administration.
Moderator:
Tom Foley – President, Foley Law Group
Speaker:
Tom Brierton – President, Franklin Creek Consulting
Larry Rosenthal – Partner, Ietan Consulting, LLC
John Tahsuda – Vice President, Navigators Global LLC
Loretta Tuell – Attorney, AndersonTuell, LLP
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
IG4: National Indian Gaming Commission: An Update
Room: N115 ~ 9:15AM – 10:15AM (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)
With at least one new member, the National Indian Gaming Commission will be re-tooled to consider a wide range of issues that will impact Indian Country. This session will bring together the current members of the commission for an annual update on the role of this federal agency in overseeing tribal gaming and what its members hope to accomplish during the upcoming year. Topics discussed will be Class II gaming, off-reservation gaming and the relationship of the NIGC with other federal bodies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Moderator:
Ernie Stebbins – Executive Director, Washington Indian Gaming Association
Speaker:
Norm DesRosiers – Vice Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC)
George Skibine – Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs, Acting Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission
IG5: Tribal Compacts 2.0: The Next Generation
Room: N115 ~ 11:45AM – 12:45PM (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) prohibits states from taxing tribal gaming revenues. Tribes may, however, agree to share a limited portion of their gaming proceeds with state and local governments, subject to approval by the Secretary of the Interior. To ensure that these compacts are not interpreted as imposing taxes and therefore in violation of IGRA, states and tribes are beginning to develop a new generation of compacts that include revenue sharing models designed to provide more certainty and enforceability. This panel will provide background regarding compacts and older models, and explain how this next generation of revenue sharing can benefit tribal and state governments alike.
Moderator:
Mark Van Norman – Executive Director, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA)
Speaker:
Scott Crowell – Attorney, Crowell Law Offices
Ezekiel Fletcher – Attorney, Rosette & Associates, P.C.
Paula Hart – Director, Office of Indian Gaming, US Department of the Interior
IG1: Regulation & Respect: Tribal Commissioners Working Together
Room: N115 ~ 2:00PM – 3:00PM (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)
The old saw about the fox guarding the henhouse could not be any further from the truth when considering tribal regulatory agencies. This session will bring together several tribal gaming commissioners to discuss how they do their jobs by working with tribes, states and the federal government.
Moderator:
Anthony Miranda – Chairman, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA)
Speaker:
Tracy Burris – Gaming Commissioner, Viejas Government Gaming Commission
Lena Hammons – Tribal Gaming Director, Tulalip Tribal Gaming Commission
Jamie Hummingbird – Director, Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission
IG6: Tribal Sovereignty: Limiting Non-Tribal Jurisdiction over Casino Patron Disputes
Room: N115 ~ 3:15PM – 4:15PM (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)
While sovereignty sometimes can protect tribes against claims, it also can be a problem. This session will examine how tribes should draft their tort claims ordinances to ensure the utmost protection of their sovereignty and maintain control over patron disputes. Experts will present and discuss recent cases dealing with tribal ordinances and demonstrate, through analysis of these cases, that careful drafting of the tribal ordinance is critical to ensuring that state court jurisdiction is limited to the requirements of applicable tribal-state compacts.
Moderator:
Daniel Little – Manager of National Governmental Affairs, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
Speaker:
Michael Anderson – Attorney, AndersonTuell, LLP
Carl Artman – Attorney, Godfrey & Kahn
Zehava Zevit, Ph.D. – Attorney, Holland & Knight LLP
Thursday, November 19, 2009
IG2: SIGNATURE SERIES: When Down Seems Like Up: The Impact of the Economy on Tribal Gaming
Room: N109 ~ 9:15AM – 10:15AM (Thursday, November 19, 2009)
While all casinos are impacted by the economy, tribal gaming operations have special concerns. Since the revenue from tribal gaming funds government operations, health care, infrastructure, housing and per capita distributions, as well as construction loans and financial obligations to the states, any decline is serious. This session will examine the ramifications of lower revenues on a tribe’s finances and how it can be handled. Can a sovereign government bankruptcy? Hear the experts’ opinions.
Moderator:
Jana McKeag – President, Lowry Strategies
Speaker:
Fredric Gushin – Managing Director, Spectrum Gaming Group
Daniel N. Lewis – Vice Chairman, Tribal Financial Advisors, Inc.
Kevin Quigley – Indian Gaming Business Counsel, Hamilton Quigley & Twait PLC
IG3: Tribal Labor Relations: Sovereignty or Solutions
Room: N109 ~ 11:45AM – 12:45PM (Thursday, November 19, 2009)
The issue of labor relations in Indian Country can be a thorny one. As sovereign nations, tribes have the right to set their own labor rules, but sometimes employees have a different idea. Hear both from tribes with existing employee contracts and those considering them about how they can retain their sovereignty while satisfying the labor requests of their employees. The possible impact of the “Employee Free Choice Act” on tribal casinos, also known as the card-check bill, also will be discussed.
Moderator:
Jason Giles – Deputy Director & General Counsel, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA)
Speaker:
Henry M. Buffalo Jr; – Managing Shareholder, Jacobson Buffalo Magnuson Anderson & Hogen, PC
Gyasi Ross – Tribal Attorney, Port Madison Enterprises, Suquamish Tribe
Michele Stanley – Tribal Council, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan