Global Gaming Expo hosts web sessions on Indian gaming issues

Friday, July 23, 2010

Global Gaming Expo, the world's largest gaming conference, will host three web sessions on Indian gaming issues.

The G2E Webinar Series will focus on Internet gaming, financing and recent court decisions. The sessions will be held monthly beginning in August.

Session 1: Threat or Opportunity? iGaming in Indian Country
Thursday, August 12: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Moderator: Jana McKeag, president, Lowry Strategies
Speakers: Sheila Morago, executive director, Arizona Indian Gaming Association; Brian Patterson, president, United South & Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET)
Several bills before Congress would legalize some forms of online gaming in the United States. While there are some provisions for Native Americans in most of the bills, many tribes are debating how Internet gambling could impact their casino operations. During this session, experts closely following the legislation will discuss the potential passing of each of the bills, as well as their various pros and cons. They will also breakdown the numbers and look seriously at the hypothesized concerns about cannibalization.

Session 2: The New Deal: Understanding and Managing Tribal Finances in Today's Economy
Thursday, September 9: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Moderator: Kristi Jackson, CEO, Tribal Financial Advisors
Speakers: Jennifer Bryant, CFO, Valley View Casino; Rochanne L. Hackett, senior vice president, director of national gaming development, Wells Fargo Bank N.A.; Christine Swanick, partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
The recent downturn of the U.S. economy has had a permanent impact both on commercial gaming properties and most Native American casinos. Though slowly rebounding, no market appears to have been immune to the impacts of the downturn. What are tribes doing to survive in these tough markets? How has the operating environment impacted development planning in Indian Country? Will recent defaults impact future lending opportunities, and, if so, what creative financing opportunities have become available as a result? Operators and tribal gaming analysts will discuss these and other concerns.

Session 3: (Dis)Order in the Court? Decisions that Impact Indian Gaming
Thursday, October 7: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Moderator: Tom Foley, president, Foley Law Group
Speakers: Scott Crowell, attorney, Crowell Law Offices; Jason Giles, deputy director & general counsel, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA); Scott Van Voorhis, journalist, Gambling Compliance Ltd.
With the Supreme Court case Carcieri v. Salazar, the future of land into trust has been thrown into confusion. This summer, nearly a year after the Bureau of Indian Affairs' final consultation meeting with leaders of the tribal and federal government, a decision about the case's impact is set to be announced. But this is not the only Court decision impacting Indian Country and tribal gaming. Recently, a federal court in California ruled that the State of California had negotiated a gaming compact in bad faith with the Rincon Band of Mission Indians. Learn how the fallout from these two cases are affecting Tribal Reservations and gaming operations.

This year's G2E takes place November 16-18 in Las Vegas.