GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 44 - July 2019

in the U.S. may find themselves negotiating with not just state governments, but also with sovereign nations working in conjunction with state governments via a system of compacts that seems designed to keep people suing each other constant- ly (in fairness, U.S. government entities and private casino companies sue each other a lot, too). Tribal-owned gaming enterprises often have different goals and incentives than pri- vate corporations, as well as a different attitude toward doing business — some tribal nations prefer to take however much time is needed to do things correctly the first time, rather than following the Silicon Valley creed of moving fast and breaking things. Steve Bodmer of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians did, however, take pains to point out that it is not the tribes’ fault that sports betting won’t be on the California ballot until November 2020; that is squarely on the state constitution. And some smaller states are making easier progress — according to Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Chairman Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, are in talks with Connecticut governor Ned Lamont to develop a sports betting structure that would see Mohegan- and Mashantucket Pequot-owned sports betting facilities established around the state outside the two casino resorts. But the biggest obstacle to doing business in the U.S. right now is simply that nobody knows what American iGaming is going to look like in a few years. Kate Lowenhar-Fisher, who hosted the “Legal Regulation of Esports” panel, point- ed out that a lot of people seemed to be “gliding past” the Department of Justice’s new Wire Act decision, saying a few mean things about it but assuming it would all go “in a rational direction.” And even if it does, industries change, sometimes unpredictably. This did not, of course, stop people from making predictions about what’s in store for the industry at large, and for affiliates in particular. LOOK INTO THE FUTURE One prediction from Steve Nathan, former VP of online gam- ing at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ, is that affiliates will have to shift their efforts from acquisition to retention to stay competitive. He believes the current models incentivize finding new FTDs and leave longtime players as largely a source of “legacy” revenue streams, but that affiliates will have to put increasing focus on keeping players engaged with loyalty programs and such. Luke Evans, director of digital media at Covers.com, concurred, predicting that “truly great” affiliates will be known for doing everything they can to retain players, which might be challeng- ing for new U.S. affiliates without prior European experience. Affiliates might also have to get used to working more closely with state governments and regulators than they have in the past. New Jersey already has its affiliates developing working Reputation is, of course, of great importance in affiliate marketing , and many speakers believed that the professional legitimacy conferred by licensing was an important tool in keeping the business above- board and accountable . After delivering a keynote speech, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard (center) is flanked by Clarion Gaming Managing Director Kate Chambers and ICE North America Brand Ambassador Roy Student. BREAKING THE ICE IN BOSTON G P W A t i m e s . o r g 36