GAMING AMERICA | FROM THE TOP
FROM THE TOP: ALL SYSTEMS GO As the Omicron wave eases, Gaming America speaks to NIGA as the show comes to Anaheim in April. The gaming industry, as is the case with the rest of the business world, yearns for a return to normalcy. Many thought the Covid spell was broken last year, when Las Vegas hosted two major in-person conferences – the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) show in July, then the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in October. All eyes were on the ICE show in London, scheduled for February 1-3, 2022. As you all know, the Omicron variant scuttled that plan, pushing ICE London back to dates TBD, later confirmed as April 12-14. Coming up just one week later will be NIGA 2022, which will take place April 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Jason Giles, Executive Director of the National Indian Gaming Association, gave Gaming America a detailed look at what to expect at this year’s show, including which companies are planning to exhibit, and what it is like dealing with constantly updated restrictions from state and local authorities. Gaming America: NIGA 2021 was held before the summer of the Delta variant, but it had strict health protocols, including a vaccination requirement. What were the final numbers for the conference in terms of number of exhibitors and number of attendees? How did those figures compare to the two most recent NIGA shows prior to Covid? Jason Giles: We were very proud that this past July, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention was the first large-scale gaming event to run in-person for the industry. Our participation was in step with 2019 numbers, as we 8 | GAMINGAMERICA
JASON GILES National Indian Gaming Association Executive Director
brought together both tribal leaders and commercial gaming operators along with the industry’s top suppliers. It is the “new normal” now that some attendees and exhibitors may need to make personal decisions on whether they are able to attend in-person events or may face evolving travel restrictions. We respect and understand that not every person is able to get back to attending tradeshows and they need to do what makes the most sense for themselves, families, businesses and communities. In the meantime, we will continue to strive to provide access to new strategies, technologies and relationships, both at the tradeshow and conference and throughout the year. Tribal gaming is a
dominant force in the gaming community. The work we do empowers our tribal communities and generates important revenue for economic development. GA: What are the expectations for NIGA 2022? Is the show going to attract the same number of exhibitors/attendees as 2021? Giles: We are looking forward to the show and are excited to be back in Southern California. We feel it is a great destination as it is convenient for some of the nation’s largest tribal casinos, as well as those located on the Las Vegas Strip. Plus, there are great entertainment options, from a lively downtown to the nearby Disneyland Resort. Our exhibit hall will be filled with all of the major players along with new emerging technologies and services for the next iteration of gaming expansion; including sports betting, iGaming, esports, cashless payments and more. We have support from major manufacturers, including Scientific Games, Everi, Novomatic Americas, Aruze, Ainsworth Game Technology, IGT, Konami Gaming, Aristocrat Technologies, Inc/VGT, Interblock Gaming, JCM Global, Quick Custom Intelligence, among many others. We are excited to welcome (and welcome back!) exhibitors in emerging categories such as sports betting (Betfred, Kambi, GAN, DraftKings, United Tote) and payment solutions (NRT, FABICash, Global Payments, Trustly, Flexia, Sightline Payments). We expect for there to be more than 350 companies participating. Our education program is built by our
