After heading to Las Vegas in 2021, NIGA (National Indian Gaming Association) hit the palm trees of Anaheim, California, this April for its showpiece tradeshow

After heading to Las Vegas inward 2021, NIGA (National American Indian Gaming Association) hitting the palm trees of Anaheim, California, this Apr for its showpiece tradeshow. And, inwards fact, the organisation got a facelift on the way, as organisers rebranded to the Amerind Gaming Association (IGA) during the event.

Following the hard iGaming-focused ICE Greater London the previous week, IGA provided a familiar spirit take back to what show-goers were used to pre-pandemic – especially in the US; floors were filled (admittedly non as busily as usual) with huge land-based gaming cabinets, one-armed bandit machines, snake eyes tables and various other gaming-related offerings.

Suppliers from Aruze Gaming to Zitro showcased their best-performing and newest products, as attendees very practically got downward to concern on a in use(p) Thursday on the present floor. There is no more denying the Friday that followed was far quieter, but who knows what deals were arranged by those relieve on hand and with more clip to negotiate?

It is difficult to liken IGA and ICE this year, granted that 1 essentially became an iGaming present and the other a tribal event. But I verbatim equivalence that could follow applied was the success of the shows’ respective group discussion tracks.

Is it just now me or make Americans perform word panels – or instruction sessions, as they were named here – better?

ICE’s docket was filled with regulatory specialists, with plentitude of the usual give-and-take most advertising, sustainability and the like. But is it simply me or come Americans get along discussion panels – or teaching sessions, as they were named here – better?

There was plenteousness to discuss, of course, especially with California yet to legalise iGaming or sports betting. Seriously – for a UK visitor to make attended a baseball game biz here and experience no effectual method of betting on it blew my mind. Although so did the cupholders in arrears every seat at the Anaheim Stadium, but in a different way...

Elsewhere, the role of free-to-play wagering was championed and, I must admit, it has a far wider impact on the boilersuit gaming ecosystem than I previously imagined. Interblock CEO St. John the Apostle Connelly also lay forward his whimsey that tabularise games worth less than $25 simply won’t live viable inwards the future due to their deficiency of proceeds to the casino.

A genuinely wide-ranging and various band of conferences covered simply around every other subject within tribal gaming, as swell as non-gaming issues close-fitting to the bosom for tribal reservations. My personal favourite panel, however, addressed cashless payments within the industry – and perhaps I retrieve it topper because everyone loves a chip of debate: some real-life disagreement.

Following the intemperately iGaming-based ICE Greater London the previous week, IGA provided a intimate homecoming to what show-goers were used to pre-pandemic – especially in the US

The full venire will live written upward in our upcoming Payments Focus cartridge – and, within that article, make water sure you view out for Global Payments’ Christopher Justice and his interchange with Axes’ Earle Hall.

A packed way saw an insightful word caper come out (with some occasional fireworks!), demonstrating the growing grasp for the role of payments within gaming; a figure of people still stood to take in at the back…

Of course, a slow up Fri at the briny demonstrate itself, and a smaller go under of stands than we are used to at the likes of ICE and G2E, suggests this event certainly won’t live the biggest of the year. But IGA 2022 provided a memorable hebdomad for the manufacture nonetheless, and I suppose it’s fair to say a worthful one.

IGA will live back up inward Golden State for 2023, but returning to San Diego, significance it’s goodbye to Anaheim and its Convention Center for now. But you put up still finger the California Love with our video reporting on LinkedIn – full of Q&As and mathematical product demonstrations useable now on both the Gambling Insider and Gaming America feeds.