NIGA Associate Members NIGA’s Associate Members have and continue to do an exemplary job in furthering and advancing our goals to develop sound policies and practices for the conduct of gaming on Indian Lands, provide technical assistance for our industry, and generally work to help preserve and protect the integrity of Indian Gaming. Our Associate Members are a vital part of the Indian Gaming industry and we extend our appreciation to all those who have stepped up and assisted in furthering our mission through their participation, offering of their expertise, engaging in the development of emerging gaming opportunities, and contributing through sponsorships. A special thanks goes out to those who have made contributions to offset the NIGA Building Fund/mortgage to help retire our debt to enable us to focus our resources on mission critical policy activities. NIGA strives to enhance the exposure of our Associate Members, providing access and visibility through our annual Tradeshow, our Mid-Year Meeting, bi-annual legislative summits, G2E Indian Gaming Track, Regional Association Events and other opportunities. The influence of our Associate Members continues to flourish in our industry. Whether it is the hard work done at this year’s tradeshow all the way to winter and summer legislative summits and everywhere in between, Associate Members have stepped up to support the Leadership in Indian Country that drives this Association. NIGA Certified Seminar Institute I want to highlight our Seminar Institute, which is led by our Deputy Director, Danielle Her Many Horses, our esteemed partner, Elizabeth Homer of Homer Law and Zion Enterprises, LLC. Of course the Institute would not be the success it is without our partners and professionals from around Indian Country and Indian Gaming that make special appearances for specialized training topics. Our Institute has Levels I, II & III in addition to our Masters Level Training. Trainings are offered every month and we try to reach out to as many regional locations as is possible. NIGA is proud of its ongoing training and certification institute, which works to assist tribal gaming regulators and operators with the technical assistance they need to continue to protect the integrity of Indian Gaming around the country. With the experience and education the participants possess oftentimes they are the teachers as well. Overall the seminar institute combines great professionals with outstanding and experienced students which equal a great learning environment for all. Collaboration with the American Gaming Association I applaud our Board of Directors for your guidance and support in our collaboration with the American Gaming Association (AGA). Our joint efforts have not only brought improvements to the gaming industry overall, they have enhanced our working relationship and understanding of one another’s mission and vision. We worked together to successfully push back against the IRS slot win reporting threshold proposal, increase awareness of the anti-money laundering efforts put forth by FinCEN, raise awareness and education on human trafficking, promote responsible gambling, educate the industry on security threat preparations and the current debate on sports betting, and overall education at G2E and ICE. A new initiative that will be rolled out this week is a joint roundtable for tribal and commercial regulators. The National Tribal Gaming Commissioners/Regulators, the Tribal Gaming Protection Network and the Tribal Alliance will all participate in this event. It is our hope that “best practices” for regulating emerging gaming technology for the entire gaming industry can be outlined and
8 INDIAN GAMING - ANNUAL REPORT 2018
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