By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
After your extensive expertise in gambling regulation, what would you say were the main lessons that you learned during this time?
Many lessons, but the most important one is that people need people. Connection and collaboration are essential. When money is involved, and the gambling industry is obviously for the quest for money, people get creative. The environment tends to be very litigious. So that’s something that you have to prepare yourself for, no matter what decision you take, be it good or not so advantageous for the next person. If you’re going to be challenged, you must be able to stand your ground. You have the legislation to back you. People will get creative, and they will interpret the legislation as better suits them, so having the legal background is important. Another lesson, professional and personal, is the fact that there’s so much that we don’t know and that there’s always something to learn in this gambling landscape. On the one hand, many people see it as a vice, and on the other hand, there are so many benefits that the industry produces that people don’t know about. For example, you have the taxes that go to building hospitals, schools, and roads, but the public are not really aware of that. Also, they don’t know that the operators have to do something in terms of addressing the gambling harm, like promote safer gaming or responsible gambling programs. I’ve many lessons that I’ve learned, but the one I would like to highlight is that no matter what position you are in, there’s always an opportunity to make a difference, even if it’s just simply by sharing your experiences in the regulatory space. There’s something in that experience that can help someone else and make a difference. That’s something that also fuels me to do what I’m currently doing.
Last November 2023, you were appointed as the new Executive Director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. What assessment do you make of the first months in the role?
First and foremost, I just want to say that I’m most grateful for being afforded this opportunity to work alongside a team of truly wonderful and talented human beings. The warm welcome that I received when I arrived truly fueled my desire to live up to the expectations of this exciting role that I am now tasked with. My first assessment was that this is a body with good and strong bones; a solid structure. Even though they had an Interim Executive Director for a while, the engine kept moving; the body kept functioning. I’m coming along, and I can add some muscle to the bones so the body can grow. My initial suggestions or recommendations related specifically to the frequency and the accessibility of the courses. My focus was to work on the calendar year and make sure that what we’re offering in the first half of the year is the same as in the second half so that the regulators would know when they have to do their planning. Also, I’m focusing on growing the talent pool that we use in terms of our speakers, so we contact different people to come and share experiences in the training.
How mature is the online gaming regulation in the United States?
In the country, because we are dealing with multiple states regulations, there are varying levels of maturity in terms of gaming and what is permitted and what is not. I am a firm believer that the jurisdictions need to understand where the others are at because one can learn from other challenges, and they can assist themselves in guarding a fresher jurisdiction from going down the path that is destined to fail. Online gaming is obviously one of those segments where there are different levels of maturity. There are interactions and experiences that can be shared amongst the different states, but I think also there is a pending issue around the awareness of the intention behind the regulation, for operators making applications as well as the general public understanding why there’s a need for a strict regulation.
How could the interaction between operators and governments be improved?
In order to foster collaboration between governments and operators, they need to understand the “win-win” situation. They must see what role they have to play and what expectations need to be met in this highly regulated or strictly regulated landscape. One thing that can foster that interaction is to include memberships and affiliations to those longstanding associations and platforms that are common in the gambling ecosystem.
Can you describe the relationship between the International Center for Gaming Regulation and the Nevada Gaming Control Board?
I want to help them so they can get access to the advisory services we have at the ICGR. They can benefit from our research opportunities and educational initiatives. Also, they can use us as an asset because that’s what we’re here for. I am continuing to forge my relationship with them in terms of the partnership that we have and that has been longstanding.
What are your professional goals for 2024?
I gave myself a very daunting to-do list in terms of the objectives for 2024. This concept related to incubation, training, and initiatives (something that’s still in the making) is where we want to grow the timber for the future regulatory leaders. I’m still collaborating and meeting with different regulators and going to the associations where the regulators would all convene. The purpose is to discuss the concept and receive input from the various jurisdictions to apply it to the school that I’m hoping to create. At the end of the day, we will use the UNLV as a platform. Any regulatory official to have a university certificate that speaks to the niche environment that they are working in is literally a pat on the back for them. Many regulators are sitting in their positions for 25 to 30 years, but a lot of them can’t say that they have a specific certificate related to gaming. We are committed to changing this situation. It’s something that I’m very passionate about.