Ivory Kelly: Responsible gambling is ‘more than just a transactional deal’

Speaking more toward your personal experience, what first inspired you to establish the Tribal Council for Responsible Gaming (TCRG)?

I've worked in Tribal gaming for just over 25 years, always serving operations on the regulatory side. As we started to go back out to conferences and get back to talking and meeting with one another following the pandemic, responsible gambling really became a focus of discussion. I can't help but to think that during the pandemic, there were lots of casinos trying to find a way to remain open. There was just an influx of people trying to take that chance and find a way to make quick cash in order to sustain their livelihood. As that conversation started to take place, I honestly didn't realize the need for enhanced player protections until I got deeper into those discussions. 

I was in Oklahoma for OIGA and took notice of their statewide self-exclusion program. I thought, ‘oh, that would be great if we can implement something like that here in Wisconsin.’ So I came back, started looking at the landscape and seeing if it was something that we could do. As I got started, a national model began to present itself. I was hesitant to take that up because each Tribe is its own sovereign nation, and how do I go forward to have a discussion with them and then onboard each Tribe to the same unified platform? But we're doing it. I love seeing the Tribal-wide self-exclusion program coming to life and the type of information we're able to pull from it. We onboard them as they are, so what they can exclude still remains under Tribal authority, but we simplified it for the patron. 

How has your personal background in regulation and compliance helped provide a deeper understanding of threats to responsible gambling in Tribal communities?

Having worked within a regulatory setting for quite some time, responsible gambling further enhances the way we develop our operations and the way we put gaming forward in the future. We're at this point where you're only going to grow so big until you implode on yourselves. At some point it becomes about sustainability, the type of quality players you want to build within your operation and how you want to use those revenue dollars to serve your community. Responsible gambling plays a role in that, not to take away from Tribal operations and their revenue, but to help lift them up and do more with it. 

I just don't want to see it get to a point where (federal and state governments) are telling us we have to initiate safeguards and set limits. If we can start taking notice and listening to our community members, we better position ourselves to actually build a robust system that helps and protects those players. More than just a transactional deal or for reputation management, but something that actually helps pull them out of problem gambling habits. 

Having been named Regulator of the Year by IGA in 2025, what did it mean to receive that level of recognition from your peers and fellow Tribal communities?

I actually wasn't aware I was going to be recognized by IGA, so I was just sitting there talking with my colleagues and I didn't even realize that Ernie had called my name. They all pointed out, ‘hey Ivory, that's you!’ It's very humbling to receive recognition like that because there's so many people that are doing the work. There's so many people who support me, lift me up and hold me together in my position. It serves as a reminder that what you're doing matters. They picked you to be that face, to be that reason and to carry these initiatives forward. I would say that was probably one of the most humbling moments of my life because a lot of what I build within Tribal countries and Tribal gaming, most of it is at no cost. 

If a Tribe reaches out to me or if they ask me to build something, I just send it because I want to see all of Tribal country succeed. I appreciate Tribal gaming, all it does for our communities, all it's done for me and my family. I don't think any other industry can speak to what Tribal gaming gives back, not just to our own members, but to the communities in which we sit and serve. Even when I work for a Tribal organization, I'm serving a whole entire community. When I serve with Oneida Nation, I think of the 17,000 Tribal members who are counting on me to do a job well done.  

Look out for part two of Global Gaming Insider’s interview with Kelly in the July edition of our magazine!