IGA Chairman exclusive: Honoring Chairman Stevens' legacy

What are your responsibilities as IGA Chairman and helping to preserve Tribal sovereignty?

As Chairman, the mission is very clear: protect Tribal sovereignty and Indian gaming as well as promote economic diversification and self-determination. That is what has helped Tribes grow, receive essential governmental services for their communities and help them create jobs for members. But that entails a lot of work. It entails meetings with, first and foremost, congressional representatives to tell our story, educate them on Indian gaming and what Indian gaming means to Tribal communities.

Indian gaming is governmental gaming, and not a lot of people know that. Not a lot of people know our Tribal casinos are 100% taxed by the Tribes. The Tribes in turn take those taxes and fund incredible programs to help their community grow, thrive, take on challenges and prepare for generations to come.

Prior to taking over as Chairman, how did you help create a positive impact in Tribal gaming and respective communities?

At times, in my capacity as Vice Chairman and when he (Chairman Stevens) was unavailable, I would be sent out to meet with various Tribal organizations around the US. My role was one of support and to use a basketball term, the Chairman always talked about his basketball stories, his battles on the court and off the court, I asked him 'how do I move without the ball?'

At our annual conferences, I would walk around our trade show floor and talk to associate members. The trade show is where we generate revenue to fund our operations for the entire year and ensures Tribes do not have to pay exorbitant membership fees. We do recognize that Tribal resources are limited and precious, and we do all that we can to make sure this is not a financial burden on the Tribes that we work with.

Following his very sad passing in September, are you able to speak on Chairman Stevens' legacy in Tribal gaming?

Chairman Stevens lived and breathed the mission of Indian gaming, and he believed in bringing people together. I think one of his incredible strengths was bringing folks together who historically would not. For example, yesterday we attended a function with the American Gaming Association (AGA), but if you go back 10-20 years, we were not welcome here in Las Vegas. In fact, I've heard stories of how poorly Chairman Stevens was treated here, but he believed in the mission and continued grinding away, developing relationships and building bridges. So we were at a function with the AGA because of the Chairman's legacy of bringing people together.

He understood that while we represent different bodies, we have so much more in common than differences. He believed in meeting with other Tribal organizations, and in fact we're going to carry on the Chairman's legacy and expand his efforts to reach Tribal organizations, both state and national. He was always good about acknowledging and recognizing our youth. He made sure we acknowledged them, that we saw them and that we heard them, which ensures our mission is carried forward through lifting up our young ones and mentoring them.

I wasn't a youth, I was 10 years younger than Chairman Stevens, and he still took the time to educate and mentor me. I told him, 'I've read about you, listened to you, followed you and I appreciate the work you do. I'm here to help. My sleeves are always rolled up. I'm ready to go.' While my stories may not be as interesting as the Chairman's or as colourful, we are nonetheless going to carry forward his actions, his efforts, his values and his priorities.

Was it a difficult transition given the unexpected and rather sudden change in leadership?

It was hard emotionally. We all lost a relative, a big brother, an uncle figure, a father figure and so we move forward with heavy hearts. We move forward respecting his legacy. What I told folks who said 'those are big shoes to fill' is 'I don't want to fill those shoes,' but I want to walk in his footsteps. The Chairman was very big about strong leadership, past and present. He walked in the footsteps of folks who had mentored him, folks who have passed on.

So when I say we want to walk in his footsteps, we want to do so as he walked in the footsteps of his predecessors. That made it a little bit easier, and knowing the team that supported him is the same team that supports me now. Collectively, we all knew our assignment was to make sure we respectfully lay him to rest and support his family, and once we did that, we all knew the Chairman would say, 'We have work to do. Let's get back out there.'

And we all got back to work. Two days following his funeral, we went straight to work here in Vegas at G2E. Honoring the Chairman and walking in his footsteps mandated that we get our butts back to work. It was fast and furious, we were busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. It's been difficult, but also at the same time, easy when you understand the assignment put before us by our ancestors, our elders and our current leadership that serve on the Board of IGA.

What are the most prominent challenges impacting Indian gaming as we head into 2026?

The challenge of prediction markets and the CFTC. I was able to let folks know at G2E that this is a threat. This is the largest threat facing Indian gaming today. Unregulated, illegal sports betting. We understand the law, we respect the law, we follow the law, but here we are facing a segment of the industry that is not subject to the same laws that we follow, and that's a problem. Agencies like the NIGC, the SEC, the CFTC, these are folks that have the ability to impact us positively or negatively. And with their present inactivity, with respect to CFTC, it is impacting Tribal operations negatively. It's impacting commercial operations.

This issue I'm talking about, prediction markets, unregulated gaming, it popped up overnight and has grown like wildfire because it's unchecked. The CFTC is limping along without a full commission and they're really not taking a whole lot of activity. In fact, these prediction market contracts, these companies that offer these platforms, they're able to self-certify. That, I guess, can allow you to move really fast. With respect to protecting the integrity of the game, regulation has not caught up with the growth of prediction markets, which a year ago very few people were talking about.