National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. announced that the four-day gaming convention saw outstanding numbers last evening, with almost 8,000 attendees to the overall event. Over 350 vendors represented, which resulted in $10 million of economic impact for Las Vegas this week.

Stevens said, “We are leaving Las Vegas very energized and excited. To see our tribal gaming family come together again after so long was phenomenal.” He added, “Indian gaming showed up, rolled up our sleeves, and did the work united in our efforts to bring our industry back after the pandemic stopped the world in its tracks.”

Stevens shared that before the COVID pandemic, the Indian Gaming Industry was a solid contributing force to the tribal and the American economy. We were a $35 billion industry in gross revenue and an additional $6.2 billion in ancillary revenues from hotels, entertainment, restaurants, and retail operations, and ranked 11th in employment in the United States.

“Coming off the success of our event this week, I am confident that our industry can and will build back. We regroup and reunite to build upon the success of our Indian gaming industry that has empowered tribal communities.” Stevens said.

The 2021 Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention hosted several events, including an emphasis on topics such as sports betting, online gambling, Tribal-State compacting, the cannabis industry, post-pandemic recovery, gaming operations, cybersecurity & domestic terrorism, and of course, federal legislative advocacy, as well as the annual membership meeting, workshops, the gaming commissioner certification series, and the Tim Wapato Sovereign Warrior Recognition Luncheon and the trade show exhibits.

Stevens thanked all of the attendees, participants, facilitators, and sponsors who helped bring the success of the Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention.

The next gathering will be the National Indian Gaming Association Mid-Year Conference at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, November 15-17, 2021.