The DigitalPlay Summit (DPS) at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention was set to leverage a distinguished collection of renowned experts and thought leaders from the industry across its comprehensive seminar program.

FanDuel CEO Amy Howe extended an olive branch to California tribes in a panel discussion Tuesday (9 April ) morning at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention, acknowledging that any future of California sports betting will be done “with and through” tribal operators.

Howe was joined onstage by CNIGA chairman James Siva as well as Jacob Mejia, director of public affairs for Pechanga Development Corporation, both of whom lauded the CEO for being willing to engage in such discussion after the two sides’ previous vitriol. 

FanDuel, DraftKings and other commercial operators burned hundreds of millions in 2022 by lobbying for and promoting Proposition 27, an initiative that would have legalised online sports betting in California but was soundly rejected by state voters.  

Tribes did offer their own initiative – Proposition 26 – that was also rejected by voters, however tribal leaders have maintained that the overall goal was to oppose and defeat Proposition 27 rather than promote and pass Proposition 26. Now, as Mejia noted on Tuesday, 2026 is the earliest that sports betting could come to the Golden State, which gives both sides time to mend fences and formulate a united approach. 

Tribal sovereignty and exclusivity in California were key themes of the 30-minute discussion, with Howe giving her personal definitions for each. 

Opening day one was the C-Level Summit Tribal roundtable: CEOs, leaders, legends: the team at the top. Speakers Marcus Yoder, Playtech Chief Commercial Officer and Joe Asher, President of Sports Betting at IGT reflect on subjects including progress post-PASPA and look at the prospects for iGaming, while moderation is provided by Daron Dorsey, AGEM President.

Sam Basile, VP Business Development NA, GeoComply followed this session with a deep dive into the protection of digital wallets and apps, joined by Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer, Sightline Payments.

Day two highlights included Jonathan Edson, Senior Vice President, Business Development FanDuel joining a panel discussion on sports and tribal leader partnerships, while Patrick Tarnay, Senior Busienss Development Manager from BetMGM considered a range of topics from gateways to iGaming to sportsbook integration.

These subjects joined a host of other trending topics in a packed schedule of educational sessions that run alongside the newly announced DPS which has been introduced to IGA’s 2024 event.

Connecting the expertise of U.S. tribal and commercial operators with stakeholders from the established European online gaming and betting markets, DPS along with the new Sustainable Gambling Zone were set to help shape the future of the North American online gambling market at IGA 2024.