AGENDA
MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2023
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception at the Adelphi Hotel
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2023
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Opening Address
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. New York Casino Expansion to New York City and Surrounding Counties: Is the Finish Line in Sight?
The New York City area has long been viewed as one of the largest underserved gaming regions in the world. Multiple applicants are vying for a slice of this unclaimed target, and New York has to sift through competing visions as it identifies the challenges and opportunities for the city, the region and the state. Whatever decisions are made – or not made – will have monumental and permanent consequences. Experts will discuss the legal, policy, and economic challenges presented by the New York selection process.
10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Consolidation of Gaming: Status and Implications
As racetracks, casinos, and digital gambling platforms are acquired by massive multinational enterprises, is there room in the gaming marketplace for independent, regional, mid-market companies? This panel of industry experts will discuss how mergers & acquisitions are reshaping gaming landscape.
10:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Networking Break
11:20 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Tribal Digital Gaming: Has the Moment Finally Arrived?
This panel will explore the various paths that have brought Native American tribes to the precipice of digital gaming, and the resulting fallout. Issues that will be discussed include: The Department of Interior’s new proposed rules bringing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act into the digital age; creative compacting by tribes in Florida, Arizona, Connecticut and Michigan; and the competitive impacts on non-tribal commercial gaming operators.
12:10 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Special Address:
Stacie Clark Rogers, Operations Consultant, TAA
12:20 p.m. – 1:45p.m. Luncheon Keynote:
Joe Asher, President, IGT Sports Betting,
Chair of The Wilson Center
1:45 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Technology and Gaming: New Challenges, New Solutions
The explosion of legalized sports betting, fantasy sports and igaming over the past decade has led to the largest expansion of gambling in US history. This expansion – paired with technological advances – has revolutionized how the gambling public spends its dollar. This panel of lawyers, regulators, legislators, and industry insiders will discuss how gaming companies and regulators meet these new legal, policy and economic challenges.
2:40 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. The Implications of Exclusion for Racetracks and Casinos
Did Judge Amon get it right in the New York Baffert case? Is NYRA properly considered a state actor for purposes of exclusion? If NYRA is a state actor, couldn’t New York’s casinos be considered state actors as well? This panel of legal heavyweights will explain the exclusion rules and the Baffert case, and the ramifications for racetracks and casinos in New York and beyond.
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Networking Break
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Consumer Protections and the Federalization Of Gaming
Federal lawmakers are pushing the “Betting on our Future Act” in Congress, which would ban all advertising related to sports wagering in the United States. Similar legislation has been contemplated by various state legislatures. Policy experts debate the economic, legal, constitutional and regulatory ramifications of such a ban.
5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The Finish Line Happy Hour
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2023
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:10 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Harness Racing: An Industry in Decline – or in Transformation?
Harness racing has been a mainstay of American life for more than 150 years. In the 1950s harness racing was the fastest growing sport in the country. Now – with purses at their peak – interest by fans, bettors, and even racetrack owners appears to be waning. Are still higher purses, HISA regulation and legislated mandatory race days the answer? Our panel of knowledgeable harness experts will discuss what is ailing the harness industry and the economic, legal, and legislative prescription to bringing it back to health.
9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. Historical Horse Racing Machines: The Tail Wagging the Horse?
Is it a slot machine, is it really horse racing, and is it truly a pari-mutuel product? Does it matter? By some reports, historical horse racing (HHR) handle has eclipsed traditional horse racing handle. What effect will this have on the horse racing industry, and how will stakeholders and regulators adapt? And what impact is it having on the traditional gaming industry?
9:50 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Networking Break
10:20 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. HISA – Legal Limbo and Regulatory Reluctance
How do state regulators maintain consistent and fair regulatory oversight of the horse racing industry in the face of unclear and evolving federal mandates? Our panel of lawyers and regulators will discuss where we are and where we are going as the feds take the reins.
11:15 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Racing’s Changing Customer Base, CRWs and the Future of Betting
High-frequency trading revolutionized equity markets for all customers with improvements in technology, processing speed and reduced trading costs. How have racing’s customer base and technologies evolved over the same period? Estimates suggest about one-third of total betting on US racing comes from algorithmic-driven bettors, and the New York Racing Association has led the way in managing their impact. This session will explore the impact of racing’s biggest customers on mass market players, particularly given the pursuit for new horseplayers in today’s more competitive wagering marketplace. What role should regulators have in this aspect of the business? How are customers’ perceptions about betting on racing changing, and what challenges does this pose to the sport?
12:10 p.m. The Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga concludes.
Attendees are encouraged to meet at Saratoga Race Course for 1:00 p.m. post time
Note: Agenda subject to change
presented by:
