ICE North America Digital - Day 2 ICE NA Digital Event Guide - Day 2-v6 | Page 5

DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS Day one of ICE North America Digital kicked off with a debate on iGaming and how it could offer land-based gaming establishments a lifeline once normal life resumes. Moderator Marie Jones, an attorney at Fox Rothschild LLP, was joined by Aviram Alroy, VP Interactive Games at Mohegan Sun, Jesse Chemtob, General Manager and VP of Casino at FanDuel Group and Michigan State Representative Brandt Iden to answer questions on the impact it has had – and will continue to have – on bricks and mortar properties. Not only did they examine the strategies operators are utilizing to generate revenue and engage with their customers, they also examined the legislative imperative in states that have yet to open up online, and how it is set to play a pivotal role in the phased re-opening of states that have. Aviram was the first to contribute, indicating that growth in online players, many of whom were existing land-based customers making the switch, was very positive for the industry. He was hopeful the statistics would encourage states and land-based only operators to understand the value of having a diverse portfolio. Jesse agreed, suggesting they should view online as complementary rather than competitive, particularly given that many trying it for the first time were existing land-based patrons. Brandt suggested taxation would help states starved of funds in the months to come and highlighted the slow processing of licences as a need to get on with it. He also called for shared liquidity to make it more attractive to players. The panel then considered the importance of monitoring players to ensure better protection during the stay at home period, with Aviram suggesting this was far easier to do online and Brandt pointing to the sophisticated technology available to online operators. He also suggested the online world was a great opportunity for venues to grow their database, with Jesse holding New Jersey up as a great example of the opportunities on offer to states who take the plunge. The second panel session of the day also focused on online – but this time iLottery, and how regulation is catching up with technology. With David Isaacson, VP Spectrum Gaming Capital in the chair, Gordon Medenica, director Maryland Lottery and Gaming, Lauren Walker, Director Interactive content and customer Service at Kentucky Lottery and Ludovico Calvi, President Global Lottery Monitoring System looked at the importance of having agile online products and platforms to complement – and improve – retail performance. Gordon began proceedings by maintaining the importance of keeping retail partners onside, with Lauren stating that Kentucky had made a very May 11, 2020 iGaming & iLottery conscious decision to ensure pay-outs were the same in retail and online to do so. This had helped retail revenues continue to grow. Ludovico said it was hard to convert lotteries from being a cash-based businesses, but that changing consumer habits married to the Covid-19 epidemic was speeding that up. He also suggested the growth of sports betting was helping operators in different verticals in the U.S. adopt an omni-channel approach. Gordon went on to allay fears that the older lottery players won’t take to online by suggesting the demographics were almost identical to the state they resided in. He also highlighted lotteries universal appeal. Lauren said big draws appealed to those in their 40s, whilst the real variety in iLottery products was drawing in the 18- 25 year olds. As the debate then swung to sports betting as having potential for lottery operators, Gordon concluded that launching any kind of licensed iGaming was important to combat illegal operators. To watch the full-length stream of each session held on Monday, May 11 during ICE North America Digital, please click here. 5