From early on in the tenure , I ’ ve gained a strong appreciation for tribal government leadership , our own leaders and subject matter experts at the NIGC for their ability to be creative and resilient in navigating solutions from the pandemic , and then also to keep moving and advancing new areas and to leverage what we learned in that area .
CASINO COMMUNICATIONS
Q & A with
E . Sequoya Simermeyer
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships , Fanduel ; Former Chairman , National Indian Gaming Commission
E .
Sequoyah Simermeyer ’ s fouryear tenure as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission ( NIGC ) was perhaps the most unique of any to hold the position thus far , given that it included both the dismal lows wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the record-setting resurgence that followed shortly after . Simermeyer championed several NIGC initiatives over those four eventful years , including the advancement of self-regulation , cybersecurity , fiscal reporting and more . He spoke with TGG Editor Jess Marquez at the ICE London tradeshow in February in what were some of the final days of his term .
TGG : Now that the calendar has changed over to 2024 , what is the commission most focused on for the rest of the year ? What ’ s your main focus ? Simermeyer : I think a lot of it is going to be implementation of initiatives that we have been focusing on throughout recent years , but definitely helping to be a partner in the way the regulatory community thinks about technology , but also the threats that exist involving cybersecurity , and continue to try to help to promote good practices in that area .
You spoke in London on a panel regarding U . S . and European regulations . One concept that is very unique to tribal gaming is the concept of selfregulation . Could you expand on what that means from the commission ’ s perspective , especially at this point ? For us , self-regulation represents an authority within the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act ( IGRA ) that allows for tribes to petition the commission for a certificate of self-regulation . That certificate reduces some of the oversight role that the NIGC has in that tribe ’ s operations — things like site visits , demands for information without a subpoena — and it also provides some cost savings to the tribe ... At the time of ( IGRA ’ s ) debate and passage , there was concern from tribal leaders about the role that other regulatory bodies , like the newly created NIGC at that time , would play when tribes had their own jurisdiction , authority and ability to regulate . And so this is one of the provisions that was in there , in part for that reason .
From early on in the tenure , I ’ ve gained a strong appreciation for tribal government leadership , our own leaders and subject matter experts at the NIGC for their ability to be creative and resilient in navigating solutions from the pandemic , and then also to keep moving and advancing new areas and to leverage what we learned in that area .
This is a time of huge growth for the tribal sector , and as a regulatory authority , what would you say is important for operators to keep in mind during this time ? With any kind of change within the industry , there ’ s always an opportunity for tribal legislators and lawmakers at the local level to assess what their policy objectives are through their regulatory body . So if there are changes , new offerings within the IGRA framework , there ’ s an opportunity to assess your ordinance , an opportunity to establish goals you have with your licensing process that would help to meet your bigger mission within IGRA .
As you reflect on your tenure , what are some things that stick out in your mind from the journey ? What are some things that you ’ ll look back on fondly from your time at the NIGC ? From early on in the tenure , I ’ ve gained a strong appreciation for tribal government leadership , our own leaders and subject matter experts at the NIGC for their ability to be creative and resilient in navigating solutions from the pandemic , and then also to keep moving and advancing new areas and to leverage what we learned in that area .
I think the pandemic has been a significant moment for all of the industry , but in the regulatory community , it gave us at the NIGC an opportunity to change how we effectively engage with and collaborate with tribes on solving problems ... It ’ s also given us an opportunity to develop more resources in particular for the pandemic , but as other priority areas have come up , like cybersecurity or active shooters and critical event response , it ’ s given us an opportunity to establish more guidance that can promote best practices in those areas .
To finish things off , this is obviously the last ICE in London , so I ’ m curious , what has been your favorite part about visiting London and what ’ s one thing you ’ ll miss before things move to Barcelona ? What ’ s been exciting about the opportunities we ’ ve had to be here in London is that it ’ s an extremely international city . And the level of activity and collaboration around it is really energizing . So I ’ ve very much enjoyed the time that I ’ ve been here for ICE . And it is absolutely an important part of understanding trends in the industry , so that ’ s always invigorating and exciting to see .
6 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT GAMING 2024