The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI) has formed its first-ever advisory board, which the institute’s leader says gives the institute new perspectives and opportunities to help progress the industry.
For more than 30 years, IGI has provided expertise and education, including research-based solutions and insights, to the global gambling industry. It has expertise in areas including gambling and gaming innovation, business operations, regulation and policy, esports and digital games, and problem and responsible gambling and has been called upon to provide its research to more than 50 jurisdictions across the globe.
Consisting of leaders from several leading operators, multiple big-name suppliers, tribal gaming personnel and others, the Executive Director’s Advisory Board is a strategic initiative designed to further IGI’s mission to provide world-class research, education and innovation to the global gaming industry.
IGI Executive Director Brett Abarbanel, Ph.D., told SBC Americas that continued gambling industry developments, coupled with competing information, reinforced that the institute needed a range of insights.
“It is normal at U.S.-based institutions for different entities in the University to have advisory boards with outside stakeholders to advise and help with fundraising opportunities,” Abarbanel said. “All of these different perspectives then have an opportunity to be in the same room in addition to us learning from them. It’s a channel we’ve never had in a formal sense to access the industry perspectives we need.”
The inaugural IGI Executive Director’s Advisory Board is comprised of:
- Peter Arceo, Chief Gaming Officer of federally recognized California tribe Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation
- Richard Baldwin, Managing Partner of global gaming industry advisory and investment firm GGHM
- Jan Jones Blackhurst, Independent Director of Caesars Entertainment and Executive Director of UNLV’s Black Fire Leadership Initiative
- Carlos Carrion, VP of International Sales and Business Development of used gambling equipment marketplace SlotCycle
- Justin Carter, SVP of Regional Operations of PENN Entertainment
- Daron Dorsey, President & CEO of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM)
- Jessica Feil, VP of Regulatory Affairs & Compliance for sportsbook technology provider OpenBet
- Chris Grove, Partner Emeritus of research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming
- Anika Howard, President & CEO of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s online gaming company Wondr Nation
- Lori Kalani, Chief Responsible Gaming Officer of DraftKings
- David Lopez, CEO of American Gaming Systems (AGS)
- Brian Mattingley, former Chairman of Playtech
- Laura McAllister Cox, CCO of Rush Street Interactive
- Simon Thomas, Executive Chairman of London, England’s Hippodrome Casino
A release stated that the board will provide strategic counsel, foster connections and contribute insights and resources to help IGI maintain its status as the intellectual capital for gambling research and education worldwide.
“It is my great pleasure to welcome this esteemed group to IGI’s inaugural Advisory Board,” Abarbanel added in a public statement. “This board will help elevate IGI’s profile of academic excellence through its commitment to our mission. We are honored to welcome these accomplished experts and look forward to benefiting from their dynamic perspectives and support in creating meaningful connections between IGI and its stakeholders.”
IGI launches new AI assessment initiative
The UNLV IGI has announced the new board two months after it launched AiR Hub, an AI-focused initiative for researching the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence while also fostering collaboration between key stakeholders in the gambling industry.
The hub is run under the leadership of IGI Director of Research Kasra Ghaharian and gambling industry veteran and AiR Hub adjunct fellow Simo Dragicevic, and supported by the likes of Action Gaming, Evoke, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Playtech and the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA).
Last year, the IGI hosted its inaugural ESPN Research Fellowship, wherein it teamed up with the sports network to provide a group of scholars with the opportunity to research the impact of responsible gaming messages used by sports and gambling media.
