SAN DIEGO – American Gaming Association CEO Bill Miller told tribal leaders attending the National Indian Gaming Association conference Thursday the Washington D.C.-based organization would help advance Indian gaming causes.
Miller, who took the post in January, replacing Geoff Freeman, admitted the relationship between the tribes and AGA was strained historically until his predecessor recognized the importance of building partnerships between tribal nations with casinos, commercial casino operators, gaming suppliers, equipment manufacturers.
Ernie Stevens presents Bill Miller with a ceremonial Indian blanket
Miller vowed to be a friend to the tribal casino industry. His first domestic trip as CEO of the AGA to Tulsa, Oklahoma in February where he visited the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino of the Cherokee Nation.
Prior to joining the AGA, Miller was national political director with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and senior vice president of the Business Roundtable – an association of CEOs who lobby the federal government on economic policies.
“It was impossible not to see the importance of tribal gaming not just to the Indian tribes themselves but to the entire state of Oklahoma,” Miller said.
He met with Cherokee Chief Bill John Baker, who told him the tribe originally wasn’t unanimous on opening a casino. Today, everyone in the tribe today believes it was a good decision that empowered members economically, offered educational opportunities, enriched the culture, and displayed the tribe’s efforts to become community partners.
Miller said he visited the San Manuel Casino in Southern California in March and plans this year to visit all 11 tribes who are AGA members. He wants to understand the gaming industry’s partnership with the tribal nations.
“I want you to understand my commitment to the partnership that exists and to expand it and strengthen it,” Miller said. “I come at this as a Chamber of Commerce guy in that you need economic hubs to create strong communities, whether it’s the hospital or military base or a factory or the tribal casino. These are the economic hubs that create opportunities for people to get jobs and to have small businesses, and these are great and important community partners.”
Through the revenues created by Indian casinos, tribes are able pour money back into their communities. Miller said he’s seen the importance of the tribal community and “why it’s an incredibly powerful narrative for us to talk about why gaming matters and why gaming is a good steward and partner in the community.”
NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. said Miller’s visit “means the world to us” and so does the partnership with the AGA.
“Many of you remember some of the leaps and bounds and maybe some of the mountains we climbed over the years with the American Gaming Association,” Stevens said. “Over the last several years we had a constant and good solid working relationship with them. Bill Miller is new, but he has hit the ground running and been to the heart of Indian country already and he knows our relationship to the tribal leaders here today.’’
Miller said one initiative he would pursue is helping tribes seeking access to the legal sports betting market. He said the AGA would work with tribes on having strong oversight and regulations.
Miller said federal regulation of sports betting would only happen if there is a betting scandal.
Stevens said NIGA will work with the AGA on sports betting and problem gambling. However, Stevens said tribes spend millions of dollars on regulations and they have worked hard on being on the forefront of issues.
“Once Bill understands that and gets to see that, he’ll be comfortable,” Stevens said. “We don’t hesitate to boast about what we’re doing but we can always strengthen. When you come to Indian Country, you are on the candid camera immediately and under our scrutiny immediately. We got over 30 years showing how we deal with any attempts of cheats and scams.”
Stevens said NIGA leaders don’t expect Miller to do everything requested by the organization and vice versa.
The AGA, starting with Freeman, laid out the “new era of a unity with respect to strengthening and regulating and understanding the gaming industry overall.”
Stevens said, “I met with him this morning and met with him at the ICE London show. There is no reason not to think (we) could be good partners, hard-working friends and have a great dialogue. We’re really excited. You always want to take a chance to get to know folks.”
