IAGA SUMMIT: CEO ROUNDTABLE AGEM, AGA & CGA
Daron, who previously served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Group Compliance Officer at Ainsworth Game Technology and has been an Officer and General Counsel of AGEM since 2016, explains what he wants to glean from the leaders who help shape public policy and perception about gaming in all its forms.
Detailing his vision for the association's future after replacing Marcus Prater who sat in the hot seat since 2008, Daron addresses whether AGEM is looking to integrate sports betting and online companies into its membership and, ultimately, how the association evolves with a shifting US gaming landscape.
Casting an eye over the opportunities and challenges facing the supplier sector in a post- Covid landscape, Daron commends the resilience shown by AGEM's membership and expresses concern about the proliferation of unregulated gaming, before rounding off with a discussion about whether AGEM's membership plans on returning en masse to ICE London 2023.
As moderator, what do you want to prise from the CEO Roundtable at IAGA? What message do you want to get across to the audience?
IAGA is a gathering of important gaming executives, advisors and regulators, so having the CEOs of the leading trade associations in North America together for that discussion is a great opportunity to hear from them. My priority is allowing the panellists to discuss their core priorities as each brings a different perspective to the table. As leaders, I want them to communicate their experiences of the last 18-24 months to the audience at IAGA, where they see themselves and their membership bases in the growth of their gaming markets, and where they're going in next couple of years coming out of Covid-19.
Another message I'd like to get across concerns the common issues affecting commercial gaming markets regardless of geographic location. Whether you are in the U.S., Canada, or tribal markets, there are themes and trends that apply to everyone - this could be concerning jobs, economic impact, social responsibility, and regulated gaming's place in society.
Each one of the leaders of the trading organisations can convey how gaming is an economic driver and part of the fabric of their communities, both now and in the years to come, where each of them is trying to go with their membership base over the next couple of years and what their main priorities are.
It's been a couple of months since you replaced Marcus Prater. What drove your interest in the role and how have you found the hot seat?
I was an officer in this trade association for many years through my position as an executive at Ainsworth Game Technology. My interest in the role derives from my belief in the good of the supplier sector, what it means to the gaming
P60 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Daron Dorsey Executive Director Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM)
industry as a whole and the positive story it has to tell over the coming years. I want to continue to shine a light on the technology and supplier sector for the things it does, has been doing and will continue to do in the regulated gaming space.
I'm excited to discuss issues such as those being covered by the roundtable. Regulated gaming is in so many geographic locales, regions, and smaller markets, so I think it is important to talk about its role in the communities where it resides. Tat includes not just operators and gaming operations, but the supplier side too.
I've always enjoyed advocating and trying to tell that story in my role as an officer and as an executive at gaming suppliers for many years, and that's what I want to do for the years to come as AGEM’s Executive Director.
“My priority is allowing the panellists to discuss their core priorities as each brings a different perspective to the table. As leaders, I want them to communicate their
experiences of the last 18-24 months to the audience at IAGA, where they see themselves and their membership bases in the growth of their gaming
markets, and where they're going in next couple of years coming out of Covid-19.”
In regards to how I find the seat, it has been great. Marcus worked on behalf of AGEM for more than a decade and our entire supplier sector benefited greatly from all he did during his long tenure as the Executive Director. Just 15 years ago, AGEM was a handful of companies and now comprises hundreds of companies from around the world from large, public gaming manufacturers to mid-level suppliers and newcomers to the regulated gaming space.
Managing a lot of different views from members in various locations around the globe while AGEM grew exponentially was a tall order and we have Marcus to thank for a lot of that. My job is to pick up the ball and keep taking it down the field to build on all the ideas, concepts, and issues to continue telling the story of what the supplier sector is doing. I've found that to be an exciting opportunity after going from working within a large organisation to this new role.
“I'm a lawyer by training, be that as a legal executive at gaming companies and private practice in law firms before that. In most situations, my
role involved a specific client and a single issue to advocate for, whether that be in a
negotiation in a commercial setting, engaged in disputes and litigation or representing a client before a regulatory body. I now get to advocate on behalf of an entire industry
sector, so it's no longer a zero- sum outcome from those efforts. ”
I'm a lawyer by training, be that as a legal executive at gaming companies and private practice in law firms before that. In most situations, my role involved a specific client and a single issue to advocate for, whether that be in a negotiation in a commercial setting, engaged in disputes and litigation or representing a client before a regulatory body.
I now get to advocate on behalf of an entire industry sector, so it's no longer a zero-sum outcome from those efforts. Our member companies are doing things that benefit the industry every single day and I now get to convey that message and tell those stories.
With sports betting and online gaming hitting new heights as U.S. state legislation opens, is AGEM looking to integrate sports betting and online gaming companies into its membership?
Yes. Many of our members are already in or entering that space. Tere are also companies from outside the US in markets where regulated sports betting and online gaming are more mature who are interested in coming to the US and Canadian spaces. As those new markets evolve, AGEM wants to be a resource for those suppliers.
AGEM and AGEM members have a lot of experience and exposure to the layered nature of the U.S. and Canadian market where you see
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