IAGA SUMMIT BELFAST FUTURE OF US IGAMING IGT PLAYDIGITAL & GEOCOMPLY
Steve Kastner VP of Compliance IGT PlayDigital
Steve Kastner’s is VP of Compliance for IGT’s PlayDigital segment. Steve’s career in gaming spans more than two decades and covers both the operator and supplier sides of the business. In this role, Kastner has global responsibility for the regulatory requirements, licensing, due diligence, product approval and operational compliance of IGT’s digital gaming and sports betting business.
He has been instrumental in development of new jurisdictions and in many landmark projects that have transformed the landscape of gaming. He started his gaming career in 1995 at The Mirage where he was involved in marketing and the development of new properties, and has held various positions at IGT throughout the systems, product management and compliance functions. Kastner holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wyoming, and MBAs from UCLA Anderson School of Management and National University of Singapore.
Featuring a diverse mix of industry regulators, operators, suppliers and legal experts, “Te future of iGaming in the US and Its Legal and Regulatory Challenges” panel session at the IAGA Summit in Belfast, will explore the real and speculated expansion iGaming opportunities that lie ahead and will evaluate what hurdles exist to its legalisation.
G3 connected with panel participants, Sam Basile, Vice President of Business Development & Licensing, GeoComply and Steve Kastner, IGT PlayDigital VP of Compliance, to discuss the topic highlights ahead of the Summit in June.
How is the increasing lack of regulatory uniformity impacting the compliance burden on operators and suppliers?
Steve Kastner: In my view, lack of regulatory uniformity drives several areas of inefficiency. For manufacturers, each one must manage requirements any requirements that vary from a uniform “standard.” Tat leads to at least extra effort internally, or at worst, a separate version of a product for the jurisdiction. Tat could snowball into separate projects and added costs to approve the product. Tese all start as manufacturer concerns, but they can turn into jurisdictional and consumer concerns as well. In some instances, manufacturers may choose to forego a jurisdiction entirely—resulting in a market that may never see that innovation.
Sam Basile: Te balkanized nature of gaming P82 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
legalisation and regulation means that operators and suppliers must learn the rules of many different roads. While it does present compliance challenges, we have worked to optimize our internal processes so that our teams have clear direction on what is expected in each jurisdiction we serve. First and foremost, it starts with candid communication with the regulators to understand the expectations and share our plan to meet the requirements with them. Simultaneously, we are collaborating with our customers so they fully understand the requirements and how we can help them achieve their compliance goals. No matter the jurisdiction, putting together a comprehensive compliance programme is like putting together a puzzle. Ultimately it is our job to ensure the technology and security pieces we supply comply with the requirements so that the gaming environment is secure, the public is protected, and the market succeeds.
Are we seeing moves towards greater collaboration and cooperation between state regulators?
Sam Basile: Regulatory agencies have a long history of cooperation and information exchanges. Tis happens formally through memorandums of understanding and through more informal means such as attending conferences and sharing information through regulatory associations. GeoComply is proud to host a quarterly Town Hall, which has become an incredible forum for regulators to discuss the developments and trends they see in their respective markets. It is important to have this cross-jurisdictional dialogue to ensure that regulatory changes or directives in one state do not undermine the regulatory objectives of another state.
Steve Kastner: Yes, we saw such a dynamic in the U.S. proliferation of sports betting. States with later legislation have frequently reached out to states that moved earlier to seek guidance and best practices. Adopting uniform operating and technical standards enables efficiencies for operators and suppliers, while allowing regulators to benefit from the best of thinking across their peers.
What lessons can US states take from sports betting for new market rollouts of iGaming?
Steve Kastner: Te two most valuable lessons that states can take from the rollout of sports betting are to recognize that iGaming is different than land-based gaming and to not reinvent the wheel when it comes to requirements and licensing. Like sports betting, iGaming requires all stakeholders, supplier, operators and regulators to be both vigilant and nimble. It’s important to pro-actively set up frameworks and processes that enable communication, and even rapid responses without layers of approvals and authorization.
“Simultaneously, we are collaborating with our customers so they fully
understand the requirements and how we can help them achieve their compliance goals. No matter the jurisdiction, putting together a comprehensive compliance programme is like putting
together a puzzle. Ultimately it is our job to ensure the technology and security pieces we supply comply with the requirements so that the gaming environment is secure, the public is
protected, and the market succeeds.” Steve Kastner
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