Indian Gaming Association reflects on Anaheim success and looks ahead to San Diego 2025

The Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention and DigitalPlay Summit (DPS) closed its doors in April having seen the busiest show floor in Anaheim, CA yet. The exhibitors and education sessions enjoyed by operators and tribal leaders bode well for a return to San Diego, California in 2025 with igaming firmly on the radar of many.

With more visitors through the door than 2022’s event in the same location, over 7,000 industry delegates engaged with an impressive roster of major industry stakeholders. New for 2024 was the DPS which offered attendees the chance to discover development in igaming and sports betting, expanding the opportunities at Indian gaming’s flagship event.

Leading providers including IGT, Everi, Konami, Playtech, Chalkline, Continent 8 and GBank, as well as other brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel, headlined the DPS and contributed to the over 400 booths that participated in the show.

Education was another key focus across the two days with the most comprehensive seminar programme yet. Taking the DPS’ inaugural narrative into the seminar rooms, online casino and sports betting deep dives were strengthened by a series of sessions examining technologies such as AI and how they can maintain tribal government gaming’s growth.

Another first was the Sustainable Gambling Zone (SGZ) which provided a focal point for the industry’s drive to share best practices and the latest innovations in operating sustainably.

With recent years perforated by challenges concerning the future of sports betting, the 2024 event was dominated by positive talk of the growth potential brought by cutting-edge technology and its deployment across the wider tribal gaming sector, boding well for the ever-present future introduction of igaming.

Feedback from exhibitors and visitors heralded the evolution of event space that showcased dedicated solutions to pressing issues and trending topics in the industry. The 2025 Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention, taking place 31 March – 3 April in San Diego, California, will once again include the DigitalPlay Summit and SGZ, and is already much anticipated.

Marcus Yoder, chief commercial officer, Playtech USA, said: “It’s a pivotal time for igaming and sports betting in the US. The conversations we were able to have at DPS with tribal leaders were critical to building the future.”

Gavin Knapp, senior director of sales and BD at Light & Wonder, said: “Igaming is coming. It’s not a matter of if, but when, which is why the content covered at DPS was critical. Tribal markets are vastly important and are a natural extension to the igaming ecosystem.”

Ernest Stevens Jr, Indian Gaming Association chairman, said: “It’s clear from the vast majority of the conversations held in Anaheim that we’re more aligned than ever on the way forward and the manner in which we’re going to get there together.

“Tribal government gaming leads the industry in its passion and responsibility to build and evolve a sustainable gaming infrastructure – giving back to and supporting local communities and future generations. Our annual event provides the perfect platform for sharing that passion and the insight that drives it. I know that next year’s gathering in San Diego will continue in that same collaborative vein and urge everyone who shares our vision to mark it in their calendar.”