Senator Keith Pickard from Nevada State is the incoming president of the National Council of Legislators From Gaming States (NCLGS). In a recent press release, the senator echoed the organization’s effort and goal to expand its reputation across the country. The NCLGS wants to embody the best practices in law and regulations surrounding the gaming industry. This will create a more conducive business environment for the thriving industry.
Pickard replaced the outgoing chairman, Senator Bill Coley of Ohio, who had just completed his two-year term. However, Senator Coley remains at the council as a member until December, when his tenure will expire. Senator Pickard promised to steer the council in the path of success by working closely with the staff to attain the already set goals.
Challenges Facing the Legal Gaming Industry
The NCLGS President, Senator Keith Pickard, hosted Webinar with the legal gaming industry stakeholders on October 28 to address challenges facing its growth. The Webinar focused on expanding the country’s gaming landscape and helping new entrants to launch with minimal challenges.
Some of the difficulties noted to be affecting the industry include the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has adversely affected revenues across the board. The council also pointed out that the industry was constantly thrown into the state’s budget deficit limbo.
Pickard’s Proposed Solutions to Challenges Facing the Legal Gaming Industry
The new leadership at the NCLGS pledged to provide guidance and research to the industry and help identify the best universal gaming practices. Besides regular conferences and webinars to enhance inclusivity and transparency, Senator Pickard proposed the following solutions that will redefine the Legal Gaming Industry:
1. Identifying emerging trends and technology in the iGaming, fantasy sports, and any upcoming verticals that will prove profitable. The council will help stakeholders adopt these trends and technology by ensuring effective laws and regulation of sports betting across the country.
2. Forging a fruitful collaboration with offline casinos and lotteries to help them converge in the digital space. The council acknowledges the role of updated technology in expanding market reach and diversification of products.
3. Focusing on the Indian and commercial gaming markets to explore their full economic potentials. Exploring and diversifying these markets will see the industry survive budget deficit dilemmas.
4. Creating employment opportunities through promoting tourism and expansion of non-gaming income-generating streams. This move will see the council expanding other state goals and policies that affect the regular customer.
What Other Roles Does the NCLGS Play?
The NCLGS designates itself as the only council of state lawmakers that has the legal and regulatory interests of the sports betting industry at heart through their regular meetings. All council members are drawn from state legislative house committees in charge of gaming industry regulation in their respective states.
The NCLGS portrays itself as a neutral body that is neither interested in supporting nor opposing gaming but rather focuses on the economic and social impacts influenced by regulation.Since its existence, the council has two primary goals, including educating fellow lawmakers on gambling and promoting state-level public policy development in matters gambling.
Pickard may bring a different agenda to the council’s goals. Together with his wife, they are staunch advocates for responsible gambling. The couple recently joined community support programs that help teens to recover from gambling addiction in the Las Vegas Valley. They participated in offering the 12-step recovery program. It is also important to note that the couple jointly gave more than 200 community-based presentations to address the challenges gamblers face when trying to overcome addiction.
Nevada senator is the kind of president with the acumen to bring change in the Legal Gaming Industry, given that his state Nevada is already doing well. Everyone is yearning to see how the council’s goals will boost the industry.
