Something really special about iGaming North America is the quality of speakers and the care that goes into choosing those speakers. Organizer Sue Schneider has a wealth of knowledge and contacts within the online gambling industry in America, something that is clear as soon as you review the session schedule.
The layout of iGaming North America is purposely designed to facilitate networking, although if you’re new to the business it can be hard to pinpoint the experts that should be on your hit list.
In an effort to help cut through the noise and provide some tangible targets, below are a handful of the speakers that will provide value if you find the opportunity to pull them aside and talk with them.
Melissa Blau, Director, iGaming Capital
Spend as much time as you can with Melissa Blau and you will undoubtedly walk away knowing something that you did not know before. Blau has dedicated herself to mastering the European and regulated online gambling market in America. She is a wealth of information when it comes to partnerships, financing, starting up, regulatory challenges, payment processing, social and just about anything else that you can think of. She’s very willing to share her knowledge and will offer valuable tidbits of advice to anyone who is eager to learn.
Mitch Garber, CEO, Caesars Acquisition Co & Caesars Interactive Entertainment
Mitch Garber is a pioneer in the American regulated online gambling market. He’s one of the most recognized names in the American online gambling space and has years of experience in the online gambling industry in general, most famous for his time at Party Gaming after the passage of UIGEA. He currently serves as the CEO of Caesars Acquisition Co and Caesars Interactive Entertainment and has guided Caesar’s expansion from land based gaming to online.
Jeff Ifrah, Founding Partner, Ifrah Law PLLC
Remember the Full Tilt case after Black Friday? Jeff Ifrah is the lawyer who represented Full Tilt, Ray Bitar and other Full Tilt Pros during the mess that developed after that fateful day. In addition to Full Tilt, Ifrah’s high profile iGaming clients include PokerStars, Interactive Gaming Council and the Delaware State Lottery. Ifrah is also known to be “reporter friendly”, especially when it comes to the online gambling industry, so if you’ve got legal questions or just want to shake his hand, make sure you find him at iGaming North America.
Charles Cohen, CEO, Probability PLC
Mobile gaming is the shining star of 2014 and Charles Cohen is an expert and icon in the mobile gaming industry. Cohen co-founded his mobile entertainment business Probability in 2003 and to say its still going strong today is an understatement. What I love about Cohen is that he’s not afraid to put his predictions out into the world and in fact, he wants to share them. Talk with Cohen about “mobile first” and how gamification of casino games can greatly broaden your player audience.
Eamonn Toland, President, Paddy Power North America
Despite the Oscar Pistorius debacle, Paddy Power is an industry leader in many ways and a strong brand in our industry. Eamonn Toland heads up Paddy Power North America has been tasked with strengthening the Irish bookmaker’s brand and business in the regulated US market. As you would suspect, he has a lot to say about adapting a traditional European brand to the American consumer. Toland has a very pleasant way about him too, so don’t be shy at iGaming North America and ask him a question or two, he’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.
Brock Pierce, Managing Director, Clearstone Global Gaming Fun
Don’t be fooled by his youthful appearance, Brock Pierce is one of the sharpest and most switched on individuals I’ve ever met, a serial entrepreneur who has a true eye for business. Pierce’s specialty in the online gambling space is social gaming and Bitcoin, two areas that you can bet he’ll teach you something about. I’d also recommend catching his session on gamifying casino games if that’s your thing, I can tell you from personal experience that Pierce is a very engaging speaker.
Thomas Winter, VP of Online Gaming, Laundry’s Golden Nugget
Winter has a long history of leadership in the online gambling industry, including European brands Betclic and Expekt and now serves as the VP of Online Gaming for Landry’s Golden Nugget. His job is to successfully launch and manage Golden Nugget’s casino and poker sites in New Jersey and eventually other states in America. Talk with Winter if you want to hear about the challenges of launching a real money site in regulated America and how things are going for his brand in New Jersey so far, just be prepared to hear it all in a thick French accent, he warns.
