Press Release – In his first major speech as the new head of the American Gaming Association, CEO Geoff Freeman urged the U.S. gaming industry to embrace the opportunities created by the digital expansion of gaming and challenged federal policymakers to establish minimum standards that “make innovation possible” in what he referred to as “one of gaming’s most dynamic eras.”

Freeman’s remarks came during a keynote speech to the European iGaming Congress, a prestigious gathering of more than 1,500 online gaming professionals and executives from Europe and around the world. In his remarks, Freeman outlined his intent to drive a more proactive, aggressive and unapologetic agenda for the industry, describing his organization as “an AGA aggressively in pursuit of growth.”

In outlining his future plans, Freeman committed to moving swiftly to remove barriers to industry growth, educating the public about gaming’s important economic contributions, and ensuring the continued creation of innovative products and experiences – including online gaming.  Freeman says the industry wants a set of minimum standards for online gaming and said he would work aggressively to remove “bad actors” who threaten the industry’s hard-won image as a mainstream business, noting, “our reputation is the springboard to our future.”

Freeman told attendees that the U.S. gaming industry “welcomes new competition” but only within “a legal and fair regulatory environment,” and he strongly emphasized the need for regulation saying, “We are not against regulation.  We have never been against regulation. We want regulation.”  But Freeman called for a more modernized system of regulation, one that allows the industry to thrive in a new era of growth – an era Freeman says will be “defined at the intersection of digital technology and social media.”  He urged support at the state level for an updated regulatory structure that “provides the necessary protections required while allowing us to act nimbly, to be innovative and to grow.”

Freeman, who is the former chief operating officer of the U.S. Travel Association, and is widely credited with helping to expand and transform it into a major force on travel policy issues, spoke on the heels of his first 100 days at the helm of the AGA.

He closed his speech by offering his perspective on how the AGA will lead, saying, “we will clear a pathway for our members to attract a new generation of gamers, tap into the huge potential offered by digital expansion, and hope to change the game, once again.”

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