Brandon Macheta currently serves the Pokagon Band Gaming Commission (PBGC) as Chief Gaming Technology Inspector. Mr. Macheta supervises the PBGC Gaming Technology Unit in ensuring the integrity of gaming at the four properties of the Four Winds Casinos located in Michigan and Indiana. Chief Macheta applies his eight years of experience working for the PBGC and extensive technical expertise in ensuring Tribal/State Gaming Compact Compliance in two states and overseeing the technical management of over 5,000 gaming devices, iGaming, and sports wagering.
Chief Macheta has presented on the topic of gaming technology regulation at national training forums and authored technical guides and articles featured in Indian Gaming magazine on regulating emerging gaming technology. Brandon has designed cutting edge gaming testing and operational standards and worked with an independent gaming testing laboratory to establish the PBGC as a GAT jurisdiction.
Mr. Macheta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership.

Brian is a software technology executive with 20 years of experience building and growing a diverse range of product teams. In his current role as SVP of Engineering at DraftKings, Brian leads multi-product gaming teams to deliver the most trusted and exciting digital sports gaming products, that bring sports fans closer to the games they love. Prior to DraftKings, Brian has held CTO and VP of Engineering positions at various B2B and B2C start-ups, as well as running global engineering and support organizations, and chief product architecture positions for enterprise software (CRM, enterprise search and CDN/Security) companies.

Charlie Gardiner has been involved in thoroughbred racing for fifty years, as a horseman, Racing Official, and for many years as a Racing Steward. He left racing in 1991 to pursue a career in law. After graduating from Loyola University’s School of Law (New Orleans) in 1994, he was employed by the Louisiana Supreme Court for the next five years.

Racing then recruited him back with an offer to become Executive Director of the Louisiana State Racing Commission where he has served for twenty-three years, serving four Governors, two Democrats, and two Republicans.

In what little spare time he has, he enjoys spending time with his two children and two grandchildren, friends, music, food, fishing, and hanging out with his Norfolk Terrier, Rex.

Charles Moore has been involved with the horse racing industry and the gaming industry for 47 combined years. In 2008, Charles accepted the position of Executive Director of the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission/Wyoming Gaming Commission. In 2014, the Wyoming Legislature passed wagering on Historic Racing, setting a new precedent for the State of Wyoming. With that passage, Wyoming has experienced a revitalization of wagering activity and racing in the Cowboy State. In 2020, the Wyoming Legislature took another giant leap into the gaming arena with the legalization of Skill Based Amusement games. In 2021, Online Sports Wagering was authorized and added another lift to the agency. Throughout each launch, Director Moore was able to pilot and successfully implement each expansion. Today, the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission/Wyoming Gaming Commission has become one of the fastest growing agencies in the state.

Chris Coyle has almost 30 years’ experience in the lottery & gaming industry having started his career with the innovator in video lottery, Video Lottery Consultants. Chris and his company provide a wide range of professional services, with a specialization in cyber risk management and emerging innovations. From authoring articles and whitepapers to moderating cyber security and other lottery/gaming panels, Chris offers a thoughtful and forward thinking approach to new questions and considerations about our industry and the growing urgency to address cyber threats.

Chris Grove is the co-founder and CEO of American Affiliate, a division of FansUnite (CSE: FANS) focused on customer generation for the U.S. sports betting and online gambling market.

Grove is a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits, a venture investor, and a nationally recognized subject matter expert whose insights have been cited by outlets including Bloomberg, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has testified regarding gambling issues before lawmakers in multiple states including California, Illinois, New York, Nevada, and Washington State.

Grove also serves as a Distinguished Fellow at UNLV’s International Center For Gaming Regulation, a Mentor at Tech Stars, and a GP at Acies Investments. Prior to his role at American Affiliate, Grove founded the sports betting practice at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, where he remains a Partner Emeritus, and served as the Acting Director of Catena Media’s U.S. division.

Chris Soriano is Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer at Penn National Gaming, Inc. In that role he is responsible for overseeing regulatory compliance at over forty properties in twenty jurisdictions as well as the company’s online gaming operations.  Prior to joining Penn National in early 2020, Chris was a partner in the Trial Practice Group of Duane Morris LLP since 2015 and prior to that was an associate in the firm since 2009. At Duane Morris his practice concentrated on gaming law and commercial litigation. He has experience before numerous gaming regulatory bodies across the country.  He has conducted internal investigations of gaming companies and advised clients with respect to compliance and control enhancements. He began his legal career as an associate at the Philadelphia law firm Wolf, Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen.

Chris frequently speaks on emerging issues in gaming law and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall University Law School where he teaches Gaming Law and serves on the Law School’s Sports, Gaming and Hospitality Advisory Board. He has served as an officer and trustee of the Casino Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.  He is a member of the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering Compliance Review Board.

Chris earned his law degree from the Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he was a staff member and business editor of Temple Law Review. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University. During law school he was an intern for the Honorable Thomas J. Rueter, U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Having worked for the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) in regulatory enforcement for over twenty-nine years, Dan Hartman brought an extensive background when joining the Colorado Division of Gaming. As Director of Gaming, he was responsible for leading the efforts to stand up the state’s Sports Betting program. Under Dan’s guidance and leadership, the Colorado Sports Betting program is considered one of the best in the nation for its regulatory framework and industry growth.

Before coming to the Division of Gaming, Dan established the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division as the Division’s first director. Colorado was the first state to begin regulation of this newly legalized industry, which put him at the forefront of one of the nation’s more controversial issues. Dan was the first person to build a regulatory framework and take marijuana from its illegal environment to a legal one.

Dan began his career in regulatory law enforcement in 1992; he has worked as the Director of the Colorado Division of Gaming, Director of the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, Director of the Racing Events Division, and acting Director of the Liquor Enforcement Division.

Also active nationally, Dan served as 2010 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) and President of the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators’ Association. He has received NAPRA’s Pacesetters Award (2003) and was an honored recipient of the RCI’s award for achievement and leadership: the Len Foote Award (2007).

David Murley is the Deputy Director for Online Gaming and Legal Affairs for the Michigan Gaming Control Board.  In that role, he oversees internet casino gaming and internet sports betting.  Previously, he worked as Deputy Legal Counsel for Gov. Rick Snyder, where he led the state’s compact negotiation efforts and assisted with the launch of the I-Lottery.  He has also served as general counsel to the Michigan House of Representatives and as an attorney with the Michigan Office of Regulatory Reform.

Greg Small is the Executive Director for the Indiana Gaming Commission. Before becoming the Executive Director, Greg was the Commission General Counsel from August 2015 through August 2021. As Executive Director, he oversees an agency that regulates casino gaming, sports wagering, charity gaming, and boxing and mixed martial arts, and which contributes approximately $520M in wagering tax, $40M in supplemental tax, and $25M in sports wagering tax into state and local funds. The Commission has a staff of almost 250 employees, including 170 certified law enforcement officers.

A native of Mooresville, Indiana, Greg received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, and his law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Prior to joining to the Commission, Greg was a partner at the law firm Krieg DeVault LLP as well as an assistant city attorney for the City of Bloomington.

Gus Fritschie serves as Vice President, IT Security Solutions Development & Delivery at Bulletproof. In this role, Fritschie has led numerous large-scale projects including enterprise-wide vulnerability assessments for both government and commercial clients, management of security compliance efforts, and web application penetration tests.

In 2011 Gus transitioned a significant portion of his practice into the gaming sector. He has supported many clients across the gaming spectrum from iGaming operators, land-based casinos, and gaming manufacturers to lotteries, tribal gaming, and daily fantasy sports.

Fritschie has performed research into the security of online gaming and has presented his findings at security conferences such as DefCon 2011 and 2017, HackerCon 2011, DerbyCon 2012, iGaming North America 2015, and NASPL 2015, 2016, and 2017. He has also presented at numerous government agencies on a wide variety of information security topics. Fritschie has written articles discussing the need for security in online gaming for publications such as Global Gaming Business Magazine.

Fritschie has been involved in information security since 2000. He began his career as a systems administrator for a financial services company. He then joined the information security consulting practices of both KPMG and Deloitte & Touche. He led and performed numerous vulnerability assessments and penetration tests in support of financial audits and other compliance-related efforts for clients including Fortune 500 companies, civilian agencies, and the Department of Defense.

Earlier this year SeNet merged with Bulletproof ™- a GLI® Company. The combined SeNet and Bulletproof team provides a comprehensive set of security services to the gaming industry.

Christopher: After performing his solo puppet act for 30 years (you might have seen him on “America’s Got Talent”) Christopher is delighted to be working with real humans. What he loves most about working with Cardio Spider is … finally, he doesn’t have to carry the entire act. Christopher also performs with the Las Vegas Improvisation Players, often on banjo or guitar.

Trina Colon: Trina fell in love with performing at the tender age of nine. She spent years in the theatre in the Midwest and then in the San Francisco Bay Area. She satisfies the other half of her brain working in the Real Estate and Mortgage Banking business and promoting health and wellness. She recently appeared in feature films, television, and on the stage at various theatres in Las Vegas working on everything from Shakespeare to zany comedy sketches and performance art. Trina strives to find the art in everything, which contributes to the wellspring of inspiration for her writing, acting, and improv. She is excited about working with the smart, funny and spontaneous members of Cardio Spider.

Paul Lirette: For over 23 years, Paul has been writing and performing on stage and film. He is a graduate of both the famed Second City Improv conservatory and Sketch Writing conservatory and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. In addition to performing, he has produced several short films, including “Just Like the Movies,” which won the Nevada Filmmaker Award at the 2012 Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City. Paul also serves as the director of the Las Vegas Improvisation Players, a non-profit organization dedicated to offering a positive, supportive, and entertaining outlet for people to experience the art of improvisation. He offers the diversity that only a white male can bring to an improv troupe, and enjoys regaling his fellow improvisers with tales of his hard-knock life of middle-class upbringing amidst a world that only sees him as a member of the majority class. He has persevered through all the obstacles of being born with low levels of melanin and with XY chromosomes to achieve a level of success only found by 99% of other improvisers.

James R. Maida, Esq. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI®), headquartered in Lakewood, New Jersey. Mr. Maida began his career in 1985, testing gaming equipment with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. In 1989, he opened an independent game testing and consulting business with co-founder Paul J. Magno.  Today, GLI employs over 1,200 professionals and consults and tests for more than 46 state agencies, 250 tribal gaming commissions, 480 jurisdictions, and 1,000 equipment suppliers from its 24 offices located on six continents.

Mr. Maida has testified as an expert witness in numerous gambling cases on both the state and federal level and has appeared before the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and state legislative committees. Mr. Maida has been named one of the “25 Most Influential Persons in the Gaming Industry” and one of the “Most Influential People in Gaming.” He was also the 2013 recipient of “The Arthur E. Armitage, Sr. Distinguished Alumni Award” from the Rutgers School of Law.

In August 2016, the 16th Annual Saratoga Institute on Equine, Racing and Gaming Law honored Mr. Maida for his lifetime of achievements in the overall gaming industry.

The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association honored Mr. Maida in July 2018 as a recipient of the organization’s prestigious Modern-Day Warrior Award.

James Maida was selected as a recipient for the 2019 New Jersey Ernst Young Entrepreneur of The Year award.  Widely considered one of the most prestigious business awards programs in the U.S., the program recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, while also transforming our world.

In September 2021, he was inducted into the American Gaming Association’s 32nd Annual Gaming Hall of Fame.

Mr. Maida is a member of many charitable boards, including the Lehigh University’s Board of Trustees, the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers, the Monmouth Medical Center Board of Trustees, and is the trustee of his own family foundation, The James and Sharon Maida Foundation.

Jason Stump is currently the Sr. Vice President & CIO North America of Wynn Resorts. Jason has been in the gaming industry for over 28 years working in several leadership positions for Harrah’s Entertainment, Argosy Gaming Company, Pinnacle Entertainment and Affinity Gaming. Jason was awarded Tech Exec of the Year in Nevada in October 2018 & October 2021.

Mr. Rosenberg has 20 years of online gaming industry experience and has provided expertise and strategic solutions to over 50 gaming operations in the Caribbean, United States, and Europe. In addition to operational consulting, Jason has provided expert market and operations-led insights to help bridge the gap between land-based casino operators, regulatory commissions and gaming industry service providers across the world.

Mr. Rosenberg specializes in vendor selection, next generation technology, product launch strategy, operational strategy, day-to-day marketing and operations, as well as customized player acquisition, conversion, and retention programs. He has developed and presented key content for leading industry conferences and publications.

In his spare time, Jason has been of service at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, a non-profit Native American owned animal rescue since 2000.

About American iGaming Solutions:
AiS’ team of industry experts has over 30 years of iGaming and Social Gaming experience. Since 2011 AiS has helped gaming operators across the world to successfully integrate, launch and operate online gaming properties and new gaming technologies, including Real Money iGaming, Social Gaming and Loyalty Schemes. Offered services include, training, product selection and contract negotiation, platform development, technology implementation, product launch, operational strategy, and day-to-day marketing and operations.

Jennifer Carleton recently joined Sightline Payments as its first Chief Legal Officer. Before joining Sightline, she was in-house counsel for an Indian casino for a decade and then spent 14 years in private practice as adviser to some of the premier public and private gaming and investment companies in the world.

Working in gaming her entire career has enabled Jennifer to develop a unique expertise in payments, mobile, internet and sports gaming, as well as an insider’s familiarity with the unique issues that arise when technology and regulation intersect. Jennifer is helping to establish an advanced Indian law and advanced gaming curriculum at the UNLV Boyd School of Law through her teaching at the law school and her work with the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Jennifer also dedicates a substantial amount of time to professional development and corporate philanthropy within her community. She is currently the chair of the Tyler Robinson Foundation, the charitable arm of the Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer families.

Joseph Bunevith is Director of Client Solutions at Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®). He joined the company in 2021 and has extensive experience in the operations, development, and technology of games, platforms, and management in slot machine software, sports betting, horse racing, and social casinos.

He works closely with GLI’s clients, including suppliers, operators, and regulators, across multiple markets and jurisdictions by lending his extensive experience as he knows their challenges. His influence extends across the global gaming industry, and he is a sought-after speaker and writer.

Bunevith has extensive experience in developing fantasy sports online game platforms. Prior to joining GLI, he served as Director of Interactive Gaming for Synergy Blue in Las Vegas, where he was responsible for hiring engineering staff, building product roadmaps, and developing technical requirements. He has also served as Director of Product at Z4 Poker, as COO/Product Owner for FastFantasy, as Director of Fantasy Games at BAM Software, and Founder/COO of DeucesCracked.com.

He has overseen product launches in Facebook App Center, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Steam Online Game Platform.

As Director of Engineering, Digital for Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®), Joseph Carlon focuses on the digital growth areas of Interactive Gaming, Sports Wagering, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), and 50/50 Raffle Systems. He and his teams are responsible for interactive gaming in markets worldwide including those emerging in the U.S. and major sportsbook projects for retail and online for deployments across the U.S. and international markets. This includes overseeing evaluation of numerous sportsbook projects for every U.S. state to regulate sports wagering except for New Jersey.

Carlon works closely with new suppliers, operators, and regulators while also delivering for existing clients around the globe. He manages a large and diverse client list while facilitating work through a global team. He also ensures the consistency of GLI’s internal practices and procedures across the engineering teams reporting to him.

Carlon oversees technical teams in multiple offices where they perform complex mathematical analyses and compliance testing over gaming software. He also designs training and efficiency programs along with analyzing existing programs to ensure goals are met.

He is also responsible for building more capability internally for new and existing client management and project execution for both his team and in the Client Services Representatives (CSR) team. Additionally, he ensures that GLI’s testing processes are lean, accurate, and are slowly integrated with practices companywide, where applicable.

He has also provided testing and consulting services for Class III, GSA Protocols, VLTs, electronic raffles, and land-based casino projects in a multitude of U.S. and international markets since 2006.

His teams have completed the first Daily Fantasy Sports audits for U.S. jurisdictions licensing this product type. This includes all jurisdictions that have set auditing standards and every licensed operator in those jurisdictions. He and his teams have developed technical standards and completed numerous evaluations for 50/50 charitable raffle systems, which are a common offering at sporting events. The 50/50 charitable raffle systems include venue testing requiring the assessment of the production deployment at numerous professional sporting venues.

Joseph Decorah brings more than 30 years of experience in the Indian gaming and business development industries to GLI.

In his role as Client Services Representative, he identifies opportunities, cultivates relationships, and spearheads effective sales and market penetration strategies.

Before joining GLI, he worked as Business Developer for Wipfli LLP. Decorah has been a part of an important era of growth of the Indian gaming industry. He is a tribal member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and worked in many capacities for Ho-Chunk Gaming as a security guard, table games dealer, table games floor supervisor, pit boss, trainer, and casino shift manager.

He also served as Executive Director of Business for Ho-Chunk Nation and as Chairperson for the Ho-Chunk Gaming Commission for four years.

At the Ho-Chunk Nation Gaming Commission, Decorah was tasked with defending and protecting the safety and integrity of gaming and served as an independent regulatory authority charged with oversight and enforcement of gaming regulatory matters. He monitored gaming activities to ensure compliance with tribal laws and regulations and adherence to all state gaming regulations, company policies, and internal controls.

Decorah studied Business Management at the University of Phoenix.

Joseph Ibarra currently serves the Shingle Springs Tribal Gaming Commission as the Sr. Compliance Officer. Mr. Ibarra supervises the Compliance unit, utilizing over 18 years of experience and proficiency in Gaming Regulatory Compliance to ensure integrity of gaming at the Red Hawk Casino located in the Sacramento Region of California. Previously Mr. Ibarra has worked for a total of three California Native based Casino’s. Mr. Ibarra assisted with the opening of two of them.

Kelly Myers brings a wealth of experience, intel, and insights to GLI’s Native American and First Nation regulator and operator clients. She spent 17 years in Tribal gaming regulation, helping the casino operations she oversaw to grow by embracing new opportunities while maintaining the highest levels of compliance.

At GLI, she works closely with Tribal and state gaming regulators in the Midwest and consults with Tribal and state gaming clients across the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to joining GLI, she was Compliance and Licensing Manager for the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. She also served as Chairperson of the Oklahoma Tribal Gaming Regulators Association and Chairperson of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Gaming Commission. Previously, she was Chief Operations Officer for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Enterprises, and has served as a Board Member for the National Tribal Gaming Commission Regulators.

She was named National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Regulator of the Year in 2019 and received the 2016 National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Chairman’s Leadership Award. She has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 leader by the National Center for American Indian Development (NCAIED) and as an Emerging Leader in Gaming by GGB Magazine.

Her deep insights, combined with a personal history of development and an unrivaled passion for Tribal gaming, give GLI’s clients a trailblazing guide who has walked in their shoes and can help to light the pathway for new opportunities.

Kevin P. Mullally is the Sr. Vice-President of Government Relations and General Counsel for Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI).  Mr. Mullally is GLI’s chief legal officer, and is responsible for all risk management policies for the company as well as supervision of all outside attorneys and consultants.  In addition, he serves internationally as GLI’s primary liaison to elected and appointed officials.  He regularly interacts with regulatory agencies, legislators, law enforcement and organizations devoted to developing gaming policy. He also works to solve complex problems with senior level executives of gaming equipment manufacturing companies, lotteries, pari-mutuel wagering facilities, social gaming companies, sports wagering and interactive gaming companies, and casino operators.

Mr. Mullally provides GLI with over 39 years of diversified leadership in law, management, public policy, public relations, economic analysis, and organizational administration.  Prior to joining GLI, Mr. Mullally was the Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission.  Previously, he served as General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Missouri State Senator Harry Wiggins.  Mr. Mullally serves on the Board of Trustees for the International Association of Gaming Advisors.  As the author of the first self-exclusion program while serving as a regulator in Missouri, he has a long history of involvement in developing and studying responsible gaming policy.  He currently serves as Chairman of the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) Responsible Gaming Committee.

Mr. Mullally serves as a consultant for jurisdictions globally on matters relating to regulatory practice, regulatory reform and the creation of efficient and effective regulatory structures.  He is a frequent teacher, author, and speaker on issues relating to administrative and business law topics, public policy development, regulatory issues, and problem gambling.  He recently authored a 2^nd Edition update to the chapter on Public Policy Implementation & Regulatory Practice for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Law School’s textbook on Land-Based Casino Regulation.

Vice President of Engineering Mackenzie Haugh sums up his approach to delivering outstanding customer service as: “Execution with a purpose.” It means he’s always thinking how he and his team can deliver better quality, value, and customer service by going above and beyond what’s expected every day.

Since each GLI® customer is different, Haugh believes it’s essential to create a global customized service-delivery experience that’s tailored to deliver exactly what individual customers need. Regardless of where they are located around the world, his engineering teams use GLI’s advanced technologies and proprietary solutions to consistently execute each customer project with the highest level of quality. It’s this shared quality mindset that ensures uncompromising reliability and customer satisfaction.

Haugh began his career at GLI’s Colorado lab in 2001 as a Test Engineer, becoming Senior Engineer the following year. He was one of the first to develop dedicated service delivery teams to ensure continuity and quality. He then progressed to Engineering Manager in 2004. In 2010 Haugh helped to establish GLI’s Vancouver office which focuses primarily on iGaming.

Haugh was promoted to Director of Engineering in 2012 and became Senior Director of Engineering in 2019. In 2021, he was named Vice President of Engineering. He oversees several of GLI’s global engineering teams, driving innovation and ensuring the highest quality and customer service. He also interfaces with government regulators, suppliers, and operators around the globe to ensure products meet the expectations of the field and the technical/operational requirements of the market.

The January 2020 issue of Global Gaming Business Magazine named Haugh one of its “25 People to Watch in 2020.”

Mark is currently an Account Executive for RiskSense, acquired by Ivanti. He manages all State, Local and Education Markets in the United States. Prior to Ivanti’s July 2021 acquisition of Ivanti, Mark served in the same Account Executive role and was one of RiskSense’s co-founders. RiskSense was formed in May 2015. Mark has been with RiskSense and its predecessor, CAaNES, LLC, since 2006, when CAaNES, LLC was formed. He has served as its finance director, in-house counsel and head of corporate development.

Prior to RiskSense/CAaNES, Mark owned and operated a litigation support and document management consulting firm, Applied Records Management. His clients included law firms and a number of independent insurance agencies. Mark served as Executive Director for the Western States School of Banking from 2007 to 2011. He was an adjunct professor at New Mexico Highlands University from 2005 to 2007. Mark worked as a commercial defense litigator for the Modrall Sperling Law Firm in Albuquerque, NM from 2002 to 2004. He maintains his licensure in New Mexico. Prior to earning his law degree in 2002 from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Mark worked as a financial and senior financial analyst for Intel Corporation from 1994 to 1998. He has held a number of finance and business administration related roles with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology from 1990 to 1994. In 1994, he earned his Executive MBA from the University of New Mexico and in 1989, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance from New Mexico State University.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Bosque School and heads the Philanthropy Committee. He is on the Board of Directors for CNM Ingenuity, the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, and the New Mexico Technology Council. He served for many years as Chair of the Board of Directors of HopeWorks.

Matthew is the CEO and founder of BitBoss Corporation.  In the past he has founded multiple gaming companies including Integrity Gaming Corp, which was acquired by PlayAGS.  His current company BitBoss provides cashless solutions for land based casinos using blockchain technology.

Ms. Melissa Aarskaug is Bulletproof’s Vice President of Business Development for the United States. Her friendly personality and persistent hard work has solidified relationships with many clients including: gaming manufacturers, tribal nations, commercial casinos, state entities and associations. She is dedicated to maximizing her clients’ ROI with superior problem-solving skills and communication. She has the ability to understand business framework and bring entities together.

Prior to her current role, she managed the Client Services Team responsible for U.S. government, tribal and commercial gaming and lottery clients. She has worked with an array of gaming suppliers, including slot manufacturers, gaming devices and systems, progressive gaming systems, kiosks, table games, horse racing, mobile gaming, Internet gaming and Sports Book. She also led Live Entertainment Tax (LET) projects in Nevada, ticketing, POS systems and Payment Card Industry (PCI) projects.

Melissa brings a diverse background to Bulletproof, including in-depth knowledge of project management and engineering. She has worked as a project engineer and project manager, spearheading several notable civil projects. The combination of engineering and sales experience is a valuable asset to Bulletproof and their clients.

She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno and is involved in numerous organizations that perform charity work, including The Junior League and its affiliated not-for-profits and Toastmasters International. Melissa is very passionate about the charity work performed through the University of Nevada, Reno and its Delta Gamma alumni chapter. She was also an accomplished college athlete. She enjoys mentoring women pursuing engineering, technical and business degrees.

Melissa Blau is the Founder of iGaming Capital, an industry leading consultancy working with leading casino operators and sportsbooks looking to expand into the sportsbetting and iGaming markets. Melissa is leading the online expansion for SuperBook, the world’s largest land-based sportsbook as well as working with Soaring Eagle, Choctaw Nation and Desert Diamond Casino in developing their sports betting and/or iGaming strategy. She was integral to launch of TropicanaCasino.com, Delaware Lottery vendor selection and advisory for Hard Rock, Pechanga, Mystic Lake, Akwesasne Mohawk, Delaware North, Paysafe.

She owns a licensed affiliate marketing business which operates SmartChoiceCasinos.com. Melissa has been in the iGaming sector for 18 years. Her prior experience includes senior executive roles in iGaming in Europe and prior co-founding Constellation Ventures, a $450 million MediaTech venture capital fund in conjunction with Bear Stearns. She has Chaired the Clarion’s Startup Launchpad competition since 2009. Melissa has BA from the Wharton School and MBA from Harvard Business School.

Michael Daly is the CEO for Catena Media, one of the largest lead generation companies for iGaming, Sports Betting, eSports and financial services worldwide. As such he oversees the company’s 450+ team and its global expansion across Europe, LATAM, APAC, and North America, where it is the dominant affiliate by value delivered to operators.

Prior to taking the reigns as CEO in March of 2021, Michael was the VP of North America for Catena Media, growing that business to over 50 affiliate sites, generating in the range of $40,000,000+ annually with a team of approximately 60, all working remotely.

Prior to Catena Media, Michael setup and ran divisions of online gambling technologies at companies such as GAN, SHFL and Bally; has rolled out numerous new products for online and land-based banking and gaming; as well as served 8 years as a Naval Officer. He is a graduate of MIT and holds an MBA from the University of Utah.

Nate Silver has become today’s leading statistician through his innovative analyses of political polling. He first gained national attention during the 2008 presidential election, when he correctly predicted the results of the pri­maries and the presidential winner in 49 states. In 2012, he called 50 of 50 states.

Nate is a pioneer of the new field of data journalism with his award-winning website FiveThirtyEight. Now in part­nership with ABC News, FiveThirtyEight allows Nate to contribute to the election coverage as well as continuing to explore a wide range of areas including politics, sports, science, and more. Nate’s approach to data-driven, probabilistic thinking is one of the great ideas of our time, and we at the Leigh Bureau look forward eagerly to see­ing it transform more and more fields.

Before he came to politics, he established his credentials as an analyst of baseball statistics. He developed a widely acclaimed system called PECOTA (Player Empirical Comparison and Opti­mization Test Algorithm), which predicts player performance, career development, and seasonal winners and losers. He is the author of a series of books on baseball statistics, which include Mind Game, Baseball Between the Numbers, and It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over.

His book, The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — But Some Don’t, is a New York Times bestseller. Data-based predictions underpin a growing sector of critical fields, from political polling and hurricane watches to the stock market and even the war on terror. That means it’s important to ask — what kind of predictions can we trust? What methods do the most reliable forecasters use? What sorts of things can be predicted — and what can’t? Nate takes us on a tour of modern predic­tion science, uncovering a surprising connection among humility, uncertainty and good results. It’s an essential read for anyone interested in how data can be used to understand the future.

Nate has written for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Slate, New York Sun, and The New York Times. His work has been reported in such publications as The New York Times, Newsweek, The Huff­ington Post, and Vanity Fair.

He has been honored by a series of accolades. Most recently, Fast Company named Nate No. 1 of the100 Most Creative People in Business 2013 and Creativity magazine listed him in its Creativ­ity 50 2013. He has also appeared in TIME’s 100 Most Influen­tial People of 2009 and Rolling Stone’s 100 Agents of Change. FiveThirtyEight.com won Best Political Coverage in the 2008 Weblog Awards.

Patrick Parish is Kobetron’s IT-Software Development – Client Service Administrator. Since 2020, Patrick has been working alongside Kobetron’s development team to design, build, test and implement the new IRIS by Kobetron system. His insights have been invaluable to the growth of the system.

He oversees the demos, installations, configuration, and training for all IRIS by Kobetron customers. He also troubleshoots issues, performs testing, and writes specifications for any new development/modules that are added to the IRIS platform.

Parish graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. He also has a degree in computer programming from Madison College.

As the co-founder and Executive Vice President/Secretary of GLI, located in Lakewood, New Jersey, Mr. Paul J. Magno draws upon his more than 30 years of gaming industry and professional management experience to lead the company’s North American Operations and oversee the world headquarters office.

Mr. Magno began his long and successful career in the gaming industry in 1985 as a Computer Specialist at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). During his tenure with the DGE, Mr. Magno assisted the Sergeant of Investigations on special projects within the electronic games section. Other duties included maintenance of database submissions from the NJ lab and writing computer programs for testing and tracking on all the machines in Atlantic City.

From there, he went on to establish GLI with James Maida in 1989 where he has been responsible for everything from machine testing to personnel and operations management. Mr. Magno regularly meets with GLI clients located in the eastern half of the United States. He also works closely with gaming jurisdictions and regulators to facilitate the testing and implementation of new technologies. Mr. Magno has been a featured speaker at various industry conferences across the country; including co-chairing GLI’s annual North American Regulators Roundtable educational and networking events.

His prior work experience includes Electronic Funds Transfer Operator with The Treasurer Incorporated, an ATM network company; and Junior Programmer with B.I.S. Banking Systems.

Mr. Magno is a graduate of Rutgers University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.

Paul Speirs-Hernandez is president and founder of Steinbeck Communications, a marketing communications firm for the gaming industry, and of Red Wagon Institute, a firm that provides experiential leadership training and adult learning services.

His leadership and communication philosophy have helped grow some of the gaming world’s most successful brands.

Previously, he opened and ran the PR division of a Las Vegas advertising agency for four years and was publicist simultaneously for Luxor Las Vegas and Excalibur Hotel/Casino for six years. He has been honored as one of the Top 40 Business People Under 40 in Las Vegas.

He balances his work life with charitable work, and volunteers for numerous civic, community, and political organizations.

A native of the Salt Lake City area, he graduated Summa Cum Laude in Public Relations, Marketing, and Advertising from Southern Utah University and received his Masters of Communication training at UNLV. He is an internationally published author and has spoken at several casino conferences across the United States.

After more than 20 years’ experience of successfully leading marketing teams in sports betting, online casinos and horse racing in Europe and the US, Pete founded Incline Bet in 2019 and now provides full digital marketing services for operators in multiple US states.

Scott Melnick currently leads the security research and development department for Bulletproof, a GLI Company conducting security penetration testing in the gaming and government sectors. Scott is an experienced IT leader and white hat hacker with over 25 years of experience and specializes in the gaming industry with experience in slot system R&D and security operations. During his tenure in the gaming sector, Scott has assisted law enforcement and casino operators with player and internal employee fraud investigations. Scott believes that being attuned to the needs of the business and its customers is imperative for technology to truly become an ROI generator.

Stephen García is the Vice President of Cybersecurity of FanDuel Group. He is responsible for helping find the right balance between business needs and risk. Stephen leads several teams that span across security disciplines that support FanDuel’s goal of always putting the customer first and providing more ways to win.

Prior to joining FanDuel, Stephen was the Chief Information Security Officer for ConsenSys, a Blockchain Technology Solutions company headquartered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Most of his career spans several companies in Financial Services including security leadership roles at Western Union, BNP Paribas, and Broadridge. In addition he managed security for the Americas at Johnson Controls Inc,.

Over the course of his career Stephen has been a vocal advocate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion wherever he is, with a focus in the Information Security space. When he’s not handling security in the office, he’s handling security on the mats when he’s training. Stephen is currently a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is always looking to get more time training.

Stephen Harrison currently serves as the Vice President of Cyber Defense at MGM Resorts International. He oversees various teams working incident response, vulnerability management, threat intelligence, application security, and security engineering services. He is a passionate professional in the cyber security space with over 16 years of experience. Stephen’s career has been spent specializing in the trade with experience in building, maturing, and leading teams across a variety of industry sectors. Prior to his role at MGM Resorts, Stephen lead cyber security teams at major brands across the US including adidas, LabCorp, and Chobani. He also spends time volunteering at various hacker events, student mentorships, and Habitat for Humanity.

Zaki Fasihuddin is a seasoned digital technology executive with deep experience building and leading technology teams, products and companies on a global scale.

He is currently an independent consultant helping companies navigate digital tech and the emerging Web3 blockchain space and a Visiting Professor at the Lee School of Business, University of Nevada Las Vegas, teaching Intro to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency technology, where he sits on the Advisory Board of the MIS program within UNLV’s Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MET) department.

Most recently he was the SVP of Business and Corporate Development at MGM Resorts where he focused on the digital transformation of the company developing corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, running technology innovation and tech M&A in the areas of gaming, sports, entertainment, hospitality and MICE. Zaki built the first team at MGM Resorts focused on exploring the role of blockchain technology in gaming, and the consumer applications for cryptocurrency, NFT’s and metaverse experiences in the integrated resort (see Blockchain & the Integrated Resort).

Prior to joining MGM Resorts, Zaki held executive roles of increasing responsibility at Volvo Cars Group as Global VP of Innovation, CEO & General Manager of Volvo Car Technology USA LLC with operational responsibility to build out Volvo’s Silicon Valley R&D Lab (Sunnyvale) and LA Design Studio. He was also the founding CEO and Board Member of the Volvo Car Tech Fund AB, where he built the company’s $120M early-stage corporate venture arm from the ground up focused on early stage start-ups. Four of his initial five Tech Fund investments have gone on to become or are on track to become unicorns.

Zaki was a founding member of the Global Digital team at McDonald’s Corp and opened McDonald’s first presence in Silicon Valley as Managing Director of the McDonald’s San Francisco Digital Hub, where he built out the Silicon Valley team and managed key co-creation partnerships with Apple, Google and Facebook.

Prior to digital transformation work, he worked for leading consumer internet companies in digital product management and innovation at PayPal, eBay Inc., and American Express Co. Before working for large global companies, he was a start-up entrepreneur during Web 1.0 co-founding and/or being an early team member of several e-commerce start-up ventures.

Zaki is very active in the corporate innovation and tech start-up community as a mentor and angel investor (TechStars, Plug N Play) often sought out to speak on topics related to disruptive innovation and digital transformation. He was recently featured in a Harvard Business Review Publication that explored the role of customer experience innovation during the pandemic:

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He has been a keynote speaker on major global stages like South by Southwest in Austin, Texas (SXSW), Mobile World Congress Asia in Barcelona & Shanghai (MWC), Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, and Collision Conference Toronto. He attended Georgetown University (B.S.), Babson College (MBA) and MIT Sloan (Executive Management Training).