Seton Hall’s fourth Gaming Bootcamp draws record attendance

Seton Hall University School of Law’s Fourth Annual Gaming Law, Compliance, and Integrity Bootcamp demonstrated the growing demand for such events in the industry to help educate about compliance, integrity, and ethics.

Over two days, the event brought together industry leaders and stakeholders from all sides of the sector. The conference provided participating law students, who are aspiring to practice in the field, with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear directly from the top professionals in the industry, get hands-on experience, and build their rolodex in the process. It also offered the chance for people in the gaming industry to have conversations and learn about similar challenges, and break down silos, which will help to keep the industry healthy, growing and legally compliant.

“I think it’s vital,” Devon Corneal, assistant dean for gaming, hospitality, entertainment & sports law at Seton Hall, told NJBIZ. “And I think what we aim to do here is, one, prepare our students to be professionals who can hit the ground running and understand both ethics and the legal framework. But also, to provide people in the industry the opportunity to get a really strong foundation in both legal and ethical issues, to learn to identify problems before they become a problem, to head them off, to prevent them.”

“This is a landmark event for the industry,” said Bill Pascrell III, faculty member of the Gaming Law, Integrity, and Compliance Bootcamp and partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group. “The Bootcamp has trained countless gaming industry professionals in best practices, compliance, and integrity, all of which help make the gambling industry more impactful and responsible.”

This year’s bootcamp drew a record attendance with more than 100 participants and featured over 50 speakers – experts in industries such as sports betting, horse racing, casino operations and gaming regulation, as well as Seton Hall Law School faculty, partners at top law and consulting firms, and leaders of gaming associations, councils and authorities.

Pascrell is an organizer of the event and was instrumental in bringing it to his alma mater, Seton Hall Law. He is also a trustee for Entain Foundation US, which funds the bootcamp, and serves as the nonprofit arm of Entain, one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, which is dedicated to promoting responsible gaming throughout the country. Additional funding was provided by Jersey City-based BetMGM.

Pascrell said such events continue efforts to develop standards for sports betting and the online gaming industries, while also providing the opportunity to nurture a dialogue between these different stakeholders as the industry goes through its maturation process. And echoing Corneal, Pascrell said that this event is a rare opportunity for the law students.

“These are the pros of the industry educating you on everything from ethics to compliance,” Pascrell explained.

Broadly, the organizers say that the event is designed to enhance understanding of how to foster an ethical business culture; expand knowledge of the history, structure and future of the gaming industry; teach key aspects of U.S. and EU gaming regulatory frameworks; and share specific tools and best practices to prevent, detect, and mitigate corruption and fraud in gaming.

“As a leading law school and recognized leader in compliance education, Seton Hall Law School is proud to present our fourth annual Bootcamp,” said Corneal. “This intense, interactive event will ensure that industry professional explore a range of critical topics, from responsible gaming to anti-corruption.”

“The long-term sustainability of the gambling industry depends on robust regulation and enhanced consumer protection. This is why need dedicated and skilled professionals in regulatory affairs and compliance,” said Martin Lycka, senior vice president for American regulatory affairs and responsible gambling for Entain and trustee for Entain Foundation US. “Educating these professionals and inspiring them to rededicate their focus on compliance and integrity is a key objective of the Bootcamp.”

The panels included:

• Promoting an Ethical Business Culture and Business Integrity in the Gaming Industry
• The Purpose and Importance of Compliance Officers & Compliance Committees
• Operating Successfully in Multiple Markets & Working Effectively with Regulators
• Regulator Fireside Chat (which included David Rebuck, director, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement)
• Nuts & Bolts: The Real-Life Lessons of Licensing Applications
• Compliance Implications of Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
• Competing Approaches to Advertising and Related Regulations
• Crafting a Legal/Compliance Career in Gaming: Skills, Goals, and Pathways
• Addressing and Responding to the Social Consequences of Gambling
• Maintaining Sports Integrity: Pressures, Penalties, and Prevention
• Issues in Horse Racing: The Challenges of Opening Sportsbooks at the Track
• Industry Diversity: Representation, Economic Opportunity, & Sustainability
• AML/Banking Compliance, Prevention, and Enforcement
• Esports: The Changing Landscape and Emerging Opportunity
• Fireside Chat: Working with Legislatures and Effective Advocacy

Seton Hall Law School became one of the first higher education institutions to connect its students and community members with key industry professionals in a formal educational setting, such as the Bootcamp, which launched in 2020.

Corneal stressed that since this sector is still developing, many of the industry challenges and problems are going to be novel, not previously encountered. So, this kind of forum, allowing free-flowing dialogue between these stakeholders, helps get everyone on the same page.

“We’re here to give the industry the opportunity to learn, but also to meet with each other and connect with each other,” Corneal explained. “And I think, if the industry is going to grow and be a compliant, sustainable one, these kinds of events are vital.”

And she added that it has offered the Garden State the opportunity to be at the center of so many key conversations in this sector where it is regarded as a gold-standard, industry-leader.

“It’s really important because New Jersey has been a leader, both on the regulatory side and in leading the litigation that overturned PASPA [the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992] that led to sports betting,” said Corneal. “And I think it’s great for our students. It’s great for everyone here to bring people from the West Coast, the South, the Northeast, and see that our regional questions are really national questions. And we can have that conversation here in New Jersey.”

“To have this at the law school that I went to, and to be able to focus, through this, on the core issues I’m interested in, which is responsible gaming, integrity in the game, and compliance, is wonderful,” said Pascrell. “You get immersed in the industry over two days and just get to learn.”