Jeremy Locke, NAGRA: “This is a moment for regulators to lead, not just react”
The President of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA), spoke to Focus Gaming News about the challenges, progress, and future priorities shaping gaming regulation across North America.
Exclusive interview.- As the gaming industry undergoes rapid transformation, driven by technological innovation and expanding digital markets, regulatory bodies are under growing pressure to adapt.
To gain deeper insight into the challenges regulators currently face, the steps being taken to keep pace with advancing technologies, and the evolving trends, Focus Gaming News spoke to Jeremy Locke, the recently appointed president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA), who also outlined the organisation’s priorities for supporting its members in this increasingly complex landscape.
What are the main challenges regulators face today in a rapidly evolving gaming market?
Regulators are facing a fast-moving gaming landscape shaped by technological innovation, the rise of igaming, and increasingly complex integrity threats that demand enhanced collaboration by regulators across traditional jurisdictional boundaries. The spread of gambling products outside of traditional casino walls through the incorporation of digital gaming offerings has fundamentally changed the way regulators provide oversight. Traditional oversight models are being tested, and we must transition our compliance systems to ones that can adapt to risks we haven’t yet seen.
Another major challenge is workforce transition. As experienced staff retire, we risk losing decades of institutional knowledge that have helped us build and shape the modern regulatory environment. But this also presents an opportunity to augment our teams, so they are equipped with the skills needed for modern compliance in a digital-first environment.
In addition to all of this, we are having to manage an ever-changing threat landscape. Bad actors have access to cutting-edge technology that is evolving at an unprecedented rate. As soon as we adapt to be able to identify and defend against a threat, new technologies emerge that fundamentally change existing paradigms.
This is a moment for regulators to lead—not just react. By modernising our systems and investing in the right technology and talent, we can ensure regulatory oversight remains strong, agile, and future-ready.
“The spread of gambling products outside of traditional casino walls through the incorporation of digital gaming offerings has fundamentally changed the way regulators provide oversight.”
Jeremy Locke, president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA).
What significant progress has been made recently regarding regulation in the region?
Regulators across North America have made notable strides in strengthening collaboration and accelerating the development of responsive regulatory frameworks. Organisations like NAGRA have played a key role in fostering information-sharing and coordinated approaches to emerging challenges—particularly in the rapidly growing igaming sector.
While developing a regulated igaming market is something that has been on the horizon for some time across the continent, the legal frameworks have been enabling jurisdictions to evolve their regulatory models to enable regulated igaming and sports betting. Legislative reform and the development of new regulatory frameworks are not processes that typically align with the speed and responsiveness that the sector demands. In the case of the igaming market, though, numerous North American jurisdictions have made significant strides in responding quickly to the need to tackle unregulated gaming sites and enable regulated internet gaming.
As regulators gain more experience, collaboration is key. In a world of finite regulatory resources, we cannot afford to constantly reinvent the wheel. I encourage regulators to share and adopt best practices and jointly tackle the common regulatory issues. These similar regulatory approaches have the added benefit of providing consistent regulatory expectations for regulated entities that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
In a podcast broadcast by the British Gambling Commission, you said that more collaboration was needed to address challenges on both sides of the Atlantic. What coordinated efforts are necessary to ensure integrity across jurisdictions?
A clear example of the need for coordinated oversight is the fact that we see sporting events from across the world offered for global betting. To protect the integrity of sport and betting products, we must be able to detect irregularities quickly and share information efficiently across borders.
For example, if a North American gaming regulator identifies betting or match irregularities in an event across the Atlantic, it is essential that regulators facilitate rapid sharing of information to ensure that the betting public is protected and that the integrity of the sport in question is not compromised.
This means not only building strong relationships between regulators, but also modernising regulatory frameworks to enable proactive information-sharing wherever possible. Timely access to relevant data can be the difference between catching a problem early or allowing it to escalate.
Given the global nature of today’s gaming market, jurisdictions should look beyond their own borders and actively cultivate strategic partnerships. Engagement with organisations like NAGRA and the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) plays a vital role in facilitating these connections and ensuring that when issues arise, regulators can respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner.
The regulatory community is especially welcoming and collaborative, and it needs to be – the success of individual regulators is directly enhanced by the strength of its partners and the ability to share information and expertise. Whether an agency has been operating for decades or has just been formed, it is never too late to get involved with organisations like NAGRA – and it has never been more important to our individual and collective success.
“Given the global nature of today’s gaming market, jurisdictions should look beyond their own borders and actively cultivate strategic partnerships.”
Jeremy Locke, president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA).
What are the next steps to work with leaders in the area?
The most important step that anyone can take is to get involved in the community of gaming regulators, whether on a regional level or globally. Forging these relationships is critical, and regulators cannot afford to wait until they identify a crisis to make their first introductions to an important partner.
Sweepstakes casinos have become a hot topic in the United States, raising questions about consumer protection and regulatory clarity. How do you view this phenomenon, and do you see a role for NAGRA in shaping a common regulatory approach?
The gambling sector has always been innovative and skilled at identifying new lines of business. When you combine that skill with the ability to access global markets with a few clicks, you see new lines of business pop up increasingly quickly and push the boundaries of what’s allowed and, frankly, strain credulity.
I’m a firm believer in the positive effects of attention, regulation and compliance to promote the overall health of an industry. Regulation brings attention to businesses that operate on the fringes and in the shadows, and I would put “sweeps” in that category. As my colleagues in the United States have noted, sweepstakes operators are simply using a different model to conduct another form of what otherwise should be regulated gaming, whether that is sports wagering or casino gaming. In other words, they call them sweeps, but all of the elements of the other form of gaming are present, which can be a bit of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” problem. At the same time, each regulatory body will have different laws dictating what is legal in its jurisdiction and how far these operators can cross into other forms of gaming, if at all.
Given the evolving litigation and legislative developments across the U.S., I view NAGRA as a vital resource for regulators. NAGRA is in an important position to share information about the various forms of sweeps being offered and about the effectiveness of legal and legislative approaches each regulator undertakes in that space. All of us are trying to understand how this new line is operating and how best to manage it within the unique contexts of our respective authorities and frameworks.
This also demonstrates the importance of everything I’ve discussed so far – the best way for us to be able to respond and adapt quickly to these new challenges is to share information and leverage the experience of our partners, because we shouldn’t re-invent the wheel in every jurisdiction.
Even where regulators are going to take different approaches, we can still benefit immensely from sharing information and leveraging each other’s experiences. I am confident that this is a topic that we will devote considerable time to discussing over the next few years. That said, in a rapidly evolving industry, as soon as we adapt to this challenge, we will be presented with a new one to grapple with.
What are the objectives of the North American Gaming Regulators Association for the next months?
Over the years, NAGRA has grown into a vital community of practice for gaming regulators across North America—bringing together regulatory professionals to foster meaningful dialogue, exchange insights, and strengthen interjurisdictional collaboration. The organisation has significantly broadened its reach and enhanced the educational resources available to its members. As President of NAGRA, I am honoured to build upon the strong foundation established by my predecessors.
Looking ahead, it is imperative that NAGRA continues to lead in promoting both domestic and international regulatory cooperation. To that end, I will represent NAGRA at key industry events hosted by organisations such as the Canadian Association of Gaming Regulatory Agencies (CAGRA) and the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). These engagements are essential to advancing discussions on how we as regulators can collaborate more effectively—particularly through the modernisation of regulatory frameworks that support proactive information-sharing across jurisdictions.
Finally, given the rapid pace of change within our regulated environments, it is timely to ensure that NAGRA is well-positioned to support its members through this period of transformation. I will work closely with the NAGRA Board to develop a refreshed strategic plan and a clearly defined set of goals to guide the organisation’s direction in the years ahead. This will ensure that NAGRA remains future-ready and responsive to the evolving needs of its membership.
