Speakers Announced For Racing And Gaming Conference At Saratoga originally appeared on Paulick Report.
A distinguished array of experts will convene here this summer at the Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga (RGCS), Aug. 11-13 at the Saratoga Hilton. The three-day event in this historic village will address vital topics facing the racing and gaming industries, including the central issue facing New York State: the imminent introduction of three full-service commercial casinos in Downstate New York.
The conference will feature 12 panel discussions tackling the industry’s most pressing issues. Attendees will also enjoy a Welcome Reception at the historic Adelphi Hotel, a networking happy hour, and a Day at the Races at the world-renowned Saratoga Race Course on August 13.
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Confirmed speakers include:
Senator Joe Addabbo, Chair, New York Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering
David Aron, Special Counsel, Lowenstein Sandler
John Berlau, Senior Fellow & Director of Finance Policy, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Brett Bonin, Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the Louisiana State Racing Commission
Todd Bowker, Owner and Chief Consultant, Starting Gate Consulting
Bob Boyle, Managing Director, Assurance Services/Forensic & Integrity Services, Ernst & Young LLP
Phil Boyle, President and CEO, Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation
Byron Brown, President and CEO, Western Regional Off-Track Betting Batavia Downs
Patrick Brown, Saratoga Racing and Gaming Conference Organizer; Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Brown Weinraub, PLLC
Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated
Scott Chaney, Executive Director, California Horse Racing Board
Chris Cipolla, General Manager, New Verticals, DraftKings Inc.
Michelle Cohen, Partner, Ifrah Law; Advisor and Counsel, iDEA
Gary Contessa, Horse Trainer, winner of 16 training titles at individual NYRA meets, three times trainer of the year, three times NY Breeders trainer of the year
Kim Copp, Partner, Taft Law Firm
Page Cortez, former President, Louisiana State Senate
Steven Crist, Journalist, Author, Racing Hall of Fame media honoree, Eclipse Award of Merit winner
Laura D’Angelo, Partner, Jones Walker LLP
Leonard J. D’Arrigo, Member, Harris Beach Murtha
Joe Faraldo, CEO, Standardbred Owner’s Association of New York
Bill Finley, Writer, Thoroughbred Daily News
Terry Finley, Kentucky Derby-winning owner; President and CEO, West Point Thoroughbreds
Brad Fischer, Orrick Law Firm; Senior Advisor, Sport Betting Alliance
Michele Fischer, Vice President, SIS
Howard Glaser, Global Head of Government Affairs and Legislative Counsel, Light & Wonder
Oscar Gonzales, Vice Chairman, California Horse Racing Board
Jeff Gural, Chairman, American Racing and Entertainment and Owner, Tioga Downs Casino Resort
Eric Hamelback, CEO, National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association
Brian Hansberry, Group President, Gaming Division of Delaware North
James Hartmann, State Government Relations Director, FanDuel
Danielle Holmes, Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP
David Isaacson, Senior Vice President, Spectrum Gaming Capital
Jack Jeziorski, President, NYRA Content Management Solutions
Adrian King, Partner, Ballard Spahr
Melanie laCour, Legal Director, ZwillGen PLLC
Stephen Landry, Executive Director, Louisiana State Racing Commission
Senator Tim Lang, New Hampshire
Bennett Liebman, Government Lawyer in Residence at Albany Law School and adjunct professor of law
Adrienne Lodge, COO, NFC Global
Joe Longo, Chief Revenue Officer, 1/ST
Josh Maio, Managing Director, Real Estate, Gaming & Leisure, Citizens Bank, N.A.
Jay Masurekar, Head of Gaming & Travel Investment Banking, Keybanc Capital Markets
Kenneth McPeek, Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Winning Trainer
Brian O’Dwyer, Chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission
Josh Oppenheimer, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Bill Pascrell III, Partner, Princeton Public Affairs Group
Michael Pollock, Senior Policy Advisor, Spectrum Gaming Group
Gary Pretlow, Chairman, Ways and Means Committee, New York State Assembly
Marc Rubinstein, Partner, Reid Rubinstein Bogatz
Jennifer Russo-Belles, Deputy Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
Peter Sacopulos, Partner, Sacopulos, Johnson and Sacopulos
Rajat Shah, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Dan Shapiro, SVP – Chief Development Officer, Caesars Digital
John Signor, President and CEO, Capital District Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation
Karl Sleight, Partner, Lippes Mathias
Chris Stearns, Representative, Washington
Nancy Underwood, Executive Director of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST)
Chris Wittstruck, Equine Attorney, Standardbred Owners’ Association of New York
Carrie Woerner, Representative, New York; Chair, Committee on Racing and Wagering, New York State Assembly
Tres York, Vice President Government Affairs, American Gaming Association
Important Information:
Sponsorship opportunities: Contact Josh Faber
Conference and registration inquiries: Contact Jenna Wheeler
Media inquiries: Contact Sherry Amos
Information on Saratoga Springs: Discover Saratoga
For more details, visit our website
Patrick Brown, co-founder and partner emeritus of Brown & Weinraub, PLLC, and owner of Tinhorn Productions, LLC, will again serve as conference director.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.