Continent 8 Technologies’ Regional Sales Director, Jerad Swimmer, and Principal Solutions Architect, Anthony Engel, recently attended the Indian Gaming Convention and Tradeshow (IGA) in San Diego, California.
At the event, they were showcasing Continent 8’s multi-layered cybersecurity solutions designed to support tribal casinos and their cybersecurity programs.
Anthony and Jerad at Indian Gaming Convention and Tradeshow 2025.
Here, Jerad and Anthony share their key takeaways from the show.
What were your impressions of IGA 2025?
Anthony Engel (AE): Attending my first IGA event was an eye-opener; the scale of the venue and the number of attendees far exceeded my expectations. There was a lot of foot traffic, great content and engaging panel sessions. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the show.
Jerad Swimmer (JS): I’ve been going to this show for about 20-25 years, and it gets bigger and better every year. The event attracts the right mix of attendees, including tribal leaders, executives, GMs, CIOs, CEOs, CFOs, as well as vendors, manufacturers, lawyers and gaming commissions – essentially everyone involved in tribal gaming. It’s undoubtedly a must-attend event, and it’s always a privilege to be part of it.
Continent 8 had a booth at the show. What were the most common trends or themes from the event?
AE: Cybersecurity remains a primary focus for most attendees. Similar to the TribalHub Cybersecurity Summit (see the show’s top takeaways blog here), participants were interested not only in Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) but also in more advanced cybersecurity services. These included managed Security Operations Centers (MSOC) and Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM), Endpoint and Managed Detection and Response (EDR & MDR) and mobile threat prevention solutions. We actually had several customers visit our booth throughout the event, sharing their experiences with our cybersecurity services, which provided valuable real-world insights that were well received by attendees.
JS: From an engagement perspective, we noticed that attendees were more interactive, not just with Continent 8 but also with each other at our booth. It was rewarding to witness the exchange of ideas, lessons learned and future outlooks. We frequently hosted impromptu group discussions on the most pressing cybersecurity threats and the best strategies and approaches to address them.
Jerad, you were part of a panel session, titled, “Creating and maintaining a healthy culture in a new era of cybersecurity.” How did that session go?
JS: The session was well attended and highly interactive. While there were tribal leaders and operators present, the majority of attendees were directors, executive directors and IT decision-makers from tribal gaming commissions. They were keen on gathering best practices and insights on how best to implement a cybersecurity culture within their own operations and tribal governments.
A special thank you to Emra Arkansas Executive Director of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Gaming Commission, Jason Nichols, Executive Director of the Forest County Potawatomi Gaming Commission and Scott Riley, Executive Director of the Pueblo of Tesuque Gaming Commission, for making the panel session possible.
Jerad alongside Emra Arkansas, Jason Nichols and Scott Riley ahead of their cybersecurity panel session.
What are some things that we should keep an eye on in the future? Do you have any final thoughts?
AE: As cyber threats continue to evolve, tribal gaming organizations must, as highlighted in Jerad’s panel session, foster a culture of cybersecurity to protect their casino and land-based operations. This ensures that all employees are working towards the same goals when it comes to cybersecurity.
For final thoughts on the IGA event, it was a fantastic experience, and I look forward to attending the event next year. It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with familiar faces and engage with those seeking Continent 8’s guidance for specific challenges or exploring our holistic cybersecurity approach.
JS: It will be interesting to observe how iGaming and online sports betting approvals progress within the tribal gaming community. Cybersecurity is also critical in these applications, and Continent 8 offers a multi-layered approach that ensures robust protection across the entire IT infrastructure, so we’re prepared to offer support across these areas as well.
Once again, we wanted to extend our gratitude to everyone who visited our booth or attended the panel session. If you missed the event and have specific challenges or need information on enhancing your cybersecurity posture, we encourage you to reach out to us anytime.
We look forward to reconnecting with everyone at IGA 2026!
Cybersecurity solutions for a safer tomorrow
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your tribal organization’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
Also, be sure to watch the latest episode in our Tribal Talks: Cybersecurity Unlocked podcast series. Each episode delves into new stories, insights gained, best practices and key developments that are shaping the future of tribal casino gaming and cybersecurity.
