Shawn Fluharty wears many hats within the gaming industry. He’s the Minority Whip in the West Virginia House of Delegates and has been recently named president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS). Those titles have led him to GGB Magazine’s 25 People to Watch list for 2024.
One of Fluharty’s greatest accolades is being the main driver in legalizing WV online casinos in 2020. Fluharty shares the list with other impressive members of the gaming community, too.
GGB Magazine highlights Shawn Fluharty among people to watch this year
Fluharty has been an instrumental figure in the West Virginia gaming industry. Now as president of the NCLGS, Fluharty is growing his presence on a national level.
The WV delegate is one of 25 influential people in the vertical. GGB Publisher Roger Gros said in a statement:
“We have chosen a great group of people for our 2024 Class. They have all already made an impact in the gaming world, and our focus on them in this annual feature shows the industry just how important these individuals are.”
Others on the list include:
- Maureen Adams, Executive Vice President Gaming Operations, Churchill Downs Inc.
- Brian Blake, Vice President, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, IGT
- Ed Evans, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Cordish Gaming Group
- Kim Barker Lee, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Bally’s Corporation
- Tom O’Brien, President, Americas and EMEA, Aristocrat Technologies
- Niklas Rytterstrom, President, Borgata Hotel Casino
- Max Tappeiner, Executive Vice President, Operations, Wynn Resorts
- Mor Weizer, CEO, Playtech PLC
READ ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA ONLINE CASINOS:
What’s to come in 2024 for Shawn Fluharty
Fluharty became NCLGS president three months early. The new year is an important start for Fluharty, as he’s running the NCLGS winter meetings.
The agenda has been released, with important discussions starting this week. Fluharty is the chair of a panel called Closing the iGaming Education Gap. Panelists will talk about why online casinos are legalizing at a much slower rate than sports betting.
Fluharty was a major reason West Virginia passed online casinos within the state. The WV delegate is going to take his experiences and apply them as NCLGS president. Straight To The Point, a newsletter written by Steve Ruddock, had some interesting words on Fluharty:
“NCLGS has always been a pro-legalization group, but new President Shawn Fluharty is easily the most pro-legalization and outspoken leader in NCLGS history.”
Fluharty a staunch advocate for online casino legalization
Fluharty sure isn’t shy about his position on online casinos. On the Safe Bet Show podcast last month, Fluharty said:
“I serve with a lot of people that struggle to silence their cell phones during a committee meeting. And now we’re trying to get them to understand how an iCasino can be on their phone. There’s clearly an education gap when it comes to those who are passing laws in this country.”
Fluharty is hoping to expand the awareness of online casinos to other states this year. He said it best last month:
“In golf, drive for show, putt for dough. When it comes to sports betting and iGaming, sports betting is for show, iGaming is dough. Meaning, the money we thought was coming with sports betting, which is a bit of a falsehood, actually does come with iGaming.”
The more people understand that, the more profitable the gaming industry will be.
