GLPI Aligns With NAAiG To Protect Land Based Casinos

Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI) has aligned itself with a growing movement aimed at pushing back against the rise of online gambling. By joining the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG), GLPI is making a clear statement—it wants to protect what it sees as the backbone of the industry: physical, land-based casinos.

Good to know

• GLPI owns 68 gaming properties across 20 U.S. states.
• The NAAiG coalition includes business leaders, unions, and local governments.
• GLPI does not run casinos but earns revenue from land-based tenants.

The decision reflects what GLPI calls a long-term concern. Although the company operates as a real estate investment trust and not a casino operator, it relies heavily on the financial health of its land-based tenants. If online gambling continues to grow, GLPI believes the ripple effect could weaken property performance and hurt surrounding communities.

Mark Stewart, Board Member of NAAiG and EVP at Cordish Companies, said the message from GLPI carries weight:

“GLPI’s decision to join NAAiG underscores the growing consensus across the industry that iGaming’s risks are real and far-reaching,”

He added that the decline of in-person gaming could mean more than just fewer entertainment options saying:

“When the future of in-person gaming is threatened, we don’t just lose entertainment venues—we lose jobs, tax revenue, local investment and critical economic anchors.”

Shannon McCracken, a fellow NAAiG board member and government relations director for Churchill Downs, echoed those points and said:

“iGaming threatens the entire value chain of in-person entertainment—undermining jobs, weakening local revenues and diminishing the long-term appeal of destination gaming.”

The group behind NAAiG describes itself as a mix of policymakers, labor unions, municipalities, and business leaders working together to slow down the growth of online betting platforms. Their focus is on defending local economies tied to traditional gaming operations.

GLPI noted that its support of NAAiG stems from concern about the impact online gambling could have not only on business metrics, but also on public policy decisions tied to local infrastructure and jobs.

But here is where the conversation gets tricky. Is online gambling truly a threat to physical venues—or could it be a complement if managed with thoughtful regulation? Millions of players now engage through phones or laptops, and technology continues to shape how people consume entertainment. Maybe it is time for the industry to ask: are we resisting change, or avoiding responsibility for how to adapt?

If local economies matter, maybe the better question is how to build a model where both physical and digital platforms can support each other—rather than one needing to block the other.

The post GLPI Aligns With NAAiG To Protect Land Based Casinos appeared first on iGaming.org.