The East Coast Gaming Congress NexGen Gaming Forum will kick off next week in Atlantic City for the 21st time and will be headlined by keynote addresses by Geoff Freeman, chief executive of the American Gaming Association, and Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and chief executive of Seminole Gaming.
The event will be held at the Waterfront Conference Center at Harrah’s Atlantic City May 24-25 and is expected to draw more than 600 attendees from all areas of the industry – including gaming operators, equipment manufacturers, attorneys, regulators, architects, analysts and investors.
Freeman will deliver keynote remarks on Thursday, May 25 after a welcome from Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian. He will give an update on the state of the industry – including gaming’s recent successes in terms of growth in revenue and popularity – discuss what the Trump Administration means for the casino gaming business, and expand on the AGA’s push for a legalized sports betting market.
Allen will present during the lunch session on Thursday. Hard Rock notably acquired the Trump Taj Mahal property in Atlantic City earlier this year.
“Since Hard Rock announced its purchase of the former Trump Taj Mahal property, the news has generated ongoing excitement throughout the gaming industry,” said Michael Pollock, Managing Director of Spectrum Gaming Group, who co-founded the ECGC. “As always, Hard Rock has intriguing concepts planned for its newest venue, and Jim has graciously agreed to share the highlights in his keynote luncheon address.”
Joe Pappano, senior vice president and managing director at Vantiv Entertainment Solutions, will present a keynote address Wednesday afternoon.
Other panels at the conference will touch on e-Sports and how casinos can leverage the opportunity they present, the state of daily fantasy sports, and social and skill-based gaming.
Separate panels comprised of industry CEO panels will touch on timely topics like engaging millennials, using technology to reshape the casino floor, finding new markets, public policy issues, and the convergence of different forms of gaming.
Participants in these panels will include Allen, Greg Carlin of Rush Street Gaming, David S. Cordish of The Cordish Companies, Felix Rappaport of Foxwoods, Gary Carano of Eldorado Resorts and Timothy J. Wilmott of Penn National Gaming.
