Both personally and professionally, I am happy to look back on 2013 as a very good year, and look forward to a better one in 2014.
This year CDC Gaming increased our website traffic by 325%, continued our collaboration with the Associated Press and the Las Vegas Review Journal, and have just added Bloomberg News. We expanded our commentary section (including Good Gaming Humor), introduced the Gaming Wire, and have just begun to include relevant gaming industry video links with our Gaming TV section.
Throughout the year Ken Adams and Scotch Henderson, as well as editor John Broughton, technical director Cory Roberts, and webmaster Jill Merk, worked very hard (and very cost efficiently, thank you) at raising the standards of both CDC Reports and our website. Next year we are looking at an overhaul of our home page, and a reconstruction and expansion of our (paid subscription only) casino promotion reports, as well as further improvement in our commentaries and video sections.
One 2013 CDC bright spot was our improved relationship with the American Gaming Association. When Geoff Freeman’s appointment as the new AGA President was announced in April, I reached out (offering a complimentary subscription to better inform him on current gaming industry issues) and Geoff promptly responded. Since then, CDC Gaming has become an AGA member and now features AGA news and commentaries in the Flash and on our website. Neither Ken Adams nor I agree with every AGA position or emphasis, but we find Freeman’s professionalism and enthusiasm quite infectious – and look forward to working more with he and his team in 2014.
Finally, please allow me to end with a personal note. As many of you know, I made the difficult decision, earlier this year, to place my wife Norma Foote (who suffers from Alzheimer’s) in Kemper House, an assisted living facility near our house. It wasn’t an easy change, but the amount of support I’ve received from friends in the gaming business was tremendously helpful. I can report that while her condition continues to progress, she is very content with her new surroundings and the staff is taking excellent care of her – and for me that is the best news of 2013.
