The gaming industry is rapidly converging across its casino, social, and lottery verticals, and this theme will be on full display next week during the CTO Forum at the EMPOWER conference, a private three-day event for customers put on each year by Scientific Games.
The forum has traditionally been a lively and staple component of the annual conference, and this year will be no different as attendees will have the chance to hear directly from six leading experts across Scientific Games’ key channels.
The official theme for this year’s forum is on the future of gaming, and it will provide the audience with inside perspective on how technology is driving innovation and how boundary lines between verticals are being redrawn as the industry’s land-based, online and lottery market segments continue to expand and overlap.
“Our company considers itself one of the thought leaders in the industry, so the purpose of the CTO Forum is to introduce our customers to the folks who are the technology leaders in this technology company,” said Roger Snow, who is senior vice president of tables and shufflers at Scientific Games and will be moderating the discussion.
The conference organizers are excited for this year’s forum because there are few other venues or companies in the world that can put together a lineup with a similar level of knowledge, experience and overall cachet in the gaming arena.
The forum will consist of resident Scientific Games experts on lottery and interactive, slot machines, innovation and gaming systems. Scheduled participants will include:
- Walt Eisele – SVP/Chief Technology Officer, Lottery Systems
- Phil Gelber, SVP – Games Product Development
- Bryan Kelly, SVP – Technology, iLab
- Sethuram Shivashankar, SVP – Gaming Systems
- Nathan Wadds – SVP/Chief Technology Officer
- Tom Wood, VP & Chief Product Officer – B2B Interactive
“These are all the smart guys who make the future for our company and for the industry,” Snow said.
Many of the issues du jour that the gaming industry is wrestling with will be touched upon, such as skill-based gaming, customer-loyalty programs, big data, game development, cardless and cashless wagering and attracting millennials.
Snow said that he is particularly keen to hear from both the panelists and the audience about new efforts to attract younger players.
Attendees will also get an inside glimpse into the inner workings of a global innovation-driven gaming and lottery company.
“A lot of people look at this business and they think ‘Oh, they’re just making games over there,’” Snow said. “I don’t think people fully understand the level of technological achievement that goes on. We’re not firing rockets to Mars, but there’s some amazing stuff going on inside this organization.”
The CTO Forum will be held at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8 – the second day of the EMPOWER conference at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, a mini trade show of sorts designed to help Scientific Games customers better utilize and understand their products. To register, visit ScientificGames.com.
