For Marcus Prater and other gaming equipment representatives, the Global Gaming Expo is the premier venue to display their newest products. For Chris Grove and other analysts, it’s where sharp minds delve into thorny topics that will define the future of the $240 billion casino industry. For Dawn Takacs, Bronson Frick and other exhibitors, it’s a golden opportunity to pitch their ideas at the world’s most famous gathering of gaming professionals.
The 17th annual G2E, which runs from Oct. 2 through 5 at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, is expected to attract nearly 26,000 people from all segments of the industry. It features a mind-boggling marketplace of any casino-related item you can think of (and probably some you can’t); renowned experts addressing scores of gaming and non-gaming topics; and an innovation hub spotlighting new products, including virtual reality, skill-based games and online gaming.
“The gambling industry is considered homogenous, but it is actually highly fragmented,” said Chris Grove, managing director of Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a research and consulting firm. “G2E is a great illustration of that. It is one of the few times that all those pieces of the fragmented industry come together under one roof – which is what makes it such a unique event.”
News reports on this year’s G2E will focus on hot-button topics such as sports betting, gaming expansion, and attracting millennials. Still, the goals and observations of individual participants illustrate the expo’s breadth and importance. Here what a few attendees are looking forward to:
MARCUS PRATER, executive director of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers
“G2E is a global gathering for all the professionals to experience. Any new technology, any new game, any new ideas for casinos, no matter what market you’re in around the world, you’ll be able to see that at G2E. That makes this show unique.”
Prater said that when G2E launched in 2001, the slot market was dominated by the “Big Four” manufacturers. Although consolidation has reduced that to the Big Two of IGT and Scientific Games, the number of slot companies has grown dramatically. “That has given casino operators lots of choices, lots of new games, lots of new machines. If you’re a slot buyer, you have to shop the Big 15 if you will,” Prater said.
CHRIS GROVE, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, moderator of the panel discussion titled “The 21st Century Casino: Skill-based Gaming Innovations” at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 4
“The idea of a slot machine that is truly dependent in terms of outcome on the skill of the player (is) a relatively new concept. How far that goes is another one of those open questions. Are manufacturers going to be willing to decide games that have, in theory, the potential for a return of above 100 percent based on a player’s skill?”
Grove said “skill gaming” is so new that the genre doesn’t have a solid definition yet. Even the name might not be right. “They’re skill-based in that you impact the amount of hold, but they’re not skill-based in the sense that you can win based totally on your skill. It’s a bit of a slippery concept.” He said manufacturers are trying to create an experience that gives slot players more choices and requires them to be more engaged with the game than with a traditional machine.
SUSAN HENSEL, licensing director for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and panelist on “Riding the ETG Wave: A New Generation of Games for a Changing Floor” at 3 p.m. Oct. 4
“G2E offers the unique one-stop experience to learn about new games and technologies, thereby helping the PGCB’s licensing work when new applicants apply to do business in Pennsylvania. Certainly with the possibility of gaming expansion on the horizon, the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in our knowledge of what’s new is critical for our regulatory work.”
CRAIG CLARK, general manager of Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pa.
“We as operators need to recognize the industry is a broad industry for (ages) 21 to 100. We have to have the products in place and the experience in our building to be that choice for our customers.” Clark cited three specific areas of interest: electronic table games; new slot cabinets and themes, from large and small manufacturers; and technological advances for better customer service, particularly in non-gaming areas. Rivers hopes to break ground soon on a hotel adjacent to the casino.
BRONSON FRICK, associate director at Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights; Exhibitor Booth 3516
“We hope to highlight the growing trend for smoke-free casinos across the country, including MGM National Harbor. We’re not anti-gaming, we’re not anti-fun; we’re pro smoke-free air. We want to be a constructive partner in getting a smooth transition.”
Frick said the ANR Foundation has had a G2E booth for several years, and visitors fall into two general categories: those surprised to learn indoor smoking is still allowed in some places and those surprised to learn how many smoke-free casinos are in operation.
“Most casino goers are non-smokers. Now the question increasingly is: What revenue are casinos losing by not going smoke-free?” Frick said. “Millennials, plus other demographic groups, have grown up in smoke-free environments and expect smoke-free wherever they go.”
DAWN TAKACS, co-owner of Elite Casino Events, Pittsburgh, Pa., and co-developer of Yo!, marketed as a “dice game designed for millennials;” Exhibitor Booth 5427
This will be the first G2E for Takacs and her husband, Billy, who both worked in commercial casinos for several years before starting a company that provides “casino nights” for businesses, private parties and charity events. She said they’ve spent more than $50,000 in developing their game, which they’ve tested at casino nights over the past year.
“Our objective in taking the game to G2E is to showcase it to casino executives and get some raw feedback,” Takacs said. “We believe that the game, being visual and not verbal, definitely is forward thinking.” “Yo!” is played on a blackjack-sized table and uses two pairs of dice, one red and one yellow. It requires only one dealer.
While the 26,000 or so G2E participants will spend most of the week looking at what’s ahead for their companies and the industry, analyst Chris Grove sees the expo as a time to look backward as well.
“It’s almost like a New Year for the gambling industry,” he said. “That’s what I’m always looking for out of G2E – a sense of what’s coming, but also a way to benchmark what the industry thought was going to be the future and how accurate (was) its prediction of what the consumer wanted.”
