G2E 2021 Returns In-Person October 4 – 7

The 2021 Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the premier event for commercial, tribal, and international gaming professionals, will take place from October 4 – 7 at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas. The event combines a wide variety of educational events and an opportunity to explore cutting-edge gaming technology and innovative new experiences. Educational Events take place from October 4 – 7 and the Exhibition is open from October 5 – 7.

G2E kicks off on October 4 with G2E Connects: Working Together to Find Solutions. This opening keynote session offers attendees an opportunity to participate in group discussions on developing solutions to the industry’s most pressing problems. The discussions will focus on adapting to customers’ changing needs and the future of the gaming industry. This opening event is open to all G2E badge holders.

The keynote events continue on October 5 with the G2E Welcome and State of the Industry, moderated by American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller. Harnessing his decades of governmental relations experience to discuss the gaming industry’s road to recovery with a focus on the industry’s future growth. This event will be followed by Leading Nevada’s Recovery Against the Odds, led by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and U.S. Representative Dina Titus. Sisolak and Titus will discuss the role of the gaming industry in Nevada and how the state will continue its post-pandemic growth. Finally, October 5 keynote events will conclude with Gaming & Diversity: Pushing the Industry Forward. Contessa Brewer, a CNBC correspondent, will moderate a panel of speakers to discuss the role of gaming companies in improving the industry’s efforts at diversity, equity, and inclusion. The panel consists of Apoorva Gandhi, Senior Vice President for Multicultural Affairs, Social Impact, and Business Councils for Marriott International; Suzanne Clark, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Jyoti Chopra, Senior Vice President and Chief People, Inclusion, and Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International.

On October 6, Contessa Brewer will moderate Raising the Stakes: Gaming Leaders Take on the Future of the Industry. At this keynote event, CEOs throughout the gaming industry will break down the impact of the pandemic on the future of gaming. Speakers include Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International; Bill Hornbuckle, President and CEO of MGM Resorts International; and Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts. G2E’s keynote events will conclude on October 6 with Cards on the Table: A Conversation with Arizona Cardinals’ Michael Bidwill. Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO will moderate the discussion with Bidwill, the owner and president of the Arizona Cardinals. The pair will discuss the football team’s new sports betting partnership with Gila River Hotels & Casino and BetMGM, and the future of legal sports betting.

In addition to the six keynote presentations, G2E offers attendees several educational events throughout the exposition that cover a variety of topics in the gaming industry:

Finance Investment
Research, Regulations, and Responsibility
The Business of Sports Betting
The Customer Experience
The Future of Gaming
Tribal Government and Gaming

G2E will also host a wide variety of exhibitors from myriad product categories throughout the gaming industry. G2E has instituted a thorough health and safety plan to ensure in-person attendees remain safe throughout their time at the event. Additionally, G2E is offering a virtual attendance option that provides access to live and on-demand education sessions.

Industry’s Commitment to Responsible Gaming Leads to Heightened Favorability

This Responsible Gaming Education Week (September 19 – 25), the American Gaming Association (AGA) in a press release has revealed that the American public’s view of the gaming industry is becoming more positive. The AGA’s research indicates that the majority of American adults view the industry as a source of high-quality jobs while two-thirds of American Adults consider the gaming industry to be a positive economic force. Consistent with this perspective, 73 percent of American adults support the legalization of sports betting in their respective states.

The gaming industry is a “committed, responsible partner and economic driver in communities across the country,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. In fact, as the AGA’s data reveals, when compared with 2018 data, nearly 40 percent more Americans believe the industry is committed to responsible gaming. The data additionally revealed that approximately 80 percent of gamblers in the past year are familiar with responsible gaming resources.

The AGA is confident that its focus on responsible gaming correlates with positive views of the gaming industry. According to Bill Miller, “As legal gaming expands to new geographies and verticals, everyone engaged with legal gaming must work together to grow responsibly—our collective success depends on it.”

As part of Responsible Gaming Week 2021, the AGA advocated its “Have a Game Plan—Bet Responsibly”campaign to ensure sports wagering continues to grow in a responsible manner. The program seeks to inform consumers of the basic components of responsible sports wagering: setting and adhering to a budget, understanding the odds, playing for fun, and avoiding illegal wagering operations.

In addition to the AGA’s responsible sports betting framework, the organization has promulgated a Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, which “defines a robust set of principles to protect consumers and sets a high standard for advertising . . . while maintaining responsible gaming inclusion across marketing activity.”

This responsible gaming-focused approach remains an essential component to the gaming industry’s sustained growth throughout the country. As commercial gaming revenue continues to approach record levels, a trend that the AGA attributes to increasingly favorable views of the industry, the gaming industry has “risen from the most devastating period in [its] history and embarked on a record-setting comeback.”

GGB Announces the Winners of the 20th Annual GGB Gaming & Technology Awards

Winners of the 20th Annual GGB Gaming & Technology Awards were announced this week. A presentation for the award winners will take place next week at G2E. The GGB Gaming & Technology Awards are the industry standard in the field, recognizing excellence in innovation and practical application in all gaming disciplines.

“We were overwhelmed with the quality of the nominations for the GGB Gaming & Technology Awards this year,” says Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine. “The innovation has accelerated and the recovery from the pandemic will also accelerate as a result of the effectiveness of these products.”

“As technology advances at a rapid pace, it’s often difficult to evaluate the most innovative and unique products,” Mr. Gros continued. “The judges for the GGB Gaming & Technology Awards are some of the most skilled, dedicated and respected executives in the business, so their opinion carries a great deal of weight. The winners of this year’s edition beat out some amazing competition and demonstrated true innovation.”

The winners of the 20th Annual GGB Gaming and Technology Awards are:

Best Consumer-Service Technology

Gold: IGT — PlaySports Crystal Betting Terminal w/Multigame

Silver: Acres Manufacturing Company — Foundation Casino Management System

Best Guest Health & Safety Product

Gold: Gaming Arts — Playerguard Systems

Silver: Agilysys — PanOptic Kiosk

Best Interactive Product

Gold: GAN — GameSTACK

Silver: Scientific Games — OpenGaming

Best Productivity-Enhancement Technology

Gold: Acres Manufacturing Company — Optimal Poker Analyzer

Silver: GLI — CMS Testing Automation

Best Slot Product

Gold: Konami Gaming — Dimension 49J

Silver: Aristocrat Technologies — Wild Wild Buffalo

Best Table Game Product or Innovation

Gold: AGS — Bonus Spin Xtreme

Silver: TCSJOHNHUXLEY — Chipper Champ UV

Judges for this year’s awards were: Claudia Winkler, President, GHI Solutions; Robert Russell, Gaming Analyst, Regulatory Management Counselors, P.C.; Frank Neborsky, General Manager, The Downs at Albuquerque; Gerhard Burda, President and CEO, ESCAPES Advisory Services; Cliff Paige, Slot Director, South Point Casino Resort, Las Vegas; and Skyelar Perkins, Corporate Slot Director, Choctaw Casinos.

Nominations for the 2022 GGB Gaming & Technology Awards will open in May 2022.