What was hot in Las Vegas
The economic recovery in the US may be slow but there are positive signs that the gaming industry is beginning to pick up once more.
That was the general feeling among the visitors and exhibitors at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during October’s G2E Las Vegas. This year’s show demonstrated once more the greater emphasis placed on R&D by leading manufacturers during the last few challenging years. Their efforts to bring new, exciting and – crucially – value-adding products to the marketplace were evident throughout the show floor and the suggestion from the majority of exhibitors was that operators are once again looking to invest.
G2E continues to provide a strong platform for international manufacturers and suppliers to launch their latest products and, said a number of companies InterGaming spoke to, the response from visitors bodes well for the year ahead.
Certainly one area many companies are keen to explore is the possibility of legalised online gambling domestically. Unlike in Europe, however, where dedicated i-gaming companies have largely driven growth and innovation within the marketplace, online gaming in the US looks set to be dominated by bricks and mortar brands. Several traditional gaming equipment suppliers now offer free-to-play online gaming solutions that can be scaled up to pay-to-play sites once the relevant legislation is passed. It will be a different story at ICE in February, of course.
Overall, this year’s show was a positive indication that 2013 will see continued improvement within the gaming sector in the US and beyond. The signs are that manufacturers are increasingly in tune with the requirements of today’s casinos, developing products that aim to streamline operations, reduce costs and offer a tangible return on investment.
This article can be read in full in the November issue of InterGaming
