The Global Gaming Expo returned to being in person this year after the pandemic lockdown.
SEASON 4: EPISODE 13 | Airdate: 10/8/2021
After more than a year of uncertainty, the Global Gaming Expo returned in person to Las Vegas. The gaming industry is recovering from the lockdowns brought on by the pandemic, but even with the slowdown in the economy because of the summer spike in COVID-19 cases, gaming is doing very well.
Howard Stutz, gaming reporter with the Nevada Independent, told Nevada Week that there was a lot of excitement at G2E this year. He noted that there weren’t as many people at the convention as years past and there weren’t as many booths, but buyers were excited to be back in Las Vegas and physically able to test out new gaming equipment.
Bryan Horwath, a gaming and business reporter with the Las Vegas Sun, agreed. He said while the convention might be a little toned down from past years people want to be back events like it in Las Vegas.
He also pointed out that 2021 could be the most lucrative year for the gaming industry of all time.
While Stutz said there is a lot of cautious optimism in the industry, it is still missing the baccarat players, who are usually international travelers, particularly from Asia. Plus, while conventions are back, they’re still not bringing in the number of mid-week travelers they once did.
One of the big highlights from the convention for Horwath is the cashless gaming technology. He said the technology was created before the pandemic but the pandemic just accelerated those efforts.
He doesn’t believe that casinos will go cashless overnight but the industry is definitely moving in that direction.
As for Stutz, his highlight was the expansion of sports betting. Now that sports betting is legal in 27 states, there are entire gaming companies devoted to creating sports betting kiosks and equipment.
The Nevada Week team walked the floor of the convention and found new table games from Scientific Games that combined laser projection and traditional blackjack to create a new way to spin and win. At IGT, a new type of stadium gaming allowed players to play up to eight games at once at one digital kiosk.
Tom Jingoli, chief operating officers for Konami Gaming, said his company is thrilled to be back at G2E after a year of virtual meetings. He admitted that the booth this year was smaller than years past but still features the gaming technology that provides hundreds of jobs in Las Vegas.
