Today’s casinos are an amazing blend of basic gambling and simple wagering games – that extend back to ancient Rome and Greece (700 BC), Ancient China (2300 BC) and Ancient Egypt (3000 BC) – updated with enticing player innovations and cutting-edge technologies immersed in spectacular architecture and design.
Simply put, while basic gambling principles remain in play… the operative words for casinos today and tomorrow are innovation and emerging new technologies… and these all come together only once a year, every Fall in Las Vegas.
Now in its 24th year, the Global Gaming Expo, more commonly known as G2E, is the world’s largest annual Gaming Industry trade show and this year, more than 25,000 gaming professionals joined 400 exhibitors and participating companies to showcase the latest advancements and technologies for all things casino.
While G2E is an industry only trade show – and not open to the public – we did get a chance to attend and to bring you an insider’s “sneak peek” at the new cutting-edge games, technologies and player innovations that are coming your way… and that will soon be showing up in a casino near you.
On the Exhibit Floor
While you and I see casinos as a wonderful all-encompassing venue for entertainment and a bit of wagering, the aisles of G2E – cleverly named after the streets of Las Vegas (Flamingo, Sahara, Desert Inn, etc.) – lead gaming industry pros to hundreds of exhibits that reduce casinos down to an infinite number of individual items and components that we never even think of or consider… from enhanced chips, cool signage and the best chairs ever to automated money counting, super AI security systems and what cocktail waitresses will be wearing… and one-by-one, this is where it gets really interesting.
Highlights begin with the dazzling 3,000 or so brilliantly-lit slot machines on display featuring intriguing new themes and enhanced player-friendly ergonomics that are both captivating and designed with only you in mind.
While today’s slot machines are built around the basic Random Number Generator (RNG) model, there are then endless combinations and iterations of new themes, graphics, cabinet designs and variations in math… i.e., how the game plays… that are being developed and introduced every day.
Name of the Game
Both established major manufacturers and a host of recent entries are ready to draw you in and keep you playing with new games like Aristocrat’s House of Dragons based on the hit HBO series, filled with fiery dragons and brilliant graphics, that will be lighting up casino floors by the end of the year… this in addition to more of its wildly successful Buffalo series and a new suite of NFL-themed slots.
The Wheel of Fortune games, by IGT, are one of the most popular slots ever, with over $3.5 billion in jackpots awarded and someone winning $100,000 every 72-hours. There have been 300 game variations to date, spanning 28-years, with the most recent Wheel being combined with video poker.
Also watch for entries by Bluberi, a Las Vegas-based manufacturer that boasts a “new school of gaming” that adds creative energy to gambling and transports players to an energetic world of winning based on the risk-taking spirit of gambling.
However, the thousands of exciting new slot games and enhanced favorites – from companies like Scientific Games, Konami, Ainsworth and Aruze – introduced at this year’s G2E are just the beginning.
Table Games Update
Popular favorites like blackjack, roulette and craps are getting both a new look and electronic variations that, in some cases, also have you playing against beautiful virtual dealers.
New Blackjack tables light up bets, illuminate player turns and highlight wins with some similar-styled new games offering variations of play and inventive bet options.
Traditional Roulette layouts now light up winning bets and, on some, the large wheel can also have a smaller inner-wheel spinning in the opposite direction with a second ball drop that determines if red, black or green gets a multiplier bonus. A new dual-wheel version has a live croupier with electronic touch-screens for multiple players. There are many new all-electronic versions as well.
Craps tables also have a new look with LED layouts that indicate shooters and light up winning pass line bets, point numbers, hardways and proposition bets… along with illuminated seven-out losing rolls.
Player Loyalty Recognition
Soon players may not have to carry one, two or a bundle of various casino Players Cards to gain individual recognition and earned benefits.
Facial recognition is making its way onto the casino floor and now you can be instantly recognized when you walk up to a table game or sit down at your favorite slot machine.
Your image and standard personal info will be captured at sign up, and automatically accessed as you move from game to game, with your accumulated play and tier status effortlessly registered for each and every visit… with no more forgotten Players Cards left behind in slots.
The Millennial Benefit
There are a number of surprising facts and benefits this year as well. First is the average age of today’s casino customer. Five years ago, in 2019, it was 50… today, it is 42.
Seems the millennials – those born between 1981 and 1996 – have discovered casinos and all forms of gaming, and along with them comes their perpetual in-hand and in-view cellphones… but, as it turns out, the first generation that has grown up with “connected” technology is also a good thing casino-wise.
The cellphone age has fostered a number of incredible advances in all forms of benefits… for players and casinos alike… and, as they say, “the times, they are a-changing.”
Back to the Future
While the basic principles of gambling and the games people play have endured through the ages, the way people play and how they make decisions is constantly being scrutinized, enhanced and improved.
At one end of the spectrum are visionaries like John Acres – considered the “Thomas Edison of Gaming” – who, over five decades, pioneered casino management systems that track slot machine play using loyalty cards, introduced innovations like progressive jackpots and a developed vast portfolio of electronic data technologies… with his namesake company, today, using smartphone technology and Artificial Intelligence driven apps to provide player loyalty benefits with instant bonuses and rewards delivered as you play in real time, meaning no more waiting for those monthly mailers. For more info visit acresmanufacturing.com.
At the other end of the spectrum are tomorrow’s visionaries and innovators – and companies like Slot Check – that for the first time allow casinos to share their real time slot performance data with players… and, with such access and using the company’s powerful cellphone app, players can now view the floor of their favorite casino and drill down on any slot machine to view its up-to-the-minute performance for jackpots and payouts. With such access, and knowing which machines are hot and which are not, one can easily make informed decisions as to when they feel it’s time to play or stay away. For more info and to study your favorite slots, visit slotcheck.com.
What’s New, What’s Next
Along the way, whether it’s those who turn under-performing ATMs – capable of handling only dozens of transactions a day – into amazing casino Kiosk workhorses, capable of handling thousands of multi-function money handling tasks 24-hours a day… or the advocates who envision cashless play or non-smoking casinos… for today’s casino, the name of the game is innovation.
At G2E it’s all about what’s new, what’s next… and the fun and excitement of hearing “winner, winner, chicken dinner.”
Don Logay is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of three national magazines. Today he writes luxury lifestyle articles for numerous publications. He can be reached at (949) 240-4444 or [email protected].
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