G2E Las Vegas 2019

A great experience cut short due to flight cancellations caused by the typhoon. This year’s G2E Vegas focused on the evolution of hardware and systems. After a short trip to Paradise City in Incheon during a 6-hour layover, the Vegas Strip felt livelier than usual.

Most of the new games in the market have also brought in new bigger and brighter hardware, a stark contrast to Asian markets. This applied not only to Strip casinos, but also the properties in the Downtown area and the outskirts of the budding city.

One of the more exciting things being exhibited at G2E this year was casino systems. Unlike the usual glitz and glamour of new games and machines that catch the eye, new innovations and iterations of past ideas in the cashless payment realm finally look to be floor ready. Many of the major companies are looking to bridge the gap between their social iGaming content and their land-based casino content. As usual, bringing in new players via digital gaming platforms is still the big challenge, even if sports betting has provided many markets with a massive shortcut on customer acquisition.

On the Japan front, Konami and Aruze lead the way in terms of booth size and exhibited content. Sega Sammy, hot off their first Nevada installations, did not have a booth, although their new machines were on the floor of the Venetian casino.

Without having any presentations or panels this year, it was a great time to catch up with industry friends and personal friends. It is just amazing how this industry connects people around the world. Great times were had at the sports book for sure.