Casino life issue 116 vol 14 2018 by Outsource Digital Media Ltd

Volume 14 Issue 116

www.ZUUM.eu

The Luxury Of Quality

Editorial: Editor in Chief: Glyn Thomas Mob: +44 (0) 7727 969299 glyn@ace123.com Features Editor:

Damien Connelly

dconnelly@ace123.com Associate Editor Asia: Bill Healey bill@ace123.com

Associate Editor North America David Mckee

dmckee@ace123.com Special Assignment Correspondent: Sophie Behan

sophielbehan@gmail.com International Casino & Gaming Correspondent: JJ Woods

jjsilks@eircom.net Technology Correspondent: Rebecca Green

rebecca@ace123.com

Production: Designer: Stewart Hyde design@ace123.com

www.totaldesignworks.com Subscriptions: Helen Holmes subs@ace123.com

Web & IT: Sudip Banjeree

Editor’s page Welcome to Casino Life...

...At the end of 2017 I seem to recall mentioning Big Data being one of the big issues for 2018 and I wish I had the same luck predicting lottery numbers. As thousands of peoples fingers hover over the delete button on Facebook in reality if you are in business and in Europe its GDPR that should be occupying your time. Perhaps bundled alongside the Y2K bug and the need to prepare for aliens GDPR is nevertheless a serious issue and one that will have deep reaching effects on the collection and distribution of customer data within gaming companies. Fines for failure are huge so now is the time to act. The ICO have a great information page if you need help. https://ico.org.uk Back to this issue and we enter into the World of Glamour as Pascal Camia, Executive Vice President of Gaming Activity, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer talks to Peter White and David McKee. Back to the UK next with a report on the Dealer Championship and Tracy Damestani CEO of NCF outlines the benefits of positive casino reform. Bob Ambrose follows a similar line and chats to American Gaming Association President and CEO, Geoff Freeman about the economic benefits that Gaming can bring. Peter White leaps into his leased Aston Martin to visit Scientific Games to take a closer look at the 007 suite of gaming products. Meanwhile I spoke to Fivos Polymniou, Vice President of International Sales, VizExplorer about how casinos can manage their data to best effect and brings me to a new phrase ”data agnostic” which I am sure to use again. Novomatic once again impressed at ICE Totally Gaming 2018 and we cover just some of their innovations from the show whilst Clarions Totally Gaming Academy Trainer and Casino Management Consultant, Robert Brassai talks to Rebecca Green about new additions to their popular education courses. Clarion are also to the fore with our preview of the successful Juegos Miami and an interview with Kate Chambers. Finally I get the opportunity to chat to Josephine Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Reed Exhibitions, Greater China about what G2E Asia 2018 will have to offer this year. I’m ready for Macau – and I hope to see some of you there. Best wishes

sb@ace123.com

Publisher: Peter White

Tel: +44 (0) 1892 740869

Mob: +44 (0) 7973 273714 pwhite@ace123.com

Glyn Thomas Editor in Chief

Contents 3

Editor’s page

5 Guest Comment 6 Enter into the World of Glamour Pascal Camia, Executive Vice President of Gaming Activity, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer talks to Peter White and David McKee 20 Sporting Dealer Win 2018 UK Dealer Championships 24 Casino reforms are too important to be left on the shelf By Tracy Damestani, CEO of the National Casino Forum 25 Gaming Economic Benefits Bob Ambrose chats to American Gaming Association President and CEO, Geoff Freeman 30 License to thrill 007 headlines Scientific Games’ latest suite of products: by Peter White 33 Gaming Optimization Glyn Thomas chats to Fivos Polymniou, Vice President of International Sales, VizExplorer 38 NOVOMATIC continues a course of Growth and Consolidation NOVOMATIC, Europe’s leading gaming technology group, once again impressed at ICE Totally Gaming 2018 40 Bright Solutions. Profitable Results Totally Gaming Academy Trainer and Casino Management Consultant, Robert Brassai talks to Rebecca Green 45 Miami Is Your Destination! Miami is where the Americas will meet as Clarion Gaming co-locate major brands - GiGse and Jeugos Miami says Kate Chambers. Interview by Sophie Behan 48 G2E Asia 2018 Glyn Thomas chats to Josephine Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Reed Exhibitions, Greater China Editorial Policy: The views and opinions expressed in Casino Life remain principally the views of contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publishers. The publishers wish to avoid inaccuracies and, whilst every precaution has been taken to ensure that information contained in this publication is accurate, no liability is accepted by the editor or publishers for errors or omissions, however caused. Unless otherwise stated, articles appearing in this publication remain the copyright of the publishers and may not be reproduced in any form without the publisher’s written consent. Printed in the UK by MPC Ltd.

Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

Enter into the World of Glamour

Pascal Camia, Executive Vice President of Gaming Activity, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer talks to Casino Life’s Peter White and David McKee

ay the word “casino” and your mind probably conjures up visions of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, established in 1863 and still probably the world’s most famous. Some 150 years after its creation, the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Group is one of the main operators in the European gambling sector, as well as a leader in luxury hospitality and tourism. Having created the legend of Monte-Carlo, synonymous with glamour, sophisticated chic and creation, the Group has also become a reference for luxury and for its knowhow in hosting and delighting

its guests, whether they are rich and famous, trendsetters, leisure or business tourists. Today, the casino – in which James Bond would feel right at home – is the crown jewel of MonteCarlo Société des Bains de Mer, a company whose holdings extend to a trio of casinos – Casino de Monte-Carlo, Casino Café de Paris and Sun Casino; four hotels – Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort and Monte-Carlo Beach, the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo and two spas, 30 restaurants and bars, four of which are Michelin starred, Le Louis XV-

Casino de Monte-Carlo Square

Alain Ducasse à l’Hotel de Paris, ELSA, Blue Bay and Le Vistamar, as well as exclusive after-dark hangouts La Rascasse and Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo Nightclub. Clearly, The Casino de Monte-Carlo has come a long way since it was founded by Prince Charles III of Monaco over a century and half ago. Prince Charles’ prophetic vision was of a great city centered upon the casino. Where other men would have seen bare land filled with olive, citrus and orange trees, the prince saw gaming-based prosperity. “Around the Casino, beautiful hotels will be built that will have nothing to fear from comparisons with those in Paris, London and New York,” he wrote. François Blanc was summoned from Homburg to repeat the transformation he had worked at that German spa town. So solid was Blanc’s workmanship that his Hôtel de Paris MonteCarlo and Café de Paris Monte-Carlo stand to this day. By 1869, Monaco had become a tourist magnet. It was a popular wintering spot for European royalty, as well as for composer Jacques Offenbach

and writer Alexandre Dumas. Sarah Bernhardt inaugurated the Opera House. Meanwhile, a new casino had replaced Blanc’s original and was in such demand that it had to be expanded again and again. By the turn of the century the city also became synonymous with automotive and nautical races. The arrival of Serge Diaghelev and his Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo brought cultural ferment to Monaco, as Diaghelev’s troupe employed many of the top talents in opera and ballet. To this day, Monaco draws a who’s-who of celebrities, extending a lineage that has included Winston Churchill and Lloyd George, Aga Khan, Rita Hayworth and Cary Grant. Nor would any accounting of Monte Carlo’s fame be complete without mention of Rainier’s storybook wedding to Hollywood’s Grace Kelly in April 1956. Ever evolving, the casinos added slot machines in 1962. The principality continues to add hotels and luxury retail, ensuring that its glamour will never fade. The Group is traditionally associated with all prestigious events in the Principality of Monaco, notably through its partnership with AS Monaco Football Club, contribution to the Automobile Club de Monaco or its involvement in the MonteCarlo Rolex Masters tennis competition. It also spearheads global charity events, notably the Rose Ball and the Monaco Red Cross Gala. Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer will reveal in December 2018 the splendid renovation of Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. The Group is also taking the lead on creating a new One Monte-Carlo district, which will be completed in 2019 with 7 new buildings for residences, offices, conference rooms, restaurants and shops. The largest employer in Monaco, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer is not merely an important part of the principality’s economy, it is that economy. Over the past decade it has diversified into real estate, specializing in residential properties with high-end hotel services. It’s also keeping up with cyber-gaming, owning half of BEG, one of Europe’s top Internet-gaming providers. Its holdings include popular online sports-betting service Betclic. Despite having so many irons in the fire, MonteCarlo Société des Bains de Mer Vice President of Gaming Activity Pascal Camia found time to sit down with Casino Life. What follows is some of that conversation.

School of Table Games - Casino de Monte-Carlo

How much revenue is derived from, respectively, gaming, dining, nightclubs and spas? Our business model is different from Las Vegas, where the non-gaming represents 70 percent of the total revenue. For Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer the revenue is distributed as follows: 45 percent non-gaming, 45 percent gaming and 10 percent we call real estate, For more information on the company figures please visit our corporate website at : https://www.montecarlosbmcorporate.com/finance-2/annual-reports/ How do you define your role at Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer? Leading one of the sectors with 45 % of the company’s revenue is something where you need to be dependable. This is a very interesting challenge in this period where the gaming activity is under pressure due to the changing nature of the industry, the important changes in the consumers’ expectations and habits and all the normal regulations. We have to think out of the box all the time and find solutions in order to increase revenue or at least make the revenue stable. We want to change the nature of gaming in Monaco. The motto of our strategy is “The Great Art of Gaming.” Monaco Casinos and The Casino de Monte-Carlo are mainly very luxurious ground and we want our clients to feel this during their

gambling experience. So our strategy is to change the nature of gaming in Monaco and to make more efforts to give our clients more unique opportunities to come to see us. That’s why we organize prestigious and ephemeral events like the Surreal Dinners. We organize boxing fights, big-time poker or roulette tournaments, and we always give gamblers new opportunities to come to see us. For instance, during the Monte-Carlo Rally, the world rally championship which happens in January, we had the opportunity with the Automobile Club de Monaco to propose to some of our clients a private test drive in the mountains. They were seated next to the driver and lived the experience as if at a real championship. It was a great event for them. If you had to describe your mission, what would it be? My mission is to make Monaco Casinos and The Casino de Monte-Carlo the best-run gaming grounds in the world. When we ask our clients, ‘what are the main gaming destinations in the world?’, they always say Macao, Las Vegas and Monte-Carlo, and Monte-Carlo represents only 0.3 percent of the global gaming revenue. So having only 0.3 percent of global gaming revenue and benefiting from awareness, is something that we have to focus on and mainly to strengthen.

Pascal Camia, Gaming Managing Director of Monte-Carlo SociĂŠtĂŠ des Bains de Mer and Director of Casino de Monte-Carlo

Give us a little background to your career. What are your roots and how did you get involved with the Gaming industry? I am a Monaco native. I got a Master of Economics in Nice and went to Switzerland at Glion Institute to improve my knowledge and skills in the industry. Glion is in the top five worldwide institutions for hospitality management where you learn the art of hospitality. Then I went to Rome, London and Paris, and worked in several luxury hotels. I went back to Monaco and took several positions in the company: Food and Beverage Director at Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Deputy General Manager at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort and then General Manager at Hotel Hermitage. And then in December 2015, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer asked me to take the position of Head of Gaming. This move was prompted by the company’s conviction that the casino activity needed someone who could bring a fresh approach to customer relations and how this might be delivered to Monaco’s casino clientele.

Hermitage, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, MonteCarlo Beach – mainly palaces, with four casinos, up to 30 restaurants and bars, the famous night-club Jimmy’z, les Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, the largest spa in Europe, and unique entertainment and shopping offers...We have a lot of experiences to give our clients through the resort. The second axis of my strategy is excellence in welcoming and service. We have to adapt our management to the new customers, the new strategy of motivating our associates and also innovation. Innovation obviously is also based on new technologies but not only that. Our innovation is mainly focused on changing the image, as I said previously. Management has to change the way we see our clients in particular because we have just launched a new loyalty program which delivers new services. Previously, and it’s true everywhere in the world, gaming was only considering the table games or the slot machines. But they were not considering globalization, marketing, online gaming, virtual games and also communication with the clients, What would you which is very School of Table Games - Casino de Monte-Carlo describe as the important. Because pillars of your casino’s strategy? we had a strong knowledge in gaming we were very We have four key assets. First, the Brand. It’s very good, and we are still very good, organizing the important but it’s not enough. That’s why we always tables and dealing with the clients at the table. But give our customers the opportunity to come see us. now we need to be very keen in communicating The product: We have a land-based casino built in with the clients, offering them a wide new range of 1863 and two other casinos, more contemporary, products, mainly our new loyalty program, in order near the casino square. The architecture of the main to increase retention. casino is phenomenal and gambling in this kind of The management also has to change the product is great. The third asset is “the knowhow”. relationship with the clients. Everybody has to be We have been operating gaming since 1863 — 155 a “marketing person” in the casino. If I want to years now — so our dealers and maintenance men sum up all I said, we need our top managers and (because we are building our own roulette tables manager-supervisors to be very marketing-oriented and they have this knowhow) have to share this and customer-oriented. knowhow during the gaming experience. And the fourth asset is our resort. Monte-Carlo Société How do you keep the Monte-Carlo Société des des Bains de Mer is an incredible resort, with Bains de Mer brand fresh and at the forefront of four hotels: Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Hotel the industry?

Surreal Dinner April 2017, Casino de Monte-Carlo

Salle Europe – Casino de Monte-Carlo

Our innovation strategy using them to promote is changing the nature of ‘What is the experience Monaco’s casinos and the for customers?’ We are Casino de Monte-Carlo, betting on User-Generated focusing on the gaming Content. We are also using experience our clients social media to share what can enjoy here, which is we are delivering. If you the Great Art of Gaming. see the two movies we For that, we organise have shared on the Surreal events like the two Surreal European Roulette Casino de Monte-Carlo Dinner, we have reached Dinners, something very out to millions of people special that you can only find in Monaco. The plan across the world, which is quite impressive. Since we have, from a branded-marketing standpoint, we are using social media for what they are, we represents a significant change in how operations are not following all the trends. We want to keep have been promoted in the past. Positioning the the brand upscale, so we need to be careful and to Casino de Monte-Carlo and Monaco’s casinos, as focus on creating inspirational contents. places where you can have the most wonderful To follow us: gaming experience in Europe and maybe in the Instagram: casinosmontecarlo / montecarlosbm world is the goal. Facebook: Casino Monte-Carlo / Monte-Carlo SBM Can we expect a greater use of social media in the marketing mix of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer? You’re right, we can always improve. To be honest, social media were not really used before I was nominated. We decided to really push the socialmedia side because it’s using the assets of the brand. So we decided to relaunch all the social accounts on Facebook and Instagram. We are now

What sort of loyalty programs do you offer? We just have a new program. We launched it on the eighth of January. Our loyalty program is called “My Monte-Carlo”. We have four tiers. We also have a fifth one that is not a tier you can reach by points or by your expenses. It’s by invitation only and called “Privé Monte-Carlo”. It’s a membership program exclusively created by the management of the company and offered to high rollers during

Rallye de Monte-Carlo - Casino de Monte-Carlo Square

their stay. It’s something Casino de Monte-Carlo Square very exclusive and they can have private tables, they can stay in exclusive suites of the Hotel de Paris MonteCarlo, they can dine at the very private tables of Louis XV – Alain Ducasse our 3 michelin stars restaurant or in any of our restaurants in the resort or book special services. So they can have a very special experience. The new loyalty program only concerns the casino side this year but in 2019 we will extend it to the entire resort and all activities. That means if you are not a gambler you still will be registered in this program. How do you track frequent players better? We track the gaming of the clients, also their expenses in the resort. Obviously, this data is confidential. We try, with this data, to personalize what our customers like to do, what they would like to eat and what they would like to find in their rooms. Of course, we have to follow all the European regulations regarding data and privacy. It’s quite impressive. Thanks to the loyalty program, we try to cross information between different activities. If the customer likes the casino, he might

also like the wellness or the entertainment and we try to make a personalized offer by marketing, e-mail and so on. The idea is not to be invasive or too pushy but to send to the customer a very personalized offer at the right moment in his or her journey. Do you see the Monte-Carlo market changing – especially with the rise of Millennials – and how? Obviously, we are following the trends. We are facing some difficulty in recruiting Millennials because Millennials are much more attracted by virtual games or community games on the Web than by entering the land-based casinos. That’s also why we want to change the image of our main casino, still having the James Bond image but we will also have several rooms dedicated to non- and funplayers. We want our customers to enjoy the ‘James Bond Experience’ and also a place where they can sit, have a glass of champagne or a cocktail, hear some music and — if they want — they can gamble on the very fast games like Blackjack and English Roulette. It’s also changing some of our thinking. We have to be more contemporary in our

Surreal Dinner April 2017, Casino de Monte-Carlo

management and that’s why one of my pillars is management. I also want to push our managers in order to have more fun for players than only gaming in certain rooms of the casino. That’s why we are changing the atmosphere and that’s why we are featuring an art installation in the atrium in order to attract them into the casino to enjoy the experience and share it with their friends on social media.

Surreal Dinner December 20017, Casino de Monte-Carlo

What is your global strategy, particularly in the Persian Gulf? Where do you see the Monaco casinos being in 2020? The Middle Eastern clientele is perhaps the most important to us. They are still playing French Roulette, which is our DNA, and we have a dedicated team. We have two people living over there, in our marketing team, to welcome these customers and make them come to Monaco. Monaco, in summertime, is already a Middle East destination. Monaco is becoming, little by little, a more interesting destination for those specific

markets, mainly due to the personalized welcoming and service we are delivering.

How do you position your casinos in the market? Which ones do you aim at the mass market, as opposed to VIP play? It was one of the initiatives that Mr. Biamonti, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the company gave me. It’s managing three casinos with three GMs, because before my arrival the gaming activity was led by gaming. Like in Vegas, you had the VP table games, the VP slot machines and then we changed it. We decided to divide the management of the three casinos between three GMs. So we have three casinos with three atmospheres, three ways of gaming. Mainly the Casino de Monte-Carlo is the one for the high rollers and also, as I said previously, certain rooms dedicated for the fun players. Casino Café de Paris is much more based on technology, because it has 85 percent of revenue coming from the slot machines and 15 percent from the table games.

Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, Casino de Monte-Carlo

It’s a technological casino are going to position with a contemporary three tables close to the atmosphere. The third swimming pool, in order casino, The Sun Casino, to attract the younger is much more American generation towards style. Eighty-five percent the table games during is coming from the gaming summertime. tables and 15 from the slot machines. So we Do you have a typical Open Terrace –Casino Café de Paris have these three casinos customer profile? with three atmospheres No. It’s from the nonand obviously the local people, fun players and the player to the VIP and we work on each tier very tourists are much more dedicated to these two carefully. It’s very important to give a proposal to other casinos, Casino Café de Paris and Sun Casino, each tier. For instance, for the non-player – and but we still have tourists visiting our main casino in it’s important to strengthen that – last summer we the summertime. had, and we will do it again this summer, a new In terms of innovation, it’s important for me to boutique in the atrium with all our products, all the say that in the strategy of changing our image, we merchandising of the Casino de Monte-Carlo and it were talking about Millennials. It’s not so easy for got us an incredible live feedback and exposure on us to make them enter a land-based casino. That’s social media. why, with the Sun Casino, we decided — and our gaming authority allowed us to do that — to make How would I be made to feel welcome at a Montethe gaming go outside of the casino, in order to be Carlo Société des Bains de Mer casino and what placed where the customers are during the season. kind of luxury service could I expect? For instance, on the swimming pool of the Fairmont In the end of ’16, we hired a Director of Public Hotel, where the Sun Casino is based, we had in Relations for the premium clientele and her summertime the famous Nikki Beach with a lot of goal was to build a customer journey. So we had young people and music. It’s from three o’clock in specialized teams who worked daily with each the afternoon until one o’clock in the night. We tier of customers. The VIPs are offered a customer

Monte Carlo Boxing Bonanza, Casino de Monte-Carlo

journey from their home if they want, because we have a door-to-door service. From their home we convey them via a limousine to the airport. They fly to Nice Airport and in Nice they are greeted by marketing associates and are driven or flown by helicopter to Monaco. Then the customer journey starts, from the hotel to the casino, back to the hotel. All the guest-relations services are involved in these VIP customer journeys. We curate the other tiers very carefully. Previously we had a guest-relations manager in each casino and in each hotel, and the goal was to make all the communications between all these guest-relations staff smoother. For the non-European player, what would they find at a Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer casino that would provide them with a novel or unique experience? In our hotels we have a lot of services for Russian, Middle Eastern and Asian customers, from the breakfast to the amenities they can find in the room. In the casino we are working on that. There are two things that we will improve. One is our

gaming service and we are thinking about having 24-hour service at the table, because now the casino closes at six and reopens at two, and we know that Asian people expect 24 hours service. So we are working on this Casino Café de Paris and we are also working on Chinese food, a Chinese restaurant and a Lebanese restaurant. We have to bring our customers to other restaurants, and our goal is to keep them here in the casino. What are the main innovations and areas of investment in the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer casinos? Yes, we have to keep in mind that our main innovation is changing the image. Changing the image, first of all, is to have a room for the fun players and we have to keep this main room “Salle Europe” very attractive. It is where the James Bond films were shot. But we need to maintain a cosy area, a great lounge with music, in order to attract the fun players. The gamblers want to be at the tables, they want to be seen at the tables. So it’s not a matter for the gamblers or the VIPs. Our next investment will be on furniture and

Let’s Fall in Diamonds Art installation – Atrium Casino de Monte-Carlo

layout of the first room, in order to attract these fun players, mainly the younger generation. Secondly, we will create our very private club in the last room in our casino. This Club will offer private rooms where Sun Casino our customers can eat, sit, watch TV with large screens – and gamble. We will also launch in the coming months, a casino suite in the new Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo. We want to be very discreet. We want to keep them in the hotel and customers will be able to go from their suite in the hotel to the casino suite without going outside.

Technology plays such an important role in our lives. How has it affected Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer from a player perspective? Obviously, if you are talking about virtual games or online gaming, it affects our industry a lot. That’s why we want to use CasinodeMonteCarlo.com for online gaming. Our most important thing is to change the image of gaming. We do this in two ways: using technology to be more contemporary but also changing the image of gaming to bring more people to the landbased casino.

What special events do you offer? As I said, the two Surreal Dinners were important. The two art installations we had in the atrium were essential. We created a popup Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo during three days over the New Year period last year. These special events contribute to changing the image, making more opportunities to come to see us. The Surreal Dinners were based on gaming. The first was ‘The Art of Gaming’ and the second was the ‘The Art of Gaming and Love.’

How are you changing your gaming floors to take into account the popularity of electronic table games as well as the latest slot machines? Here we are talking mainly about the Casino Café de Paris. Maybe I will have electronic roulette in the main casino but it’s not done yet. We are basing our electronic table games in the Casino Café de Paris and the Sun Casino, and we will choose the ones we will put in the main casino. We have in our two casinos, two major showrooms: IGT in the Casino Café de Paris and EGT in the

Casino Café de Paris

Sun Casino. In these two showrooms they position all their brand-new slot machines and electronic table games. We did it with them because they were interested in being present on our floor using a little bit of our Brand for their marketing strategy. It’s a win-win situation and we’re very happy to work with them. But as you can see, Monaco is a very important spot for our partners. We have Aristocrats in the Monte-Carlo Bay Casino too. We work with all the brands. What innovations do you feel you have accomplished? For me the main innovation is to have pushed our industry a bit in Monaco with this strategy. This strategy is interesting because we have just joined the European Casino Association (ECA) in July and I am on the board since February, and it’s very important to exchange with our colleagues from other casinos and get to know what they do. Our

Casino de Monte-Carlo

innovation was to change the image of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer and the Casino de MonteCarlo to a new gaming experience. Our experience is part luxury but maybe our partners in ECA can have a new experience. That’s why I want to share that with my colleagues. The reason for joining the ECA was sharing experience, showing what we have done in our casino, talking about responsible gambling and talking also about how online gambling, affects our industry. These are all the matters we want to discuss.

Where does the Opéra fit into your business plan? It’s a part of the building. I don’t run the Opéra, it’s another management, but we work very closely on several projects and we try to increase the cross promotion. For instance, we had Prince two years ago in the Opera House and our customers were there, so these exclusive events can also be part of our strategy.

Winner of the 2018 UK Dealer Championships Slawomir Workun

Sporting Dealer Win Glyn Thomas chats to Tracy Damestani, Chief Executive of The National Casino Forum, Sarah Robinson, Head of Group Marketing at Caesars Entertainment, Kate Chambers, Managing Director at sponsors Clarion Gaming and Winner of the 2018 UK Dealer Championships, Slawomir Workun

aesars croupier Slawomir Workun is setting his sights on a European title after being crowned the UK Dealer of the Year. Slawomir, 34, saw off competition from 23 other finalists to claim the cash prize of £2,000, sponsored by gaming technology company, Novomatic. The victory was celebrated to great acclaim as it was a ‘home win’ for competition hosts The Sportsman Casino, where he has worked as a dealer for the last ten years. He will now represent the UK at the European Dealer Championships (EDC) in Montenegro in May, alongside Shaun Kelly, from Les Ambassadeurs, who

finished as first runner-up and won a cash prize of £1,000. Will Gosnold, of the Hippodrome, finished as second runner-up and claimed a £500 cash prize. Polish-born Slawomir, from Chessington, Surrey, said: “I feel relaxed ahead of Montenegro. I am looking at that as a holiday, probably go the day before and relax a little bit. I won’t prepare too much. I am not going to spend two months repeating my times table because that would be silly. I’m relaxed - we are going to go and crush the opposition! “I am confident. I am not a cocky person but I remember standing in the chipping up and on my

training school I was always the slowest at chipping Even when you are in the passenger seat you are up, I was always slowest at pushing the chips. So doing the pedals, I feel the same way watching I am standing there and I know I won’t win it, and people deal. the guy after me was the winner. Watching him chip “When I started people told me that the positive up was like watching a harvester, and then this girl attitude I had would fade. Lots of the experienced looks at him and says: ‘How can you be confident people I met said that after five years it would after watching that?’ I said I have always been the vanish, but it has never gone away. I genuinely enjoy slowest one, but somehow I am always winning. my work still and not that many people can say that. “Worst case scenario is I come back from a few “I have always been tipped as a great dealer by days in Montenegro with a nice tan and some lovely other people, now my manager wants me to inspire memories. The best thing for me is when you get people and act as more of a mentor figure. That is to the top 5, anyone can win seeing the level of something I am more than happy to do. competition. I did not expect to win the UK Dealer “I enjoy mentoring some of the junior croupiers. title. If it’s my lucky day I will win it, and even if not, I always try to tell people to remember the basics. I still consider myself lucky. If I am relaxed I will play I was trained in London and I know the procedures my best game”. and when you are under pressure and the game The UK Dealer of the Year Tracy Damestani CEO NCF, Slawomir, Peter Turpin, Group operations Championships, which is Director of Caesars Entertainment UK, Phil Burke, Director of UK organised by The National Casino and Export at Novomatic UK Casino Forum, has become the pre-eminent national casino competition and attracted entrants from 12 companies, with competitors coming from all over the country. Points were awarded to contestants for their technical skills, control of the game and hospitality, but the 20 judges prioritised excellent customer service, with the most points available in the hospitality category. Slawomir said: “I thought I is busy, you can focus on the customer service would make the second stage, I hoped I would get because it’s second nature and your hands are to the third stage, and maybe make the top three, already programmed”. but I honestly did not expect to win it. I didn’t think Slawomir believes the role of a croupier has it would be me and it felt unbelievable when my changed during his decade in the industry. name was called out as the winner. Customer experience is now central to the job. I’m not the best at anything, but I’ve got a He said: “Customers are looking for the complete game. I’ve got good customer service, experience. People who gamble on a weekly basis I’m good with maths, I’m good with chips and card know the chances of them winning, what they want dealing. It’s easy to find people who are the best is the interaction and the experience. Sometimes at an individual skill, but it’s rare to find somebody on the table you are like a barman, they will tell you with the complete game”. what is going wrong at home or with their business, The day after winning the title Slawomir was and you have to be able to listen to them and police promoted to inspector, but says he wants to carry the game. People want interaction. on dealing: “I love to deal. I don’t like to stand and “Nowadays is completely different, when I first do nothing. It’s like when you love driving a car. started you couldn’t shake hands with a customer

Jim Firth, Venue Director at the Sportsman Casino, Slawomir, Peter Turpin, Group operations Director of Caesars Entertainment UK

but now people feel special and they come back because they know we appreciate their custom. The hospitality has changed so much in the last ten years. We have so much competition from online and it’s so easy to jump on your phone or your laptop. People are hit from every single angle, and the only reason to come here is the human aspect that they won’t find anywhere else other than the casino”. Although he has worked for Caesars Entertainment UK for ten years, Slawomir revealed that his choice of career had come about by accident. He laughed: “I ended up in casinos as random luck! My friend was working as a bartender in the Golden Nugget casino in London and I went for the interview, got into the training school and that was it. Until that point, I had never been in a casino, I’d only seen them in James Bond films!” Slawomir also won one of the side events held on the day, winning the maths prize. Other winners of the skills challenges were: Card handler – Shradda Fernandes, Aspers Chipping – Chris Stanworth, The Opera House Chip cutting – Chris Stanworth, The Opera House Stack pushing – Ivan Vrso, Caesars Entertainment and Francesco Di Marco, Crown London Aspinalls

Tracy Damestani, chief executive of The National Casino Forum, said: “I was delighted by the standard of the competition, which was extremely high. It was wonderful to see so many operators taking part and there was a great spirit and camaraderie throughout the day. “The 2018 Final was exceptionally competitive. The best croupiers command the casino floor, creating atmosphere and a sense of occasion, and Slawomir is a worthy winner”. She was pleased to see that seven of the 24 contestants were female and Verity Kaye, representing Park Lane Club, reached the final five. The National Casino Forum is promoting gender diversity throughout the industry, from the casino floor to the boardroom. Sarah Robinson, Head of Group Marketing at Caesars Entertainment, said she would recommend hosting the event to any operator. “It was a privilege to host the competition and to be involved in an event that promotes the casino industry and our wonderful dealers. The whole industry comes together for this event and it is a great opportunity to showcase a venue to other operators. The team at the Sportsman Casino put on a great show and did a fantastic job looking after everybody.

“It was relatively easy to host the event because the NCF set up a working group to help organise it and we were not left alone without support. The event was also an opportunity to promote the casino industry on a wider stage and we ran a Beat The Dealer competition on social media channels, encouraging the dealer community to show us their skills. Coincidentally, the competition winner, Hugo Smart, also works for Caesars so, together with Slawomir’s UK Dealer award and being voted European Operator of the Year at the IGA Awards, it has been a hat-trick of victories for Caesars!” Kate Chambers, Managing Director at sponsors Clarion Gaming said: “The UK Dealer Championship (UKDC) is a prestigious event which champions the unique skills and talents that are required to work in a customerfacing role within a casino and we are delighted to support this competition. In addition, the UKDC provides an important shop window on what is a dynamic and exciting sector within the broadlybased entertainments and hospitality industry.” Slawomir and Shaun now turn their attentions beyond the UK, with the European Dealer Championship (EDC) running in Montenegro from 7-9 May 2018. Launched in 2007 by the European Casino Association (ECA), it is one of the premier events in the gaming calendar and last year brought together 33 participants from a record-breaking 20 European countries with 31 judges overseeing the competition. Antra Gaike, from Latvia’s Olympic Voodoo Casino, was crowned as Europe’s number one all-round performer, and Slawomir and Shaun will be striving to bring the trophy back to the UK.

Left to Right: Will Gosnold, Hippodrome, Slawomir, Shaun Kelly, Les Ambassadeurs

Casino reforms are too important to be left on the shelf

By Tracy Damestani, CEO of the National Casino Forum

he long-awaited review Commission on a range of of gambling legislation measures, including mandatory to be published this alerts and ending sessions when spring by the DDCMS spend limits are reached. will be an anti-climax The Focal Research project, for casino operators. facilitated by Playing Safe, is under With a frenzied media debate way using customer play data; an over Fixed Odds Betting Terminals algorithm has been developed to (FOBTs) dominating and shaping identify players who may be at the political agenda, the sensible risk and this is being tested with proposals put forward by the landoperators in casinos. The results based casino sector to modernise will be reported to DDCMS later and harmonise the regulatory this year. Individual operators environment look certain to be are also working on their own put on the back burner. However, projects, using their own data to that does not mean the case gain a greater insight into how Tracy Damestani, CEO of the made by the National Casino customer interactions can be National Casino Forum Forum on behalf of its members improved. Our sector is focused fell on deaf ears. on ensuring people avoid getting In fact, I am confident that we are making into problems with their gambling in the first place; headway in advancing our argument that sensible operators have always been committed to providing reforms will lead to greater investment in the sector, a safe and enjoyable experience and we are hoping generating additional revenue for the Treasury as that technology will complement the ‘human well as giving our customers the premium leisure approach’ which is well established in the casino. experience they want. There is also an acceptance We are committed to working with our regulator of our core argument that casinos, with their high and the Government to provide evidence not only of staffing levels and commitment to player protection, our work to promote responsible gambling but also are the safest places for harder forms of gambling. of its real-world impact. Equally, we will continue We support a reduction in the stake on B2 to make the case that restricting the majority of UK machines in Licensed Betting Offices, but believe casinos to 20 machines, regardless of their size, does the stake and prize levels on B2 machines in casinos not put the customer first - if anything, it encourages should remain unchanged because of the much irresponsible player behaviour because customers greater controls and greater emphasis on player are reluctant to leave a machine when there are protection. queues. However, it is clear that our arguments in Operators understand why the proposals put important areas, such as greater provision of B1 forward to Government have been overshadowed machines and the introduction of contactless by the high-profile debate over FOBTs in the High payments, will only be taken seriously if we can Street, but this should not be a reason to park them provide solid evidence that we are enhancing player for another three years. They would like to see a protection. We support the Government’s focus separate review of the casino sector’s proposals on tracked play and limit setting; more than 50% carried out later this year, confident there is a strong of play is already tracked via rewards cards and we case for moderate, proportionate reforms that would are about to see casinos trialling limit setting this allow casinos to offer a more diverse range of gaming year. We will continue working with the Gambling and entertainment.

Geoff Freeman CEO, American Gaming Association President

Gaming Economic Benefits Casino Life Takes the Pulse on Some Key Gaming Industry Topics. An Interview with the American Gaming Association President and CEO, Geoff Freeman. By Bob Ambrose

ince the American Gaming Association’s inception in 1994, the collaborative model of AGA has been at the forefront on critical issues facing the gaming industry and speaks with a single voice on its behalf. Through AGA’s efforts, the gaming industry continues to ensure a pathway of growth, establishing a strong footprint as a vital part of the U.S. business economy. This year looks to be another year of growth for the industry and it could experience some key regulatory changes as the U.S. Supreme Court takes another look at legalizing sports betting. It is a good time with G2E Asia on the calendar, for Casino Life to take the pulse of some industry topics from the perspective of AGA President & CEO, Geoff Freeman. G2E Asia has continued to expand its footprint not only as an exhibition for the Asia Pacific Market, but also as a communication vehicle and networking opportunity. Is there anything that stands out at this year’s exhibition? What are the main aims and ambitions for the AGA at this year’s event? G2E Asia 2018, held May 15-17 at the Venetian Macao, is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best yet. G2E continues to serve as the global leader in providing integrated resort operators a valuable business marketplace, advancing industry topics and trends and convening professionals for peer-to-peer networking. We are excited to highlight the latest gaming AND non-gaming opportunities for Macau and beyond.

Sports Betting

A very hot topic this year is the possible lifting of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA,) in the U.S. A decision on the future of PASPA resides with the U.S. Supreme Court. A ruling is expected this summer. Legalizing sports betting will create a transparent model, consumer protection, employment and a revenue stream for local counties, states and the government in terms of taxes. We have seen several states begin to lay out a legislative footprint anticipating a positive decision in favor of lifting PASPA. How have the past, and on-going efforts of AGA through their research, public communications, and social media helped to bring the deregulation battle to the steps of the Court? For the past three years, AGA has pursued a two-track strategy to legalize sports betting, working both through the Courts and Congress. Our legal strategy has focused on supporting New

Jersey in its sports betting case and convincing the courts to declare the federal sports betting ban unconstitutional. We filed an amicus brief in November 2016, calling on the Supreme Court to accept New Jersey’s case. In September 2017, we helped recruit 20 state Attorneys General and Governors to sign onto a brief arguing the federal sports betting ban was unconstitutional. We were pleased to see these efforts pay off when the Supreme Court took the case and then heard oral arguments in early December. We are optimistic that the Court will declare the sports betting ban unconstitutional and overturn it. But we’re not taking anything for granted. So, we’ve continued to pursue a legislative strategy. To help us make our case to policymakers, we’ve steadily built up a broad coalition of supporters that includes law enforcement officials, state and local elected leaders. All of these groups recognize the need to shut down illegal operators as well as the opportunity to reap economic benefits from moving sports betting into a legal, regulated market. Meanwhile, we’ve invested in a wide range of original research to present our case to policymakers. Our research clearly defines the massive scale of the illegal sports betting market in the U.S. and the many problems created by the federal ban. It proves through extensive opinion research that American attitudes have completely changed and the public not only is ready for sports betting legalization – they’re passionate about sports and want to be more invested in the games and teams they love. Our research makes clear the economic impact sports betting can deliver for states – and the opportunities for businesses. We’ve aggressively promoted our research through a comprehensive communications campaign and not a week goes by without the press or elected officials citing our findings in making the case for ending the federal ban. Once the Federal Law is rescinded will we see a “mad-dash,” domino-effect in terms of individual states entering the sports betting model in their jurisdiction? You are already seeing it. Just last month, West Virginia passed sports betting legislation in the event that the federal ban is lifted. Pennsylvania has also passed legislation that legalizes sports betting as soon as the ban ends. And as of this interview, 18 states have either passed or have introduced similar legislation. They know that this is coming and they want to be ready to take advantage of the sports

betting opportunity as soon as it is available. We expect many other states to take similar steps. With an expected PASPA ban lifted, what are the major challenges for the industry going forward? One of our biggest challenges will be keeping the industry united. As the prospect of legal sports betting grows closer, there may be a temptation to try to outmanoeuvre a competitor in the regulatory process or try to gain a leg up in the policy process. We’re still focused on first getting rid of the failed federal ban. Once that is done, we need to work together as an industry and with other stakeholders to put frameworks in place that drive the illegal market out of business. We have to keep in mind that our legal operators are competing with the untaxed, illegal market. Only by working together and presenting a united front will we ensure that policymakers put in place a sound regulatory regime and set reasonable tax rates that incentivize legal, regulated gaming while eliminating illegal gambling. Assuming sports betting in the U.S. becomes reality, how can AGA further assist the states at the policy and regulatory level? We want to be an expert resource for state

policymakers and regulators. No one has generated as much original sports betting research as the AGA has. We have examined the economic potential of sports betting, the difference tax rates can make on sports betting’s benefits for states, various sports betting regulatory models around the world, and more. We also have an unmatched network of sports betting experts and law enforcement authorities, eager to advise states on what tools are needed to ensure consumers are protected and law enforcement has the oversight it needs to stop illegal betting and protect game integrity. We are ready to lend our help to policymakers and regulators. Legalized sports betting in Nevada has brought in approx. $5 billion in state related tourism. How can the legalization of sports betting bring in other revenue opportunities in tourism for other states, that may not have all the “bells and whistles” of a Las Vegas environment? Since I joined the AGA, I’ve had the privilege of visiting gaming communities across the United States. Multiple mayors, council members and local business leaders tell me how great tribal and commercial casino gaming operators have been in helping local communities expand their entertainment offerings and make them more

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attractive to visitors. Sports betting gives travelers one more reason to visit a community, take in a night at the casino while on vacation, watch a game, have dinner and have some fun.

Small Business and gaming industry support

A report completed by Spectrum Gaming found that the industry supports hundreds of thousands of small business jobs and is responsible for $53 billion in revenue. AGA launched a nation-wide tour as a follow-up to this study and visited “main” street USA and their companies that reside there. How did this exercise further validate the information found in the Spectrum Report? And did you learn anything new? We visited nearly a dozen cities and in each one heard one story after another about gaming’s positive, local impact on the community. This tour made crystal clear that casino gaming puts Americans to work in good-paying jobs, that often lead to long-lasting careers. But I think all of us who participated in the tour also came away from it with a newfound appreciation for the widespread, lasting impact of our industry. Gaming’s positive impacts don’t just affect a neighborhood or city, they ripple across regions. Entire networks of small business vendors and suppliers see demand for their products rise and revenues grow when a casino opens up in their region. And those benefits are not short-term. Gaming is a long-term partner that helps generate growth opportunities in communities that fuel small business growth for years.

Regulations- AGA as a unifier of the gaming industry

Federal Law is very consistent across the board; however, at the state level, the gaming regulatory environment can sometimes take a different approach, state by state, on similar topics, product testing and varying time lines related to the approval process. What is AGA doing to help states present more consistent regulations across the board? One area I am curious about is the speed at which a new product can receive approval in a particular jurisdiction. I know in Nevada regulations were modified so that manufacturers can offer their products in a field-trial type environment, while the expanded regulatory approval/review process is on-going. This is sometimes referred to as “fast-track-testing. Throughout the year we are meeting with, testifying before and providing ideas to state gaming regulators. One way we do this is through the

AGA’s Regulators’ Roundtable – a forum we created to bring together commercial gaming regulators and industry a few times a year. Regulators have a chance to connect with their peers, compare notes and learn from one another. And they also invite the industry to share the trends impacting gaming. Through this forum, we’ve highlighted effective regulatory practices and reforms that we believe are worth modeling across all states. That includes highlighting things like New Jersey’s program, “New Jersey First.” Under this approach, the state Division of Gaming Enforcement guarantees that new gaming products submitted to New Jersey before or simultaneously with any other state will be tested and put on the gaming floor in no more than 14 days. And it includes highlighting the Nevada Gaming Commission’s fast-track testing for new games. Under Nevada’s old rules, new games had to meet all of Nevada’s regulatory standards before field trials could start. Now, games can go into the field right away, allowing manufacturers to test new technology and new concepts to see how players respond. By streamlining the regulatory process, both New Jersey and Nevada are creating powerful incentives for innovation and experimentation that allow casinos to respond to the shifting demands of customers. By calling them to regulators’ attention, we hope to see more states adopt similar approaches.

Industry built by visionaries

The gaming industry has been built by people that envisioned its potential and saw various segments that could work together in terms of a variety of integrated hospitality products. With consolidation of companies and the proliferation of more and more types of integrated experiences, how can AGA continue to assist the industry and their vision? We always apply a relentless focus on finding new ways to create value for our members and ensure the long-term success of our industry. Over the past four years, we have worked hard to create a more unified industry, drive alignment on critical issues, and transform the public perceptions of gaming – because perceptions drive policy. I believe we have made tremendous strides in speaking and acting with a louder, clearer, more compelling voice to underscore gaming’s contributions to communities across the United States. That work will continue. Bob Ambrose Gaming Consultant, Adjunct University Instructor @bobAmbrose

Scientific Games Vice President of Product Marketing Greg Colella

License to thrill

007 headlines Scientific Games’ latest suite of products: by Peter White

ice President of Product Marketing Greg Colella took some time during ICE Totally Gaming to sit with Casino Life Publisher Peter White and discuss Scientific Games’ latest endeavors in the slot-game realm.

Blackjack™. It’s a fun adaption on a popular game that gives players a terrifyingly exciting twist on regular blackjack. Depending on the dealer’s up card, players may have the chance to bring a busted hand back to life.

What’s new for ICE Totally Gaming? With regards to new content we have the world’s coolest, The Pink Panther™ series, offering innovative gaming adventures, even bigger jackpots with two new games Kalahari King and Mega Mariachi on the Dualos upright and slant platforms. Originally developed in our Australia Studios ten years ago, The Pink Panther has proven worldwide appeal and has proven international success. Scientific Games invests a great deal in its development teams, who contribute games such as Vegas7s from the Reno and Chicago, with new versions of Crystal Forest and Black Knight, as well as the teams from Asia delivering Dancing Drum and Tree of Wealth, and teams in Australia developing the Lock It Link product, which will be featured prominently on our TwinStar cabinet. Also on display will be the impressively popular TwinStar J43™ cabinet that is showcasing the Dancing Drums® and Double Blessings™ games, which star the famous Fu Babies™, along with the beloved 88 Fortunes® game. James Bond Experience is another highlight of the show for us. Originally launched at G2E Las Vegas last October, it can also be found on the booth with the Casino Royale and Goldfinger game on the new Gamefield™ 2.0 platform. Also being introduced to the European market is the timelessly popular Monopoly brand which is installed on the towering TwinStar® V75 platform, as Monopoly Hot Shot® is. With regards to the Shuffle Master arm of the corporations you have a new card-table gaming standpoint. We have also brought along Zombie

What is the importance of the J43 cabinet? The TwinStar J43 cabinet has been one of our most successful platforms since launching just over a year ago in the U.S. It has quickly shown to be one of the best-performing cabinets on casino floors, consistently performing at over double house average, regardless of game title. We are excited to introduce this cabinet to our international markets with some of our strongest game titles, including Dancing Drums and Double Blessings. The cabinet itself is part of the TwinStar family of innovative cabinets that are capable of supporting multiple content streams seamlessly, allowing it to support game titles from Bally, ShuffleMaster and WMS. The J43 boasts a 44-inch, J-curve, 4K resolution display, enhanced lighting, a larger iDeck and multiple enhancements designed for player comfort and convenience. And our robust library of titles available on the J43 continues to grow, offering casino

can use the Buy a Bonus feature and bypass the traditional slot game. What is the long-term plan for the James Bond franchise? How many games will you roll out per year? Since our licensing agreement with the James Bond franchise includes all of the past movies, as well as future movies, we plan to utilize this iconic brand well into the future. Our hope is to introduce several new slot games this year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including Casino Royale and Thunderball on the new Gamefield 2.0 platform, and Goldfinger on both the new TwinStar V75 and TwinStar 3RM with iReels cabinets â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then expand the brand to our other product lines, like digital and social games, and lottery. customers the best of traditional favorites as well as exciting new concepts. What is Scientific Games doing on the skill-based slots front? Scientific Games continues to innovate into new gaming arenas and our newest skill-based game, Space Invaders, really puts playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; video game skills to the test! Space Invaders is a slot game that is showcased on the impressive Blade s32 cabinet. It features a free-games bonus, as well as the Space Invaders Bonus where players can actually play a Space Invaders shooter game, shooting down rows of descending aliens and collecting credits, advancing levels or trying for one of the jackpot pools. If players just want to play the Space Invaders bonus, they

With 214 slot games, 11 table games and eight electronic table games, how do you decide what to prioritize and where? We look at the target markets that the ICE show serves and choose the products that we believe will best serve their needs. For instance, our new Pink Panther slot games have done extremely well in the Australian gaming market. We believe that brand and game play would also do well in European and other international markets, which ICE focuses on. We also developed a Monopoly game for international markets, called Monopoly Grand Hotel. The same thought process goes into choosing our other product lines like electronic table games and the specific systems modules that we show.

Fivos Polymniou, Vice President of International Sales, VizExplorer

Gaming Optimization Glyn Thomas chats to Fivos Polymniou, Vice President of International Sales, VizExplorer

For those of our readers that are not familiar with VizExplorer can we commence this interview with a brief history of the organisation? VizExplorer started building business intelligence solutions for casinos in 2008. Seeing the need for deeper intelligence and operational tools to help business owners take action in response to the data they were starting to uncover, we evolved into a software company more focused on delivering an operational intelligence platform. Today, we have solutions for multiple verticals and are proud to give casino operators and other business owners the ability to access and interact with their data in ways they never had previously, to make decisions based on what they are uncovering in the analysis, and to start to develop continuous improvement processes to ensure better business outcomes and to further optimize revenues.

Can you provide our readers an insight into some of the features of VizExplorer Data Management Systems as well as an insight into why it is so popular amongst casino operators world wide? In the last decade, VizExplorer has built an unrivalled portfolio of operational intelligence applications that fit together seamlessly in the gaming environment. So, whether you are looking at slot performance, or player game preferences, or optimising your live table games operation, VizExplorer ensures the casino operator has ready access to all needed data at their fingertips. However, what really appeals to our customers is the usability of the data. Our visualizations mean our customers can easily understand the data, enabling the fastest decision making opportunities. Also, by aggregating numerous, often disparate data sources, VizExplorer lets operators look at

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their complete business in a way that no Casino Management System could ever offer. In short, VizExplorer overlays on top of a casino operators’ data a sophisticated set of solutions that deliver intelligent insights from across the entire gaming operation, and tools to enable real-time data-driven decision-making by stakeholders in every department. How do you see the data handling sector changing in the next five years given the ever increasing levels of analytical information? Increasing your casino’s revenue and optimising your casino’s operation in an ever more competitive environment is one challenge operators will continue to face. More and more information is generated to achieve these business objectives. VizExplorer will continue to identify ways to more “efficiently” present the data so that users can spend more time on actioning key decisions than sifting through the “numbers”. Why choose VizExplorer? Our solutions are unique in that they form an open ecosystem of technologies that provide capabilities highly sought after by modern casino operators, including gaming floor optimization, marketing automation and intelligence, sales enablement for advanced player development, and smart technical and customer service automation. While there are a number of analysis tools available that will allow the user to “crunch numbers” from different databases, these require a significant amount of setting up and customising before the user can actually get a gaming specific result or output. VizExplorer has done that work and immediately allows the user to work and derive immediately useful insights from there with gaming data in a true gaming context. If you ask our customers, many would say that they chose VizExplorer because of our people. VizExplorer’s team of Industry Specialists, Customer Success Analysts and Sales Managers are true industry experts. Each of us––myself included–– having spent many years working as Operators and Suppliers. We understood the gaming business and the goals and objectives of our customer base better than anyone else. Are the current VizExplorer solutions scalable so

that as the amounts of data increases your system will be able to cope? Yes, VizExplorer’s solutions are designed to be flexible and scalable, built on the premise that any operator’s data, and subsequent data needs, are only going to keep expanding. Notably, our solutions are data agnostic, so while we may start by leveraging the casino management system and the player tracking database when we first engage with a property, we can and often do scale with the organisation as their data requirements get more sophisticated. For some casino customers, we are now integrating purchase transactions from credit card companies, social media data from the Internet, and even transactional and behavioral data from non-gaming parts of the business to provide the operators with a deeper understanding of their players and how to optimize their gaming operations. In addition to the gaming market what other sectors are you seeing growth? VizExplorer’s penetration into the Sports and Medical sectors is growing rapidly in 2018. Although quite diverse sectors, we are using the expertise of our Data Scientists to create specific tools that allow a Basketball team, for example, to analyse seat/ ticket sales in conjunction with their merchandising and food and beverage activity or, a hospital to assign the most appropriate medical resource for a given task based on the expertise of the individuals. How effective and easy to operate have operators found VizExplorer with regards to its ability to present what can often be very complex amounts of statistical analysis in easy to understand formats? VizExplorer does all the “heavy lifting” when it comes to collating and presenting the vast amount of data that is available from a customer’s environment. Our Data Integration Hub will replicate – essentially copy – the information available from any number of data sources that the venue uses and make it available in different formats. You can choose how you view and work with the data; from a more standard table grid or tree map to the visually impressive Temporal or Quartal Super Graphics. In every instance, our objective is to allow conclusions to be reached

easily and data-driven decisions to be quickly made. The VizExplorer solution was recently installed for international gaming operators at Les Ambassadeurs. How is the installation and training of staff proceeding? We are extremely pleased to be working with Les Ambassadeurs, internationally renowned for its unique customer experience in the casino world. Both project teams are currently finalising the implementation plan. How was ICE 2018 for you and can you provide any details on your plans for G2E 2018? ICE 2018 was by far our busiest and most exciting London show to date; with substantially increased numbers of visitors to our stand, from many different sectors of the gaming industry, not just land-based casinos. The awareness of our Business Intelligence tools (such as floorViz and tableViz) and Operational Intelligence modules (campaignViz and techViz) is growing each year. VizExplorer will be present at G2E Las Vegas in October where we will continue to showcase our core portfolio as well as newly launched tableViz with ChipVue, a 3D bet recognition and table optimisation solution. How many countries do you supply around the world? VizExplorer has more than 30 percent market share in the United States and we are quickly expanding our global footprint with customers on six continents. India and Africa are big markets. Are those targets for further development of the company in the years ahead? VizExplorer is already very active in Africa and Asia. We are working with operators in South Africa and Central Africa as well as Vietnam and Philippines. Macau, too, of course. We would also look more closely at India when gaming becomes more established in that market. Can VizExplorer provide data so that marketing departments can more specifically customise rewards and promotions to each of the casino’s patrons?

campaignViz is designed to allow casino marketing departments to analyse player game preferences, including when they play, how long they play and what they spend. With this information, the solutions let marketing teams design specific promotions and rewards targeted at specific player segments. By using the “test and control” feature in campaignViz, marketers can test the offer against a specific segment before launching the campaign to ensure they’re targeting the right offers to the players most likely to redeem them, and practically ensuring a positive return on marketing investment. For those organisations who, for example, currently use Microsoft Excel, what advice or offers can you provide to persuade them to trial VizExplorer Gaming Operators Solutions? Microsoft Excel is a generic numerical and statistical tool that can provide a limited level of data analysis and, has some simplistic comparative functions. When you consider the many key elements of operating a casino property with its large variety of gaming equipment (slots, tables, electronic roulette etc), player membership, player activity, food, accommodation and special events, imagine if you had the opportunity and ability to bring all these key business factors together, to really fully understand what is happening and what you could do to generate growth. This is what VizExplorer offers. Take a look at the VizExplorer website and request a web based demonstration because our door is open to all casinos who want to test what VizExplorer can do for them. Can you provide us an insight into what it is like to work at VizExplorer? In all of my years of working in the gaming industry I have never come across such a great and unique mix of cultures, nationalities and open-minded colleagues. VizExplorer has such a huge appetite to push the boundaries of what it can provide to its customers that new ideas are bouncing around constantly.

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DEALER CHAMPIONSHIP 7-9 MAY â&#x20AC;¢ 2018 MONTENEGRO

WWW.EUROPEANCASINOASSOCIATION.ORG

Left to right: Thomas Graf CTO NOVOMATIC AG and Harald Neumann, CEO of NOVOMATIC AG

NOVOMATIC continues a course of Growth and Consolidation NOVOMATIC, Europe’s leading gaming technology group, once again impressed with the biggest appearance at the world’s most important gaming fair, ICE Totally Gaming 2018 in London

n February 6-8, across a surface area of approximately 4,700m2, a total of 25 group companies presented the comprehensive NOVOMATIC product portfolio. The offer ranged from high-end casino equipment, systems and cash management solutions to arcade and pub products, sports betting, and online, mobile and social gaming. Four brand new cabinets were unveiled – PANTHERA™, PANTHERA™ Curve, V.I.P. Lounge™ Curve and Grand Roulette II – for international casino markets. The Enchanted Fortunes Linked Jackpot™ presented an array of special jackpot games and licensed content played a major role on the stand with themed games based on From Dusk Till Dawn, Batman, Austin Powers and Sherlock Holmes. “With this trade show appearance, which was again the largest, NOVOMATIC continues to prove that as a full-service provider, we are among the world’s leading gaming technology groups,” said Harald Neumann, CEO of NOVOMATIC AG. The NOVOMATIC Group, furthermore, was proud to receive two prestigious awards during ICE in London. NOVOMATIC was presented with the award for “Casino Supplier of the Year” at the Global Gaming Awards London 2018 at a VIP ceremony that took place at the iconic Hippodrome Casino. On the next day at the British Casino Awards, which took place at the same central London venue and brought together representatives from UK and European casino industries, ADMIRAL received the “European Casino Operator of the Year” award.

During the gaming fair, Harald Neumann made an initial assessment of the 2017 fiscal year of the NOVOMATIC Group – accordingly, initial calculations indicate the Group will generate an accumulated revenue of EUR 4.8 billion in the 2017 fiscal year (2016: EUR 4.4 billion). The NOVOMATIC Group includes – in addition to NOVOMATIC AG – the Swiss companies ACE Casino Holding AG and Gryphon Invest AG. NOVOMATIC AG itself will also be able to report a record revenue again this year, with figures increasing 10 percent compared to 2016. The NOVOMATIC Group additionally achieved a new record in terms of headcount with around 29,500 employees. The NOVOMATIC Group has seen strong growth in recent times, primarily through strategic acquisitions. The company now has 300 shareholdings, around 230 of which are consolidated in the balance sheet. On January 5 this year, the finalization of the majority holding in the Australian industry giant Ainsworth Game Technology Limited marked a significant milestone in the history of NOVOMATIC AG. “Having grown a lot over the past few years, we will this year focus on increasing synergies between companies and, correspondingly, on more effective internal structures,” added Neumann. “Nevertheless, we will continue to watch the market and make purchases, where it makes sense.”

Robert Brassai Principal Consultant and Owner at Sense4Gaming

Bright Solutions. Profitable Results Totally Gaming Academy Trainer and Casino Management Consultant, Robert Brassai talks to Rebecca Green

You have built up a considerable amount of experience in the International Casino Business, what are the key aspects that you draw upon in your role as Trainer at Totally Gaming Academy? I’ve been in the industry for 26 years now, with over 18 years in various management roles in nine countries on four continents. I have worked for a variety of companies, including Sun International, Queenco, and Kerzner International. With such a diverse career, I have had the chance to see and manage operations in very different settings and worked with very distinctively diverse company philosophies. All this came together to form an invaluable set of skills, covering all areas of casino operations and company management based on the experience gathered, and on the relentless urge to always understand the hows and whys of every aspect of successfully managing a business in our industry. The most important part of the past 26 years has been the ongoing learning, the need to evolve, to keep up with the fast pace of development in the industry. While working in Chile, for example, I thought it was important to know and understand how things are done in Macau which makes the territory so successful. While this had no immediate impact on my work or life in South America, it gave me a general view of the business to better place the one I was managing to the global market place and ultimately achieve better results by applying knowledge generated elsewhere in my own business environment. Firstly, I would like to pass on this mentality of openness and “Kaizen” (the ongoing search for doing things better and more efficiently) to all attendants of my course. I will also share my knowledge on table games covering the most

relevant areas of operations from marketing through mathematics to managing your human capital. I am confident that all participants will walk away with a different view of the business and ideally will apply the acquired knowledge to increase productivity in their respective casinos. Which Totally Gaming Academy training course are you responsible for? I deliver the Table Games Masterclass, which is just one of the many courses offered by TGA. I create all course material which covers a plethora of relevant subjects that today’s casino managers must possess to be successful. What is the timetable for this year’s events? We have just finished one course in London, but there’s another one for Amsterdam in September. We also have lined up some in-house training courses, which take on a more direct approach, based on the actual needs of the casinos in question, and can be tailored according to the training needs of the people attending. You have over 25 years in the casino industry. What aspects of the course do you think would have benefited you most, if the opportunity to attend a training event such as this had been possible during your career? Unfortunately, the casino industry still lives in a bit of a bubble, where the education of managers is not considered of importance by owners and executives. People carry on doing things as they have been doing for decades, because that is what they know, and think works, completely ignoring changing customer needs, different global market

place approaches, and so forth. With the Totally Gaming Academy we are aiming to change this by showing these managers how they can achieve better results through improving themselves. Eventually the results will speak for themselves and will show decision makers the importance of ongoing education. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always kept a keen eye on trends and news of the industry, but not everyone is self-motivated. I was lucky enough to work with companies and managers that realised my potential and helped me to achieve my goals, both personal and business related. The result of this privilege is that now I get to pass on the knowledge I have gathered throughout the years with the Totally Gaming Academy. Why should Casino Executives attend the Table Games Masterclass? You would be surprised at the low level of factual knowledge in the industry. I know managers with decades of experience who lack the understanding of some of the most basic principles that move the casino business. As well as this, they will receive up-to-date, well-researched knowledge on the latest trends, solutions, and methodology, which will all

be applicable in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming floors for generating better results and creating better casinos for both clients and employees. Imagine you are back at a casino: what would you say to your Director of Casino Operations that would convince him or her that you and your colleagues should attend? I would tell them that if they trust us with making decisions and policies that can make a huge impact on the casinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earnings and bottom line, we should be as sure as we possibly can to take those decisions based on knowledge, rather than a gut-feeling. One of the best ways of acquiring that knowledge would certainly be attending the Totally Gaming Academy courses. What were the most compelling reasons behind you setting up your consultancy Sense 4 Gaming? I reached a point in my career where I had achieved everything I wanted to achieve as an employee. I decided it was time to apply all the knowledge I had accumulated in a different setting. While I never looked at my jobs as a 9 to 5 affair to just pay the bills, as a consultant I can concentrate on parts of

the business which interest me the most and that show significant results for any casino company in the short and medium term as well without the distraction of day to day operations. I can now concentrate on strategic aspects of operations, including but not limited to, yield management, offer and demand relevance, the right kind of marketing, use of big data, etc. Can you outline the various features and benefits that Sense 4 Gaming can provide casino operators? I started this company with the vision of providing services on operational optimization, but it soon became much more than that. With the help of my partners, all experienced and renowned experts in their respective fields, Sense 4 Gaming now offers complete solutions for the casino industry from the setting up of new projects through operational audit to full management contracts. This is still a very young company, but given the incredibly good reception for what we stand for, we are expecting a stellar 2018 and aim to be a major player in the industry within the next five years.

of Sense 4 Gaming set it apart from the rest? To use a popular American expression: we put our money where our mouth is. We guarantee results. Simple as that. If we go in as consultants and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t achieve the promised targets while the client follows our recommendations, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t charge a penny. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all set up to create mutually beneficial relationships. How can readers find out more about the Totally Gaming Academy 2018 events and Sense 4 Gaming? You can find out more about the Totally Gaming Academy training courses on their website: www. totallygamingacademy.com, or by getting in touch with the sales team at +44 (0)20 7384 7823. More information about Sense 4 Gaming and their contact details can be found on the website: www.sense4gaming.com

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Miami Is Your Destination! Miami is where the Americas will meet as Clarion Gaming co-locate major brands - GiGse and Jeugos Miami says Kate Chambers. Interview by Sophie Behan

What are the key distinguishing factors that make Juegos Miami so unique? We were first approached by stakeholders in 2015 wanting us to create and launch a bespoke event for the Pan Latin American and Caribbean regions. They were very clear in their requirements and wanted a bespoke event unlike any other that had attempted to serve the needs of the market. Fundamentally, it had to be of a sufficient calibre and prestige to engage with the industry’s leading decision makers and influencers, as well as government officials and regulators. In other words, not just another tired trade show. We worked with the market, consulted them on our concepts, got their buy-in and launched in 2016. Each year, we refine the proposition based on their feedback. I’m pleased with the progress that has been made in creating a prestigious, by-invitation event

which is part conference, part exhibition and part social all underpinned by real C-Level networking opportunities, enhanced of course by the colocation with the North American facing GiGse. What do you think are the main attributes of Juegos Miami and GiGse that have contributed most to the continued success of both events? I’ve said it on numerous previous occasions, but organising events is all about working with your stakeholders. I might think we’ve got an outstanding idea, but it’s only really outstanding if the market shares the enthusiasm: if it doesn’t, the idea is worthless. We always work with the market on the basis that it knows what it wants and what’s missing better than we ever will. Juegos Miami is a case in point, as is GiGse which has served the needs of North American facing gaming

organisations for over a decade. By listening to the market and being acutely sensitive to its needs, we have a balance of content and networking. In terms of content, it’s a mix of the macro-level intelligence and debate that a C-Level delegate profile wants and expects, punctuated by on-the-ground examples of best practice. Networking is often used in a flippant or throw-away sense, but creating really meaningful networking opportunities is a skill and an important part of the business offering. Our attendees are the senior decision makers in gaming and networking is at a premium: it gives informal opportunities to discuss the issues of the moment with peers, but also to build networks. Two shows for the price of one? Rephrasing the question a little, I would say it’s two shows for the experience of one! Juegos Miami and GiGse are two very distinct brands with two very distinct identities and remits. GiGse provides paidfor content and learning, whereas Juegos Miami has a unique ‘byinvitation’ format. I think having different brands under one roof is a huge positive. You can create a different dynamic and one in which the two audiences are able to both concentrate on their individual interests and topics and then network as and when it’s appropriate. When we were first designing the format for Juegos Miami, one of our objectives was to bring expertise, insight and professionalism from outside the LatAm region and this is a great opportunity to achieve this. Can you provide details on speakers at Juegos Miami and their topics being presented and discussed? The programme is wide ranging and includes country round tables for Colombia, Brazil, Mexico,

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru, at which delegates will be given the opportunity to meet with the regulator(s). There are separate streams for online and land-based covering topics including responsible gambling, payments and the relationship between gaming and the financial sectors, VR, how to combat illegal online operators, marketing and CRM, blockchain, eSports and the impact of the FIFA World Cup on both landbased and online sports betting operations. It’s a compelling learning agenda which complements the opportunity to have quality face-to-face time with the Juegos Miami exhibitors. New to Juegos Miami 2018 is ‘The Pitch’. can you explain to readers about this new addition to the conference schedule? The Pitch comprises an hour of exhibitor-led content at which delegates will be invited to listen to 10-minute speeches delivered by six major suppliers. It will be delivered in English on day two and then repeated in Spanish the following day. It has been created to help commercial companies to engage directly with conference attendees and it gives delegates the chance to explore solutions and identify potential partners as part of the agenda programme. Networking is a very important factor with events such as these. What have you planned with regard to this for Juegos Miami and GiGse? From my experience, I think the gaming industry is at its very best when it has the opportunity to sit down in a comfortable and ambient atmosphere and network. The importance of networking comes out at the top, or very close to the top, in all of the stakeholder surveys that we undertake at all of our events and it will be in plentiful supply in Miami.

floorplan

Floorplan GiGse 2018

Exhibitor booths Stage Granada

cabanas 1-9

Service Area

upper floor

Majorca

Granada Break-out Room 2

Anastasia

Isabella

networking reception

GiGse

Majorca 62

exhibitor show rooms

61 66

conference centres

Break-out Room 1

Aragon

Prado Santiago

Catalonia

lower floor

Marbella

This is one of the key benefits of the co-location and we are hosting joint networking events which includes a drinks reception at the end of the first day of Juegos Miami (May 30). Those of our readers that prefer to read and speak Portuguese and Spanish, for example, will there be simultaneous translation? At Juegos Miami there is simultaneous translation for Spanish/English for all the sessions and Portuguese for any which have to do with the Brazilian market. What are the significant topics under discussion at GiGse 2018? The GiGse agenda covers the contentious issues of the day, not least the shortage of scientific and entrepreneurial talent within the US gaming industry. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real danger that the US, widely respected as the cradle of both technology and entrepreneurship, will face a domestic talent shortage when it comes to the development of gaming in the digital age. Specifically, the discussions will focus on the importance of encouraging and funding more start-ups, having an infrastructure that supports fledgling gaming enterprises and the process of attracting talented individuals from parallel industries. Additional C-Level debates include the monetisation of sports betting and an examination of the Tribal Gaming stance, the role of technology in growing the gaming industry outside of regulatory boundaries, the utilisation of behavioural data in tracking players from mobile to the casino floor, personalisation and artificial intelligence as methods of engaging with digital users, as well as a panel looking at the pace of online gambling

hotel entrance

regulation and consumer attitudes towards it. Key events taking place include the GiGse LaunchPad, where five start-ups will present in front of an investors panel and where the eventual winners are determined by GiGse delegates, and the Game Content Theatre where operators will be given the chance to experience new game content concepts. It promises to be a compelling two days of insights and networking. The venue looks very impressive - can you provide details of the hotel facilities and any discounts for delegates? In all of the research that we have conducted among Juegos Miami delegates, The Biltmore has received very strong and positive feedback. Over US$50 million has been invested since 2004 and the result is a world-class property and a business venue which has charm and elegance. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five miles from Miami International Airport, eight miles from South Beach and minutes from the Coral Gables and Brickell business districts, which have great restaurants, shopping, theatres and nightlife. Connections Housing is the official accommodation partner of both GiGse and Juegos Miami 2018. We are working with Connections Housing to get delegates preferential rates and links to book your accommodation online will be coming soon. Connections Housing can be contacted at juegos@ connectionshousing.com. For more information on participating in Juegos Miami: www.juegosmiami.com For more information on how to register for GiGse: www.gigse.com Both events take place across May 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 1 2018, The Biltmore, Miami, FL

Josephine Lee Chief Operating Officer Reed Exhibitions, Greater China

G2E Asia

Glyn Thomas chats to Josephine Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Reed Exhibitions, Greater China What can visitors expect to see at G2E Asia in May? What sectors of the industry are showing signs of expansion with regards to exhibitor representation at G2E Asia? G2E Asia 2018 will feature an exclusive focus on key industry segments across its interactive show floor. The new Digital Content & Technology section at G2E Asia will be the center of Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming technology community for bingo, casino, lottery, mobile and social gaming. It offers networking

and learning opportunities for Gaming elites to establish new contacts and to discover innovative ideas and insights into the latest industry regulatory developments. The Asia Lottery Expo & Forum offers a unique and unrivalled opportunity for professionals of all tiers to meet the leaders of Asia-Pacificâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast-growing lottery industry. The expo and forums combine to deliver a business, learning and networking platform exclusively designed for lottery professionals

Josephine Lee Biography

including operators, government and regulatory representatives, industry executives and experts. Additional return highlights will also include the Parts and Components Pavilion, Asia’s first and only trade platform dedicated to showcasing the parts and components of the electronic gaming machine manufacturing industry, and Integrated Resorts Experience, the region’s first-ever event to centralize sourcing of new IR products, technologies and services that drive revenue and value from nongaming sources. Have you a G2E Asia App to assist visitors with planning their schedule for attending conferences and locating booths on the exhibition floor? The G2E Asia Mobile App is a great tool that streamlines the on-site experience and facilitates business meetings, including support for: • Networking – Enable messages and meeting requests functions to facilitate networking opportunities for buyers and exhibitors. • Discovering Exhibitors – Browse the exhibitor directory anyway you choose: sort by alphabetical order, exhibitor type and country. Add desired

Josephine Lee, Chief Operating Officer of Reed Exhibitions Greater China, was born in Hong Kong and has been working in the exhibition industry for 20 years. Since joining Reed in 1998, she has distinguished herself by winning four major awards the Export Division President Award (2000); the Reed Chairman’s Award (2001 & 2009) and the Reed China President’s Award (2005). Her dynamic leadership has also seen her spearhead the restructuring of the Export Division in Australia; develop outbound business in Asia and establish Reed offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen (in 2002, 2003 and 2012 respectively). Today, in addition to Sales and Marketing responsibilities, she will oversee Reed Greater China’s entire portfolio of events, as well as the Operations Team.

exhibitors or products to favorite list, take notes and mark them on the floor plan. • Exploring an Interactive Floor Plan – A smart map to guide visitors to any desired booth. See the show layout, find route and save your navigation route before the show. • Learning about New Products – Visitors scan the QR code of their interested exhibitors or new products with G2E Asia Mobile App, with an added option to place their “Like” or “Favorite”. The “Like” reflects the “New Product Hot Hits” with live rankings right on the show floor. Hot Hit boards are installed in convenient locations around the halls to display the top ten products scanned the most by visitors through the show’s mobile app. The exciting visuals and product highlights generate additional buzz across the show floor.

Networking is also an important factor when considering attending exhibitions. Can you provide our readership with details of the evening entertainment and events? G2E Asia delivers an unmatched variety of valueadded networking opportunities found nowhere else in Asia. Its on-site activities target different segments, levels and interests, while providing participants an optimal atmosphere to make new connections, conduct business and learn the latest and upcoming global industry trends. Segmented Industry Networking Events is a series of small interactive activities that targets different job functions. Table Games Networking Cocktail, Slots Networking Cocktail, Digital Content & Technology Networking Cocktail, Lottery Networking Cocktail and the new Gaming Investment Networking Cocktail will be on offer each afternoon at G2E Asia Bar throughout the three-day show period. These offerings are designed to sustain the industry relevancy and interests of the respective segments’ professionals. Gaming Investment Networking, or “Gin” Cocktail, is this year’s newest segmented industry offering. It will provide a tailored networking platform for companies to present exciting new projects to investors. How is the line-up of speakers at the conference shaping up, and can we have an insight into the

leading topics being presented and speakers at this year’s seminars? Operators shared their needs and interests in G2E Asia conference, and we listened! The program will address: gaming innovation, integrated resort technologies and solutions and “the future” of our industry’s needs. G2E Asia 2018 conference’s daily themes over the three days will be: • The Future of Gaming • The Future of Integrated Resorts • The Future of Digital Content & Technology Stay tuned for the official program and keynote speaker announcements! Visit www.G2EAsia.com frequently for updates. For companies considering exhibiting is there still time to organize a booth? G2E Asia is at 95% booked up. We are welcoming new exhibitors especially on new segments. If exhibitors are interested to participate in G2E Asia 2018, please contact Vera Ng on Vera.Ng@reedexpo. com.hk for exhibit detail. Is there anything else you would like to add? Mark the dates for attending G2E Asia 2018 on May 15-17 at the Venetian Macao.

CONNECTING PEOPLE AND INNOVATIONS IN THE ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

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娛樂業界與創新科技 Market Trends. Quality Products. Networking. 市场趋势、优质产品、建立联系 VISITOR PREREGISTRATION IS

G2E Asia: Informs smart business decisions. 亞洲國際娛樂展：助您作出明智的商业决策

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MAY 15 - 17, 2018 | 2018年5月15-17日 THE VENETIAN MACAO | 澳门威尼斯人 A G2E EVENT

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