With the Global Gaming Expo dominating the world of Las Vegas gambling, it’s only appropriate that I post something about it. From the LVRJ:
For some casino operators, the Global Gaming Expo serves as a preview to the future. Others want to know what can go on their gaming floors immediately.
This year’s industry trade show opens today at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the focus remains on server-based gaming.
Slot machine makers, such as International Game Technology and WMS Gaming, are touting their newest server-based gaming equipment. Other gaming equipment providers, such as Bally Technologies, will show off a wide spectrum of gambling machines.
Wall Street has viewed server-based technology, which could let casino operators better manage their slot machine area and have greater flexibility in what they can offer customers, as the next wave in gambling.
Conceivably, downloadable gaming would allow casino managers to change a slot machine’s games, denominations, bonus payouts and promotions from a central computer server rather than requiring technicians to perform the work manually. In some forms, the server-based systems would allow customers to change out their games themselves.
Most slot machine company executives admit server-based gaming systems, being tested in several markets, are still a year or so away from the slot floor.
I don’t want to say I’m skeptical of downloadable slots, but they have been “a year or so away” for about 3 or 4 years now. I think that they are a great idea and probably the future of the industry, but I wonder what the hold-up is.
This is my sixth G2E, so I might be a little jaded. It’s basically a bunch of people selling a bunch of casino related stuff, which can be very exciting, but after the first hundred feet a bit tedious. Still, it’s a fun weekend.
And it was fun to see the Gaming Hall of Fame exhibit that I worked on actually in physical form. It was a lot of work to assemble that info, and the people from Freeman did a great job of fabricating it.