On October 23, Todd Eilers, principal and head of the gaming equipment vertical for Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG), conducted EKG’s annual Post G2E Virtual Roundtable, in which he asked some of the top slot operations executives in the business for their assessment of the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E).
This year’s roundtable featured Dan Ingster, vice president of gaming operations for Seminole Hard Rock Support Services; Michael DeJong, senior vice president of slot operations and marketing for Wynn Las Vegas; and Patrick Duggan, senior director of slot/historical racing machine optimization for Churchill Downs Incorporated.
While all three executives gave vendors good marks for individual products, some commented that the new technology on display was not as robust in former years. “From the game side—slot machines as well as table games—there was not as much technology,” said Ingster. “Cashless was the king of the (technology) conversation, as well as AI.”
“There’s not the same level of innovation as when we were talking about skill-based and virtual reality,” noted Duggan. “I didn’t see anything that really jumped off the page.” DeJong singled out advancements in mobile jackpot technology by Everi and Pavilion Payments among a few examples of standout technology at the show.
The panelists gave the slot manufacturers good marks for the selection of content available, as well as the new hardware—adding that it was good that fewer cabinets were launched than in past G2E shows. “There was more focus on content,” Ingster said.
Game Content
Asked what they thought were the standouts among premium leased games, the panelists pointed to three games carrying licensed brands, from three different manufacturers.
Duggan pointed to Aristocrat’s NFL series, although he qualified the choice with a wait-and-see attitude on the games’ staying power. “I’m curious to see how well it performs, how it sticks around six months or more,” he said.
Duggan and Ingster both said they were more impressed with what’s coming up in the series than the initial game, Super Bowl Jackpots.
Duggan also cited Squid Game, Light & Wonder’s game based on the popular Netflix series. As for other premium games displayed, he commented on their similarity to the core games. “A lot of the premium content is starting to look like games we should be buying,” he said.
DeJong agreed with the choices, and also singled out IGT’s Whitney Houston video slots, presented on a new large-format cabinet created for the title. “It’s a good license; it’s going to resonate with the core demographic of players, and it’s got a decent presentation,” he said.
Ingster added that what appealed to him about the licensed titles at G2E was that they all carried strong base games. “As we know, the brand is only going to do so much; it’s going to attract you to the game,” he said. “The problem a lot of times is that there’s so much focus on the brand, that the math is neglected a bit. From what I’ve seen from the manufacturers, I’m optimistic. Whitney is based on Prosperity Link, with strong-performing games. On the NFL series, my favorite is the third game, Super Bowl Link, which is based on proven Aristocrat math.”
All of the panelists praised the slot suppliers for their core game lineups, in which manufacturers typically extended player-favorite internal brands. They pointed to brand extensions like Light & Wonder’s Huff & Puff, Aristocrat’s Buffalo franchise, IGT’s Diamond Jackpots Double Spin featuring 3X4X5X Pay and Bluberi’s Devil’s Lock All-In and Shark’s Lock, sequels to last year’s mega-hit Devil’s Lock.
DeJong praised IGT for its development focus. “It’s nice they’re not just throwing stuff against the wall, but focusing on core content,” he said.
Ingster said the variety of game genres on display was impressive. “It’s great seeing HHR and Class II content out front, on the same cabinets, with the same content and math (as Class III games),” he said.
On the electronic table game (ETG) front, the panelists praised companies like Interblock, AGS and Light & Wonder for the growing number of side bets, bonuses and progressives. “We’re really excited to see side bets and bonuses on ETGs,” said Ingster, “as well as things you can’t do on a live table—a lot of bonus multipliers, like in Europe. Interblock is getting really inventive in ways to attract players.”
Duggan added that while the side bets certainly add entertainment to the games, their best value to operators is that they raise the hold on traditionally low-hold games. “We want a more consistent hold on these products,” he said. “It’s good to see side bets and bonuses that attract players to the games, and it’s nice to see the technology evolve.”
Best, Most Improved
Eilers borrowed from EKG’s annual slot awards to get panelists’ spot opinions on the slot suppliers. Asked to assess the best supplier overall, the answer was unanimous. “That’s an easy one,” said Ingster. “Aristocrat continues to be the leader.” He and other panelists also singled out Light & Wonder for praise. “L&W’s booth offered the most broad range of content,” said Duggan.
Most improved supplier? Duggan singled out Bluberi, for its continuation of the Devil’s Lock series, and Everi, for its diversity of new content. DeJong cited AGS for its new Spectra cabinet. Ingster cited Everi, Sega Gaming and Incredible Technologies for the new content and cabinets all launched.
Moving away from the slots, the panelists discussed system technology on display at the show, concentrating mainly on cashless platforms. All agreed that cashless adoption will continue to be slow as long as operators offer a mish-mash of technology from numerous suppliers.
“We still can’t find an easy, one-push method for guests to adopt cashless play,” Duggan said. “I couldn’t agree more,” said DeJong, “not only on the ease of entry but the ease of exit. Players want seamless and easy.” He noted the launch of ticket-in/ticket-out play 20 years ago. “TITO improved the flow of play,” he said. “Until cashless can produce that kind of efficiency, I don’t see players flocking to it.”
Regulations are another aspect holding cashless technology back, DeJong added. “The regulatory aspect needs some attention,” he said, noting that operators seeking to add cashless play keep “bumping into regulations.”
“It’s good to see (cashless technology) getting out into the field,” said Ingster. “We need to see its potential, its pitfalls, what works and what doesn’t. I’m all for cashless. Away from the casino, to a fault, I don’t carry cash. We need to get cashless out there, but right now, there are too many methods, too many systems to get there.”
Asked what came up short at G2E, Duggan cited the sameness of slot mechanics like hold-and-re-spin and pot collection bonuses, while conceding that “it’s what our players want.” DeJong said he’d like to see more portability of game content among the numerous cabinets offered by each supplier. “If a game fits on a 43-inch monitor, why wouldn’t it fit on a 55-inch?” he said. “There should be more back-and-forth between cabinets, instead of making us buy new cabinets every couple of years.”
All of the panelists agreed on one other aspect of the show: There was too much to see in too little time. “I’m disappointed there wasn’t another day,” said Duggan. “There are so many vendors now. I had back-to-back meetings and I still didn’t see everyone.”
