Q4 NEWSLETTER  |  December 8, 2016
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Happy Holidays from The Innovation Group!

In this newsletter, read about our recent post-election webinar, Calfornia's gaming facility expansions, our G2E 2016 takeaways and much more. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy and prosperous 2017.  
ARTICLES
CLICK TO WATCH

POST-ELECTION WEBINAR: "DECISION 2016"
by Michael Vanaskie

No matter what your political stance, the 2016 election results likely came as a surprise. With the results sure to shake up the political community, there are many unknowns as to what's in store from a legislative perspective. The potential impacts on the gaming industry have been at the forefront of our minds at The Innovation Group just as they likely are for many of our industry peers. To help sift through the political banter and take an in-depth look into the election's potential impacts on gaming, last month The Innovation Group's Emerging Leaders of Gaming™ program hosted a webinar on the topic. The webinar, which was produced in association with the American Gaming Association, was the fourth and final webinar in the Emerging Leaders' 2016 series. The series is scheduled to continue in 2017 and will continue to offer unique insights on current trends within the gaming industry. 

CALIFORNIA'S GAMING FACILITIES EXPAND
by Christopher Irwin

Over the past several years, casinos around the nation, especially Native American casinos, have put millions of dollars into renovations and expansion of their facilities in order to gain or even maintain market share, especially in markets where casinos are still being built. According to a white paper published by The Innovation Group, "U.S. Gaming Revenue Trends", the gaming environment in the United States is becoming increasingly stagnant and years of consistent 3-4% annual revenue growth rates may be a thing of the past. As a result, many facilities are looking to increase market share by differentiating themselves through the use of funds on capital improvement projects. California is a shining example.  
 
About the writers:

Michael Vanaskie
Christopher Irwin

TIG's Lessons Learned from G2E 2016

The Innovation Group left this year's Global Gaming Expo with several insightful observations:
  1. The lines are officially blurring between gaming product lines, most notably bricks and mortar versus interactive and lottery versus distributed systems.
  2. Apprehension regarding the potential regulatory environment in Brazil is common across potential entrants into that new market.
  3. The new trend of virtual sports betting is interesting and appears to fill a need and have an opportunity for implementation both in bricks and mortar and online.
  4. Should Japan pass legislation during the special session, this year, the development opportunities both in the large cities (Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka) and the secondary markets (Nagasaki and Hokkaido) could spawn significant growth for the industry.
  5. Tribal economic diversification through non gaming ventures will continue to be a hot topic through 2017.
  6. The millennial debate continues apace with no clear agreement on how to woo them to casinos or what value they would add to gaming revenue.
IN THE WORKS
Congratulations, Redding Rancheria
According to a public notice from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Redding Rancheria has submitted plans to state and federal officials to build a new casino off Interstate 5. The location, south of Redding, would replace Win-River Casino. The proposed 140,000 square foot casino is expected to include a 250-room hotel, an event and convention center, a retail center, and parking lots. Over the years, The Innovation Group has conducted several studies for the Redding Rancheria, including for this development. We congratulate them on this new endeavor.  For more on this story, click here.
Eagle Mountain Casino, Porterville, CA
The  Innovation Group is conducting research and analysis to compose a comprehensive business development plan for the Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, CA. The plan will serve multiple purposes such as securing regulatory approval, obtaining financing resources, and optimizing operating efficiency. Additionally, the plan focuses on strengthening the property's marketing strategy, target market segments, operating excellence, and future development plans.  For more on this story, click here.
EMPLOYEE FEATURE
Anthony Mason
Principal
Innovation Analytics

Based out of Winter Park, Florida, Anthony is a principal for Innovation Analytics, the data analysis and new technologies arm of The Innovation Group. Leveraging the Company's experience working with industry operators, technology developers and investors, Innovation Analytics uses quantitative methods as the key to unlocking business insights in management, strategy, and marketing. Their contributions include database decision analysis, digital interactive gap analysis, primary customer research, social/interactive gaming platform, and on-site mobile customer data capture. Anthony provides expertise in direct marketing, CRM, campaign and promotional design, loyalty programs, e-commerce, media planning, business intelligence, consumer insights, statistical modeling, partnerships, and branding.
 
Anthony has worked as a multi-channel marketing executive in the international, regional, and tribal gaming and hospitality industry for Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Ameristar Casinos Inc., and Foxwoods Resort Casino. His focus has been on developing fully integrated marketing strategies by quantifying the economic impact of promotional and advertising spend.
 
Anthony holds several economics degrees, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
 
To reach Anthony, please email amason@theinnovationgroup.com
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)
IN THE NEWS -  Articles:  Asia Gaming Lawyer -  An Overview of Gaming Legislation & IR Development in Vietnam (p. 10), by Michael Zhu. Press Mentions: Michael Zhu quoted in AGB's Gambling on Locals and Tribal Ties. GGRAsia - Macau Gaming Show panels moderated by TIG execs: 1) Small operators to drive Asia casino growth: analysts (moderator David Rittvo), 2) 'No surprises' in any Cambodian gaming law: NagaCorp (moderator Michael Zhu)


EVENTS & CONFERENCES - TIG wrapped another successful speaking engagement at Brazilian Gaming Congress. See which upcoming trade shows TIG will be attending in the next few months. 


COMPANY NEWS - The Innovation Group welcomes intern Richard "Duke" Butterfield to the New Orleans office.
Stay Connected with The Innovation Group:

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For more information, contact:

Michael Soll
President
Thomas J. Zitt, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President,
Strategic Planning
David Rittvo
Executive Vice President,
International




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