by
Buddy Frank
Times, and situations, change, and G2E is no exception. You’ve always needed good shoes, but today the essentials for G2E include the right mobile apps. Whether you’re an iOS or Android fan, there are some old and new smartphone applications that are virtual necessities.
First, there’s the just-released official G2E app, now available in all the usual places. Their tag line is that it’s “your source for everything G2E” and “will help you plan… which exhibitors to see, get custom recommendations of exhibitors and education sessions, and more.” That description is a bit inflated, since it won’t keep track of your party invites, appointment times, contacts, notes, or things of that nature. But it is your best bet to find booth locations and seminar schedules. And anyway, unless you’re still on a flip phone, most of today’s smartphones have native Calendar, Note, Contact and Photo apps to fill in those blanks.
Before mentioning the one new app that’s guaranteed to improve your G2E visit, there are two whimsical installs worth considering: Drink Control, Drink Tracker and Map My Walk. The Map My apps have been popular with cyclists and runners for years, and the Walk version will give you complete and accurate stats on exactly why your feet are killing you each day. At the same time, it will also display a chart of where you’ve been and show the nonsensical wander-path you’ve been making on the Sands Expo floor. If you’re the type that wants to log data of your G2E alcohol consumption, Drink Control is for you, although if you download it, hopefully you’ll keep that knowledge to yourself rather than risk becoming the ultimate party pooper each evening. G2E is only a few days, after all.
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by Frank Legato
Next month in this space, I’ll offer my subjective opinion of the top games I found among all the innovative new slot products at this month’s Global Gaming Expo. Normally, in January, I’ll offer a piece analyzing trends in the slot sector.
However, a summer spent examining the research compiled from the major slot manufacturers’ product lineups for this year’s G2E reveals several trends to watch for as you approach the booths of the world’s slot suppliers at the show. While the new product collections of the major suppliers are as unique and varied this year as the suppliers themselves, there are definite commonalities that are becoming standard-issue in the slot product that will be arriving at casinos in the coming year.
The most obvious trends involve hardware. It is almost a requirement these days for major slot suppliers to release new cabinets every year, and the features on those cabinets change with every advancement in technology. Leading the way are the central features of those cabinets, the ever-sharper video monitors.
Like most trends in slot technology, the high-definition LCD video monitor has evolved as it has become a video slot requirement. For instance, the curved monitor, first introduced with the Bally Pro Curve years ago, has been given its own twist by each supplier, from Aristocrat’s Arc to IGT’s CrystalCurve, to Everi’s Empire DCX, to Konami’s Concerto Crescent.
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ReelHot September 2019 Update
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Top-performing game title per Supplier (trailing 3 months).
Click here
or the chart below to see the full ReelHot index.
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Upcoming Industry Events of Interest
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Las Vegas, NV
- 10/14/2019 - 10/17/2019
G2E is the largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America. Experience first-hand the new products and innovative technologies showcased on the expo floor. G2E has everything you need for your casino floor and across your entire operation—from traditional casino fare to sports betting, non-gaming amenities and more—G2E is where your business growth is accelerated.
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Rockhouse, 3377 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV
- 10/15/2019
Vegas Baby is taking place on the 15th October at the end of the first day of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E). You will experience an incredible evening with 600 industry executives from operators, suppliers, affiliates, regulators and media. You are guaranteed to network and do business with like-minded betting industry professionals.
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UNR Redfield Campus, 18600 Wedge Pkwy, Reno, NV
- 10/28/2019 - 10/31/2019
This advanced course develops analytical and data interpretation skills and examines calculations and reports associated with slot machine performance and placement. Other topics include profitable layout and design issues, product selection and mix, creating and evaluating marketing events, using database systems, and player club concepts.
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Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center- Nashville, TN
- 11/11/2019 - 11/14/2019
Join us as we celebrate 20 years of bringing tribes and technology together. This event has become an industry "must attend" for anyone working in leadership or technology in tribal gaming, government and health.
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777 W Cherokee St, Catoosa, OK
- 12/09/2019 - 12/12/2019
Advance your gaming management career by attending this unique program tailored to your industry. The University of Nevada, Reno and the OSU Spears School of Business have teamed up to offer a 4 day program to provide leadership sessions and concurrent tracks in slot operations, surveillance operations, table game operations, and casino accounting and finance management.
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