THE AGENDA
BY ROGER GROS , PUBLISHER
Come Together
L ast month , IGT declared that its Wheel of
Fortune slot games in certain states will accumulate a jackpot by using play from both landbased and online casinos , meaning a player has a chance to win the top jackpot by playing in either a bricks-and-mortar casino or online . I say it ’ s about time that land-based casinos figured out ways to attract online players to their properties .
We ’ ve not seen any major declines in land-based revenues in states that also allow legal online gaming , despite the fears . New Jersey was the first to try this experiment , and the results have been heartening . While in some months , the land-based revenue has declined , it has usually been made up by online gaming revenues .
Now , would some of that online revenue come to the land-based casinos were online gambling to be banned ? That ’ s unclear , but it seems to be that online revenues are dollars that casinos would not have gotten should land-based gaming be the only choice .
But should online gaming not be permitted , would those players opt for casino games offered by illegal offshore operators ? There ’ s no concrete proof yet , but given the presence of illegal online gambling advertising on social media sites like Facebook , Instagram and other platforms , and also given the fact that those who are able to play on those sites do so without any interference from the authorities , one can only assume that those illegal sites are going to grow and proliferate as long as that continues .
Since the growth of legal online gaming has not spread as quickly as the industry would like , there ’ s going to be continued growth of illegal gaming . And that includes sports betting . In this issue , our Five Questions page with premier sports bettor Spanky shows that legal sportsbooks shy away from sharp bettors , who therefore look offshore for their action . That will continue to happen with sharps and squares when legal online casinos open , but with odds that are not attractive to the players .
Meanwhile , in states where legal land-based and online casinos exist , we need to link the two so players get rewarded for playing on any of their products . This is where land-based casinos that also offer online gaming can beat the betting sites that don ’ t have a land-based option . By offering rewards that can only be redeemed in person — free rooms , meals , cash back at real machines and contests — land-based casinos can gain an edge over the DraftKings and FanDuels of the world .
BetMGM , Caesars and Hard Rock sportsbooks and online casinos will be able to cut into the massive market shares enjoyed by online-only entities by showing players the two sides of the equation . Nothing can match the hands-on , face-to-face , personal service that customers receive at the bricksand-mortar casinos , and if that extends to the online reception , then casinos that can blend the two experiences in a seamless manner will have the leg up on any online-only gaming competition .
So far , however , it seems as though land-based operators are just pleased to have another revenue stream that they stumbled upon . They were glad to give up large pieces of that stream to technology providers along with other “ skins ” that are onlineonly and don ’ t produce as effectively as they should .
It took some of the technology companies like IGT to grasp the possibilities of how a dual approach to land-based and online players could increase their profitability . Operators are still lagging behind . And it ’ s not just a matter that the operators will lose out on a revenue stream — if they don ’ t respond soon , they will be left in the dust of the more sophisticated online-only sites , even if they don ’ t have a land-based alternative .
But it isn ’ t just operators . Regulators also need to get up to speed quickly . There still is a lot of frustration coming from both operators and suppliers that regulators are too slow to respond to innovative ideas . Both New Jersey and Nevada have programs where new technology can be recognized and utilized but other states and jurisdictions need to follow . And it ’ s not just the U . S . Online play is exploding in Asia with almost everyone playing some kind of game on their mobile devices . Yet the operators in Asia seem to have ceded that space to new and unique companies that come in under the radar . When is the last time you ’ ve seen any online gaming options from the big Asian conglomerates like Crown , Sands China , Galaxy , SJM or others ?
So everyone needs to realize that online gaming is going to be at least as big if not bigger than landbased gaming , and figure out how to blend the two so you not only get a loyal land-based player but one that you can follow home to create a full customer experience . The time to do it is now , not tomorrow .
Vol . 22 • No . 8 • AUGUST 2023
Roger Gros , Publisher | rgros @ ggbmagazine . com twitter : @ GlobalGamingBiz
Frank Legato , Editor | flegato @ ggbmagazine . com twitter : @ FranklySpeakn
Jess Marquez , Managing Editor jmarquez @ ggbmagazine . com
Monica Cooley , Art Director mcooley @ ggbmagazine . com
Terri Brady , Sales & Marketing Director tbrady @ ggbmagazine . com
Becky Kingman-Gros , Chief Operating Officer bkingros @ ggbmagazine . com
Lisa Johnson , Communications Advisor lisa @ lisajohnsoncommunications . com twitter : @ LisaJohnsonPR
Columnists Maureen Beddis | Frank Fantini
Contributing Editors Rae Berkley Dave Bontempo twitter : @ bontempomedia Alan Campbell | Chris Irwin | Marjorie Preston John Reger | Bill Sokolic twitter : @ downbeachfilm _______________
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Rino Armeni , President , Armeni Enterprises
• Mark A . Birtha , Senior Vice President & General Manager , Hard Rock International
• Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs , President , Lifescapes International
• Nicholas Casiello Jr ., Shareholder , Fox Rothschild
• Jeffrey Compton , Publisher , CDC E-Reports twitter : @ CDCNewswire
• Dean Macomber , President , Macomber International , Inc .
• Stephen Martino , Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer , MGM Resorts International , twitter : @ stephenmartino
• Jim Rafferty , President , Rafferty & Associates
• Thomas Reilly , Vice President Systems Sales , Scientific Games
• Michael Soll , President , The Innovation Group
• Katherine Spilde , Executive Director , Sycuan Gaming Institute , San Diego State University , twitter : @ kspilde
• Ernie Stevens , Jr ., Chairman , National Indian Gaming Association twitter : @ NIGA1985
• Roy Student , President , Applied Management Strategies
•
David D . Waddell , Partner Regulatory Management Counselors PC
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The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor .
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4 Global Gaming Business AUGUST 2023