GGB Magazine December 2024 | Page 37

The creation of these alternative cabinet lineups , though , has not slowed the march toward bigger , more elaborate hardware .
“ Sightlines were always overvalued ,” says Buddy Frank , who founded his BF Slot Strategies after a long career in slot operations . “ Slot machines are the revenue generators — not the view to a casino cage , ceiling tiles or a far wall .
“ The larger cabinets have become amazing beacons of excitement and entertainment . Today , they attract players like moths to a porch light . Broad aisles are great for traffic flow , but the play areas with the taller boxes stimulate more play by offering a maze of wonder and discovery .”
A look at this year ’ s G2E exhibits certainly supports that opinion . Light & Wonder rolled out amazing new branded games on its largest cabinets , including Dracula , Kong Skull Island and The Wizard of Oz — I ’ ll Get You My Pretty .
IGT launched its Wheel of Fortune Trio , a massive 12-foot display including three large cabinets and a giant version of the famous wheel . Konami offered the game-show theme BUZZR and the unique Bingo Frenzy Stampede on its jumbo Dimension 75C . Novomatic displayed its Piggy Prizes game on the V . I . P . Galaxy , which is basically a leather recliner in front of a game played out on a flat-screen TV .
No , the trend toward bigger , brighter and flashier slot hardware is not over yet . In fact , as the slot market gets more and more competitive , it ’ s a good bet the biggest and brightest are yet to come . — Frank Legato

2 Playing Safe

Protecting kids from the ills of gambling , and why an all-out ad ban is a bad idea

Call it what you like — safe play , consumer protections or sustainable gaming — but responsible gambling is having its moment . During a year in which no U . S . state legislature approved any kind of gambling expansion , responsible gambling became the industry ’ s “ it ” girl .

Lawmakers from Illinois to New York and Ireland to Ontario passed tighter gambling advertising laws while state and federal governments in the U . S . and beyond considered various degrees of such measures , including all-out advertising bans .
No U . S . state — not even those with the most stringent responsible gaming regulations — has a total ban on advertising .
“ I think it sounds like an easy solution to deal with the rapid expansion of advertising and promotions in gaming where there is an addictive component ,” says Cathy Judd-Stein , former chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission . “ I think an informed , data-based decision is what ’ s needed now .
“ But I ’ m hesitant ( to consider a ban ) because the illegal market has the ability to advertise and advertise and advertise without any guidelines . I think a ban on the regulated industry would be harmful .”
In the U . S ., a bill proposed by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Rep . Paul Tonko would do just that . Similar measures are being discussed in Australia and Canada . In all cases , the goal seems to be to keep wagering advertising off the air and away from youth . But problem and responsible gambling advocates have previously said such bans won ’ t work .
“ I ’ m not a fan of , and I am a huge advocate against , the banning of anything ,” lobbyist Bill Pascrell says . “ I think it ’ s important that we do not put complete bans out there . In terms of athletes and celebrities , they can be utilized in a way that is useful for responsible gaming … I don ’ t think that banning anything is useful . And there is no proof that it works .
“ Ad bans are very bad news . You won ’ t have anything on the airwaves to show where to go ” for help with gambling addiction .
In Ontario , regulators landed on a middle ground . They did not ban advertising nor the use of celebrities . But in the new regulations that went into effect in February , celebrities can only be used for responsible gambling advertising .
In 2024 , New York lawmakers passed a law that requires that any advertisement for sports betting or gambling carry “ warnings about potential harmful and addictive effects of gambling .” It also mandates that the state gambling commission work with the state ’ s addiction services programs to ensure that all advertisements — for sports betting , land-based casinos and online gambling — include hotline numbers .
Also in the U . S ., Illinois regulators tightened advertising guidelines , following the leads of lawmakers and regulators in Massachusetts and Ohio . The new rules , passed in September , strengthen existing measures by banning the use of words like “ free ,” “ cost-free ” or “ free of risk .” They also ban gambling advertising on college campuses or other venues where the majority of attendees are under 21 and ban the use of messaging or logos on merchandise like toys that might appeal to youth .
The Ohio Casino Control Commission last summer added a first-of-its-kind prohibition when it approved a rule that prohibits offering promotions to anyone under the age of 21 during a “ nongaming , consumer transaction .” The rule was in response to Fanatics Sportsbook — part of the larger Fanatics merchandise empire — launching in the state and offering gambling credits to merchandise customers .
RG LEADER Judd-Stein and the MGC have been on the forefront of such protections since wagering was legalized in Massachusetts in 2022 . In that state , it was lawmakers that set the tone for a strict responsible gambling and consumer protection landscape .
Judd-Stein says in her state , lawmakers “ put a premium ” on such measures and gave regulators a head start by creating a research agenda .
“ We were really well positioned ” to prioritize responsible gambling , she says . The research “ really informed the application process . The statute requires that operators submit an annual responsible gaming plan . I give the legislature a lot of credit for establishing this , and then the commissioners felt a responsibility to adhere to that .”
Across the world in legal gambling jurisdictions , responsible gambling has also been a top-line issue . The U . K . is testing the affordability checks endorsed by a 2023 white paper , while Ireland ’ s Advertising Standards Authority laid out guidelines that counsel against “ encouraging ” socially irresponsible behavior or suggesting that gambling could solve financial problems . The new standards also prohibit gambling ads that would appeal to or be available via “ selection of media ” to children . — Jill R . Dorson
DECEMBER 2024 www . ggbmagazine . com 19