LINWOOD, NJ--(Marketwired - Dec 13, 2016) - Spectrum Gaming Group, an independent research and professional services firm serving public- and private-sector clients worldwide, has developed its 13th annual list of Most Important Gaming Trends for 2017.
New Jersey-based Spectrum, together with its sister companies, Spectrum Asia, based in Bangkok, and Spectrum Gaming Capital, based in New York City, tracks these and other trends on a regular basis.
"Spectrum has a strong track record, dating back to 2004, of peering into the future, and helping our clients successfully identify opportunities," said Spectrum Managing Director Michael Pollock. "We trust that this carefully considered list will fill that role in 2017."
To view previous years' lists, visit http://www.spectrumgaming.com/trends/.
Top 10 Trends for 2017 (in order of prominence)
1. Significant expansion opportunities are expected to arise as legislation is crafted in Brazil, India and Japan.
2. Lotteries and casinos will both seek online opportunities -- sometimes with competing efforts in the same states and countries, creating competitive challenges that legislators and regulators must sort out.
3. Casinos will leverage their under-utilized square footage to create special attractions for Millennials, including lounges, entertainment, and skill-based gaming options.
4. States will attempt to overcome stagnating gaming receipts by proposing new forms of, or locations for, gaming such as retail gaming (i.e., a limited number of electronic gaming devices in liquor-licensed establishments), satellite casinos, and slots at airports.
5. Proponents of legalized sports betting -- including the American Gaming Association, state associations and individual operators -- will push their agenda more forcefully as state budgets continue to be strained, and as major sports leagues seek to capture a substantial new revenue stream.
6. Macau will again become a growth story as gross gaming revenues continue to climb and new integrated resorts open. The mass market will dominate and VIP play will decline to less than 50 percent of GGR for the first time since Macau reverted back to China.
7. The trend toward private management and, in some instances, private ownership of lotteries will accelerate in various countries and US states.
8. State legislatures will face pressure to reduce gaming tax rates, as well as to amend or streamline regulations, in response to increasing competition and the potential for saturation in various markets.
9. More casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City will stage eSports events and contests, while Atlantic City will attempt to reposition itself as an eSports hub.
10. The South will be a focus of casino opportunities, as the potential for legalization and expansion is debated in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana.
These trends and other important issues will be examined at the Winter Meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), January 6-8 at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, AZ. For more information and to register, click here.
Spectrum is a non-partisan consultancy that specializes in the economics, regulation and policy of legalized gambling worldwide. We have provided independent research and professional services to public- and private-sector clients since 1993. We bring wide industry perspective to every engagement, having worked in 36 US states and territories and in 46 countries. Employing renowned experts in every facet of the gaming industry, Spectrum serves state, tribal and national governments, casino operators, regulators, developers, investors, law firms, and other gaming-related professionals and stakeholders.
Our array of services include market study and financial analysis; investigations and due diligence (financial and integrity); Internet gambling research and analysis; economic impact reports; drafting of legislation and regulation; public-policy analysis; establishment of investigative procedures; gaming regulatory services; and professional services for Indian Nations. Our reports have been used by clients to shape public policy, secure financing, formulate marketing plans, determine scope and size of development, establish gaming regulations, and make licensing decisions, among many other purposes. Spectrum produces several conferences and, together with Fantini Research and Management Science Associates, publishes SPECTRUMETRIX-Fantini, a comprehensive and dynamic suite of web-based reports.