What’s Past is Prologue

It’s only natural as we reach the end of the year to look back and reflect on what went right, what went wrong and how we can improve moving into the new year. For the gaming industry, 2024 was a pretty good year depending upon where you are in the world. Record revenues continued in the early part of the year, and flattened out later. So what can we do to reclaim those increasing revenues? That’s the kind of reflection that corporations make.

And that’s why we publish our 10 Trends each December. We want our readers to be aware of what’s coming up in the new year, how it will affect their lives and their businesses, and how to get ready to deal with them.

I must confess, though: Some of these trends go over my head. Let’s start with Earle Hall’s piece on AI. I know artificial intelligence is all the rage and it will bring some good things to gaming, but my marketing sense is offended that computers may be able to do it better. Ditto for Cory Morowitz’s piece on macroeconomics. I can see why that’s important, but how in the world do you prepare for the unexpected? Frank Legato’s two articles on slot trends leave me perplexed. And Kahlil Philander’s push for more effective self-exclusion programs strikes me as just common sense.

So I’m not really very good these days at looking into the future. I seem to enjoy the past much more, probably because it is like a comfortable blanket.

But as I wind down my day-to-day activities with GGB and Clarion, I actually started thinking about my future. I will still be hosting some of the GGB Podcasts we started 20 years ago and writing this column each month, so I’ll be hanging around for a while.

But speaking recently with old friends in the industry made me realize that there is no one documenting the incredible knowledge that they have acquired over the years. It’s a treasure trove that is slowly fading away. So while today’s industry is full of AI, algorithms and formulas, the industry of the past was all about personal relationships, respect for your customers and colleagues, and a genuine desire to entertain and delight. And for some reason, people seem to think these two ways to view the industry are not compatible. But I believe they are.

One of the things I want to do in my semi-retirement is to create the Gaming Legacy Podcast, in which I will have conversations with the people who built the industry. I want to talk about how gaming was legalized in all those jurisdictions and whether it has fulfilled the promises they made. I want to discuss how customers reacted when you’d give them a surprise comp or they’d be upgraded to a suite. Let’s hear about how workers advanced in those days, how loyalty was earned and what events changed the industry.

I want to invite people to appear on the podcast whose names you might recognize, such as Jack Binion, who developed the Horseshoe casinos; Lyle Berman, who was a pioneer in both tribal and riverboat gaming; and Bobby Baldwin, who stood side-by-side with Steve Wynn while building the Mirage empire.

But I’d also like to talk with people whose names you might not know but hold a special depth of gaming knowledge—Roy Student, who developed the early players clubs, introduced server-based gaming, and pushed non-gaming amenities; Debi Nutton, recently inducted into the AGA’s Gaming Hall of Fame as the first female dice dealer in Las Vegas and a table games marvel; and Joe Fusco, one of the first three hires in the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, who helped develop the regulations that we are so familiar with today.

So I’m going to let all the super qualified people in the gaming business look to the future and develop the marvelous systems, resorts and games that will entertain future casino guests, but with the Gaming Legacy Podcast, I’m going to remind you that the knowledge and experience of the people who came before you is still alive and well. Maybe someday some smart young executive will listen and be inspired by these truly great people who built this business.

Remember this quote from George Orwell: “He who controls the past, controls the future.”