New perspectives on eSports on tap for Las Vegas conference in September

August 10, 2017 6:00 PM
  • Ben Fox — Casino Esport Conference
August 10, 2017 6:00 PM
  • Ben Fox — Casino Esport Conference

There has been increasing chatter lately about developing the casino/video gaming nexus. In particular, in terms not only of “How do we market this eSports stuff?,” but also, “What exactly is this stuff? Is it anything like slots?” The short answer? No, it’s not like slots, or, really, anything else currently in casinos. Furthermore, it’s not as simple as installing a bunch of skill-based games on the casino floor, scheduling a couple of gaming tournaments, and waiting for the money to roll in. Games, and gamers, have become exceptionally sophisticated in recent years, and dedicated gamers have been demanding ever more complex games and platforms. This is where the Casino eSport Conference (CEC), Fox Marketing’s gaming and esports conference, comes in.

The CEC, which is being held in Las Vegas for the first time this year, on September 7-8 at the Westgate, is the premier gaming and eSports conference of its kind in the country. In particular, the CEC serves as a bridge between the gaming development and casino worlds, and the hope is that developers will learn what casinos are looking to install on their floors, casinos will learn what, exactly, this exciting, and potentially very lucrative, new gaming vertical is all about, and both worlds can work together to figure out how to capture and effectively service this new demographic. The market is there. All that casinos need to learn to do is tap into it. Attending the Casino eSport Conference, we believe, is that first step.

For more than twenty years, my brother and I have run businesses concerned almost exclusively with the gaming industry, beginning in the mid-90s with Fox Marketing’s casino travel scheduling business. We eventually evolved a web based kiosk for the bus companies, in conjunction with several casinos in Atlantic City, to ensure repeat casino business by offering complimentary travel vouchers.

In working so closely with casinos for so long, especially in the area of transportation, where we see first-hand the number of bodies traveling to the properties, we have been in a unique position to sense trends in the industry. At our peak, we were producing approximately over one million schedules per month; now, with the advent of technology, our printing numbers are down significantly from their peak. We have observed that the older segment of the population who favored gaming vacations has not been replaced by the younger generation. We have seen the casinos begin to struggle.

While continuing to run the ticketing kiosks in a smaller capacity, we have since shifted our focus to GAC Events. We became increasingly involved in eSports. Our unique perspective and experience led us to become increasingly interested in the relationship between video and casino gaming. This undervalued vertical seemed to offer an opportunity to do something entirely new in the casino space, and to meet the needs of a huge and underutilized market – millennials. By 2019, eSports revenues are projected to pass the $1.5 billion mark, provided eGamers’ needs are met. At this year’s CEC, we intend to offer the means to understand those needs, to meet them, and to strengthen the potentially lucrative bond between casinos and eSports gamers.

For further information or to register, visit www.casinoesportconf.com

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