Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
The numbers tell the story of the Global Gaming Expo's magnetic pull: more than 25,000 attendees journeying from more than 120 countries to converge on the entertainment capital.
This isn’t just another trade show — it’s the epicenter where “deals get made,” the latest innovations are introduced and the gaming industry looks ahead to the future, said Maureen Beddis, senior vice president of membership and events at the American Gaming Association, which co-owns the G2E franchise with global event organizer RX.
“G2E is really a show for the industry, by the industry,” Beddis said.
Beddis cited association data showing record revenue in the industry for the last four consecutive years, with 2025 on track to be another record-breaking year. Kicking off today at the Venetian, G2E has mirrored that momentum in the industry, she said, from the number of its exhibitors to the educational sessions it offers.
This is the event's 25th year.
“The show continues to grow, and that growth is not just in people and exhibit floors, but also it’s a growth in the number of topics and the types of things that we’re getting to talk about throughout that conference and education program,” Beddis said, noting topics like prediction markets and mental health.
Though gaming has grown significantly in the last quarter century, Beddis noted that Las Vegas remains the industry’s undisputed capital. It makes the most sense for G2E to be in the Entertainment Capital of the World year after year, she said.
“Las Vegas really represents a great intersection of sports and entertainment and hospitality and gaming,” Beddis said.
Christian Smith, vice president of marketing and research at Las Vegas-based slot‑machine designer Bluberi, compared G2E to the company’s Super Bowl, describing the convention as the company’s primary product showcase of the year.
For Bluberi, Smith said, G2E is the gaming manufacturer’s opportunity to demonstrate how it differs from its competitors, to pull back the curtain on its design process and to tell the story of its games “built for today’s play.”
“You’ve got to have the story,” Smith said. “You’ve got to understand the whys. That’s one thing that we always try to answer is, ‘Why did we make this game? Why are we going after the players we’re going after?’”
This is a particularly special year for Bluberi, which Smith said recently secured its Nevada gaming license.
“It’s exciting that we’re able to engage with actual local Las Vegas customers now, and talk about when our product’s actually going to be coming to their market,” said Smith, who noted that Bluberi takes pride in routinely working with local Las Vegas vendors on its G2E booth, as well. “That is the biggest gaming market in the world.”
Unlike other industries, where show floors like that of G2E can seem abstract, Smith said, G2E is mere yards away from the Venetian casino and many of the very products it presents.
The gaming association works closely with members and key partners—like the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, Global Gaming Women and the Indian Gaming Association—to stay on top of trends and relevant issues and avoid sharing the same content year after year.
The same goes for the reimagining of G2E’s show floor, which this year will include “the Strip,” a large space dedicated to smaller activations, photo opportunities and more. The 2025 show will also feature the first-ever U.S. Dealer Championship, featuring nearly three dozen dealers from various operators across the country.
Participants will go through rigorous challenges designed to evaluate their technical mastery, customer engagement abilities and the exceptional service standard that defines world-class gaming experiences today, Beddis said.
“That gives us an opportunity at G2E to maybe spotlight an area of the industry that doesn’t usually get talked about on the show floor,” she said, “And certainly it gives us an opportunity to celebrate some of those people who are interacting with consumers; who are experiencing gaming today on a day to day.”
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