STATESIDE
• The horror and devastation of September 11, 2001 changed travel forever. Those more distant, rural properties saw their income decline over the short-term, but aviation took a hit that still affects air travel quality and pricing. Security, paramount to operations, took on new meaning as cameras and policies aimed at preventing terrorism emerged. Technology advancements continually improve the methodology to protect gaming customers onsite.
• As more states legalised gaming operations, many also had to revise their original programs. Some riverboat states modifi ed their sailing requirements for safety and daily cash maximums.
Following Hurricane Katrina’s destruction across the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 2005, attached gaming barges became a liability. Mississippi’s legislature quickly passed legislation, relocating its barge casinos from to 800 feet inland, to increase stability and minimize damage.
• Who could predict how the careers of iconic fi gures like Donald Trump and Steve Wynn would evolve? Once bitter competitors, they later reconciled to become “friends.” After Trump’s successes and failures in Atlantic City, he then produced and starred in hit show “The Apprentice.” It was among the most popular and profi table reality televisions shows in history.
In 2015, Trump launched an unimaginable political upset in the 2016 presidential election, lost re-election in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. He’s only the second American president to do that. President Grover Cleveland-ironically another New Yorker-served from 1885-1889 and again from 1893-1897.
Wynn, the visionary genius and industry darling of the 1990s/early 2000s, transformed Las Vegas into a world-class gambling, dining, retail and entertainment mecca.
Several years later, he fell from grace. Multiple accusations of workplace sexual misconduct destroyed his clout, reputation and revoked his Nevada gaming license once he paid a $10 million fi ne in 2023. Despite denials, the Wynn
they were “over” quarantines and shutdowns.
• Americans have become more obsessed with their sports and teams. As more gambling proliferates, the industry has worked hard to develop and continue programs to limit the personal fallout and damage from compulsive gambling.
• A look back also has to include the deaths of some legends. These include Terry Lanni, who led MGM for years; Sheldon Adelson, whose Venetian, Palazzo and Sands Expo Center rejuvenated the weekly Las Vegas convention business model. Kirk Kerkorian made MGM branding, buying land and operating Las Vegas casino hotels from the 1960s through the 1980s, into household names.
Mystique bubble had burst.
• As the Internet dominated the world, the scourge of illegal offshore online gaming increased internationally. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie led many court battles for legalisation, fi rst with online and then sports betting, to eliminate these illegitimate gaming sites.
After years of court defeats, proactive operators and legislators prevailed in 2018. New Jersey debuted its fi rst sports bets in June 2019. Its spectacular popularity has earned billions in a short time. Today, almost 40 states now allow some form of sports betting.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) reports that the combined Q1 2025
iGaming and online sports betting increased 15.3 percent. Its record $6.19 billion comprised an unprecedented 32.8 percent of commercial gaming, up 3.5 percent from Q1 2024. • No one could have predicted how the world would careen to a tragic halt during the Covid-19 virus. Remote gambling saved the day in 2020 and beyond. Properties shut down for months; those that reopened quickly retrofi tted their gaming fl oors with plexiglass and separation spacing everywhere.
Once the vaccines appeared and immediate dangers faded, gaming operations resumed. The numbers exploded as consumers decided
As we move to a smaller home, we will have work done. The contractors promise 20-year lifespans of a new roof, water heater and other utilities. As we anticipate where we will be in 2050, it is unpredictable to know how gaming will change.
Good things will come to the gaming industry… I’m sure of it.
Sharon Harris
Sharon has worked in the casino and coin- operated amusement industries since the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Sharon transferred her public relations and journalism skills to the gaming industry. She wrote her fi rst feature for Casino International predecessor EUROSLOT magazine in 1994.
As Associate Editor, North America for Casino International, Sharon has chronicled the explosive growth of U.S. gaming and reported on its most signifi cant changes. She has traveled across America to participate in dozens of industry events and has interviewed
hundreds of gaming operators,
executives and suppliers.
BMM qp strip CI
Apr25.indd 1
2/4/25 10:09
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
