One of the main topics in the educational agenda at G2E was cashless gaming. Several panel discussions have been dedicated to the topic, along with many more on the related subjects of online betting, crypto currencies, mobile wallets, and regulatory concerns.

“Modernizing Gaming Payments: Will It Take More Than a Pandemic?” was one of the talks related to this topic. One of the participants was Jessica Feil, the American Gaming Association’s vice president of government relations, who said: “The pandemic, together with the emergence of online, sports, and mobile gaming, prompted regulators and vendors to accelerate their development of policies and new products. The pandemic focused attention on both contamination issues associated with cash and labor issues, which remain critical today.”

She emphasized, “Regulators are our partners, and we (AGA) worked with them to help with the reopenings, ways to make our guests feel safe, and improving the comfort level of all our demographics.” She added that regulators, like many others in gaming, “didn’t know what they didn’t know” about the world of digital wallets, cashless gaming, and payment controls. “The pandemic served to bring everyone up to speed.”
On the show floor this week, important slot vendors have either developed a new proprietary cashless product or partnered with others in the payments and/or delivery side of the technology. Several new joint agreements or developments were announced recently, including several this week.

On Tuesday afternoon it debuted an afternoon keynote session, Gaming & Diversity: Pushing the Industry Forward featuring MGM Resorts International Chief People, Inclusion & Sustainability Officer Jyoti Chopra, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark, and Marriott International Senior Vice President, Multicultural Affairs, Social Impact and Business Councils Apoorva Gandhi. Moderated by CNBC’s Contessa Brewer, Chopra, Clark, and Gandhi discussed how gaming companies can and should prioritize diversity at all levels to better serve customers, employees, and communities.

Raising the Stakes: Gaming Leaders Take on the Future of the Industry featured Jim Allen, Chairman, Hard Rock International and CEO, Seminole Gaming; Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President, MGM Resorts International; and Matt Maddox, CEO, Wynn Resorts, was held yesterday. CNBC’s Contessa Brewer leaded the discussion among these influential gaming CEOs on what will drive the industry forward.