-Welcome to Nevada Week.

I'm Amber Renee Dixon joining you from G2E, the Global Gaming Expo at the Venetian.

Ahead, we're going to show you some of the hottest developments in gaming right now.

But first, we want to check in with Howard Stutz, Gaming and Tourism Reporter for The Nevada Independent.

Howard, thank you for joining Nevada Week again, on location now.

(Howard Stutz) On location, and it's kind of loud in here, a little different from a few years ago.

-A lot of energy compared to when we had you on last.

That was with Kipp Ortenburger, and that was coming out of COVID.

What do you think when you see it now?

-Well, they're thinking this will be the largest one.

Last year broke some records, I guess, for attendance.

They think this year will break records, and it seems like already.

I mean, excitement around a lot of the new games.

Just walked by the Light & Wonder booth, and they got SQUID GAMES, a slot machine based on Squid Game.

I don't know how you clean blood on the floor of the casino afterward, but, yeah, they're-- so there's some new products here.

There's some changes in the industry and a lot of, you know, a lot of excitement.

So, you know, look at Nevada.

We've had 30 straight months of a billion dollars or more in gaming revenue.

-We're gonna talk about how long that can last.

But when you do walk around and talk to people at the booths, what's standing out to you?

-I think they just want to see-- it's like every G2E, you want to see what's new.

What you do here with the companies the sales here, a lot of the product you're not going to see on the casino floors until next year.

-Right.

-Now, Aristocrat, for example, and I know you're gonna visit Aristocrat, they have an NFL slot machine that they've teased for the last two years.

Last year, it was hidden.

This year, they have the-- two of the games that are out, they have the prototypes.

A lot of it will be out by the Super Bowl.

-And why is that so significant, to have an NFL themed slot machine?

-Oh, Amber, you're a sports person like me.

You know the NFL.

It's like-- Vegas, eh, like this.

They didn't even want to talk about gambling, and the NFL now, not only with sports betting, they have this NFL themed slot machine.

I went around and programmed them all for the Los Angeles Chargers.

I got the Chargers on there.

But it's a significant move by the NFL.

And I'm wondering if we'll see other leagues, see the opportunity by this.

The NFL, let's face it.

That's the behemoth.

-The big kahuna, yeah.

-And so this is a great-- if it's successful for the NFL, maybe we're gonna see the NBA do it.

You know, I don't know.

Maybe-- maybe internationally.

I asked about Premier Soccer League or something like that.

We'll see what happens there.

-All right.

Among some of the standout speakers at G2E was MGM Resorts' CEO, Bill Hornbuckle.

He talked about the recent cyber attack that MGM faced.

What did he say?

-Well, it was interesting because last week, MGM put out a very carefully worded SEC filing explaining what happened with the cyber attack that they, you know, they lost customer data.

They were down.

He was a little more untethered to the lawyers in his discussion with Contessa Brewer from CNBC, said it actually took the systems down for, you know, four or five days.

And not just on the Strip.

This was regionally, where they, in eight states where they have casinos.

They went back to basics.

Like he said, when he was an employee coming up in the gaming industry, you didn't have computers or technology.

You wrote out hotel, you know, hotel reservations by hand.

You did everything by, you know, on type and pay.

You didn't have computers.

They went back to a lot of that.

But it took a while to get everything back up, and now they're back operating.

They said it's gonna cost them about 100 million, they believe, in adjusted cash flow for the loss, but that will be covered by cyber insurance, cybersecurity insurance they have.

Their cyber and security premiums are going to shoot up through the roof.

-Right?

-But it was a wake-up call for the industry, who for, you know, seen both MGM and Caesars, two of the three largest operators on the Strip, get hit by cyber attacks in the last, you know, during September.

And they handled them differently, of course.

-You know he also talked about another topic you've been reporting on, and that is the Culinary Union, its potential strike.

What is the latest that he said on those negotiations?

-Well, he actually said-- he said that the CEO is him and the three companies.

So it's like him, the CEO, the CFO of Caesars, CEO of Wynn have been talking with the Culinary Union.

He believes they'll get to a deal.

The Culinary announced on Monday they're going to picket, informational pickets on the Strip this week.

They're going to ask customers and visitors not to cross the picket line for two hours on, like, on Thursday, starting at ten and five.

Hornbuckle mentioned those informational pickets are going to happen, and then we'll just-- He believes this will be gotten.

There will be a deal reached, a contract, and we won't see a strike in the middle of Formula 1, which is the last thing they want to see.

-Right.

And the Culinary Union argues that they should be benefiting from the record gaming revenue that these companies are taking in.

As you mentioned in August, Nevada gaming revenue reached $1 billion for the 30th straight month.

How long can this last, Howard?

-It seems it's not-- you know, you're gonna see ebbs and flows.

I mean, we've had record months throughout the last 30, you know-- basically the last 18 months, last year and a half, we've had record numbers.

And we saw that this year.

There was still a huge month in like June and July, the second largest, but it was down because the largest month occurred a year earlier.

So it was actually a down month when you look at the numbers.

I think we'll see a billion dollars, you know, statewide, you know, for the next, at least into next year.

Then we'll see what happens if things settle back.

If a recession happens, we don't know what's going to happen there.

Obviously, what's going on in Israel in the Middle East this past week could perpetuate a recession.

We don't know.

That will be one of the challenges we'll face here.

-Do you get any ideas that casino operators are preparing for a recession?

-In some ways they are.

They're always-- they always have to be.

But I think visitation is still up.

We're seeing good numbers from on the Strip in terms of visitation.

Last month was back to almost normal totals that we saw before the pandemic.

Formula 1 is going to be a ridiculously record weekend.

I will make a prediction for you, Amber.

Last month, or August numbers, the Strip hit, it was like over like $853 million in gaming revenue.

That was a record.

There is a chance the Strip alone could do a billion dollars in gaming revenue in November because of the attention and the big money play that's going to be coming in because of Formula 1.

The airport has already expanded its private jet landing areas and parking areas for these big jets that will be coming in from, you know, from Europe and the Middle East and Asia, because that's what Formula 1 brings in.

People are going to be paying the million-dollar-a-night rate for a suite at the Wynn, but they're not gonna be paying that.

They're actually going to put about, you know, five, ten million dollars into the bank, into the casino cage to play off of.

-Whew!

-That's how they get those rooms.

So I think, I mean, there's the possibility we'll see that.

We'll see.

If I'm wrong, oh, well, I'm wrong.

But I just think it just seems that's the trend it's going toward right now.

It's such a big event.

We've never seen anything like it with Formula 1.

I mean, there's a lot of-- it's brought a lot of attention to the U.S., and it's very popular in Europe and the Middle East.

-Howard Stutz of The Nevada Independent, thank you for your time.

-Anytime, Amber.

Thanks for having me on.

-I'm with Ryan Scott of Aristocrat Gaming.

And this is perhaps one of the most anticipated product launches of G2E, the NFL themed slot machine.

Tell me about it.

Show me how it works.

(Ryan Scott) Yeah, tons of excitement both at the show and so far in the field where these have been placed.

NFL slot machine, every game that we've developed, we developed a full suite of games.

We have six games we're showing at G2E that will be on floors before the end of the season this year, starting with "Super Bowl Jackpots."

We're sitting at that right now, on our King Max cabinet.

So this is a game right here, "Super Bowl Jackpots," that the player has the opportunity to select their team.

So every game that we're developing has every team inside of it so a player can walk up and play their team.

-Okay.

Let's do the Raiders since we're in Las Vegas.

- The Raiders!

Oh, how neat.

-So there you go.

You're playing a Raiders slot machine.

-Highlights, as well!

-Of course.

We worked with NFLPA to make sure we had game footage in the games.

Every team has over six minutes of game footage.

So players are going to see all sorts of sights and sounds that they would experience while being at a game.

-That's incredible, because for so many years, the NFL was anti-gaming.

But then the Raiders relocated here, the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize sports betting across the country certainly helped.

How difficult was it to get the NFL on board with this?

-That's right.

It definitely opened up a door for us to engage the NFL and bring a powerful brand like NFL to slot floors.

So the NFL and the NFLPA worked very closely with us to create what you're seeing today.

So it's been exciting.

-Very neat.

I'm going to try it out.

-Give it a spin.

-A lot of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but-- -It switched over on us.

-Hey, I got a little bit.

-Right.

You got a little win.

You'll notice that instead of the royals you might see in a slot machine, we've replaced it with stadium food.

So you're gonna see beers, nachos, pizzas, hotdogs, things players would expect to see at a football game.

-So apropos.

So you teased this last year with that giant football helmet, which you brought back this year.

Now that people have actually gotten to get their hands on it, what has the feedback been?

-It's been phenomenal.

So we've seen early installs be really a center of energy on the slot floor.

So I personally got out and see a number of them.

And you'll see crowds gathered around and cheering on players and sometimes booing them if they miss a field goal in the field goal kicking feature, which is pretty fun to see.

So it's been really exciting, and it's been received very well.

Now we're going to kick some field goals for cash.

-Okay.

-He kicks it!

-And if you make the field goal-- - It's a winner!

- --you win.

-Awesome!

-Another thing to show you while we're kicking field goals is you can actually charge your cell phone as we're playing.

-How do I do that?

-Just put it right here on the wireless charger, and there you go.

-Oh, how neat!

High tech.

One last question for you: The demographic that this is attracting, I would think it would be just the typical male football watcher.

Is that the case?

-It's not, no.

NFL is a brand that resonates with a extremely broad demographics.

We've seen everybody playing this game.

And when we went live with this game at M Resort earlier this month, we actually saw the first four players were all female.

So it appeals to a very broad demographic.

It's really exciting.

-Oh, that's so cool.

Ryan Scott with Aristocrat Gaming, thank you for showing us this game.

-Thank you.

Thanks.

-I'm with Phil O'Shaughnessy, with IGT.

And, Phil, it is obvious what IGT is excited about this year.

Tell me the backstory behind this Whitney Houston machine.

-Yes, indeed, Amber.

IGT pioneered licensed slot themes more than 25 years ago with "Wheel of Fortune."

-Okay.

-And now, yes, you're right.

The focal point of G2E 2023 for us is this brand new Whitney Houston slot on our brand new Skyrise 55 cabinet.

And you know something, a licensed theme is really a mixture of art and science.

If you think about the art, obviously we have a gorgeous display here.

We have a social opportunity with the music playing throughout while players are enjoying and a shared top screen.

-It's beautiful!

-The truth of the matter is to successfully do a licensed theme, what you want to make sure you do is have some sort of relevance.

In this case, iconic elements like stars and albums that fall down into the reels while the music is playing.

There's a very close tie there, right, with the art and the way this is packaged with the Grammys.

-Yeah.

-You get the idea.

-Tell me about the science aspect.

-Absolutely.

In terms of the science, it's fantastic.

So the woman who runs our studio in Reno, Nevada, where this game was made, collaborated with the woman who runs our global licensing.

She's based here in Las Vegas.

So great female leaders coming together and putting together a game that really resonates with the core slot demographic, right?

We do a lot of research to make sure that a licensed theme will resonate with the slot demographic.

On top of that, we actually pulled some secret sauce from a game that has already performed exceptionally well in the marketplace.

-Wheel of Fortune?

-Actually, no.

It's called "Prosperity Link," and it was developed in Reno, Nevada, by the same person who sits behind the development of this.

So when you have that secret sauce integrated into the machine, you know it's probably set up to do pretty well for your casino operator partners, and you can present it to them with absolute confidence.

-I love the Nevada connection.

When will this be available in casinos?

-This will be available in Q2 of 2024.

And, Amber, I saved the best part for last.

Did I mentioned the huge jackpots that this pays out?

In this case, we're cued up for half a million dollars, playing on house money at G2E.

-Wow!

-This will be fun for players with some really big jackpot excitement as well.

-IGT certainly known for its slot machines.

This one will become very popular I imagine, but "Wheel of Fortune" already.

IGT also a leader, though, in video poker.

-Yes.

-Let's go take a look now at your new bartop.

-Great!

-So, Phil, some of our viewers may have seen this bartop already out and about in Southern Nevada, but what's new about it?

-That's right.

The PeakBar Top from IGT is all over Nevada in the bars, the taverns, the casinos.

In fact, IGT has enjoyed a commanding share in video poker for over three decades now.

Think about when you go to the bar, Amber.

You might want to play some video poker, maybe some keno or slots, but you might be watching sports.

I know you're a big sports fan.

-I definitely am when I go to the bar, watching sports.

-What we've done is integrate sports betting into the bartop now.

So here I am enjoying a little video poker.

And now I can just switch over and decide, Hey, what games do I want to bet on right now?

I'm feeling good.

I'm gonna do a parlay.

I'll hit this one for the spread, this one and this one.

And you can see my betslip is starting to fill up over here.

-Wow!

-And then what I'm gonna do is just place that bet, confirm that bet.

It tells me how much I will win for what I've wagered.

And it's going to print out my slip.

-Oh, that's so cool.

I can even watch the game right here on the screen if I want to or just watch the game in the bar and play slots or video poker.

-That is neat.

-Everything all in one, yes.

-So right now it's only at a specific casino in Wisconsin?

-Yes, that's correct.

-But this will be implemented as time passes?

-All over the place.

Very much like we've done with video poker, you can expect to see this in the states where video poker and sports betting are legal.

-And this bartop in particular, what kind of research went into it?

-Oh, extensive research.

It's a great question, because I've told you before that IGT is very research-based and content driven, right?

It's one thing to make a bartop and show it to a pub owner.

It's one thing to show it to a casino operator.

We went so far as to show this to the bartenders themselves and said, Will this ergonomic design work for you while you're working in the bar?

Is the lighting on the back good enough so you know when to comp a player a drink?

-This type of thing.

We got wonderful feedback and actually modified this quite a bit before it went to market.

-Based on the bartender's advice.

-Indeed.

-I'm sure they were happy.

Phil O'Shaughnessy, thank you so much for your time.

-Thank you, Amber.

-I'm with Gerard Crosby of Konami.

And, Gerard, I understand this is the big product launch for this G2E, "Dimension 43x3."

What makes it special?

(Gerard Crosby) Well, the size of it, obviously.

-Yes.

-So it's over 9 feet tall, features three 43-inch LCD screens, 4K graphics.

-Look at that graphic.

-Yeah.

You can see why we believe it's going to be published.

At the size of the screens, the graphic looks really sharp and really visual.

-I'm gonna go ahead and-- Oh, I gotta select my denomination, one penny.

-Push the spin button.

-And so it's big in other ways, too.

Giant spin button.

And then this allows for two people.

That's a popular feature?

-That's right.

So we sell this machine with a two-seater bench seat.

So what that gives is plenty of comfort so couples can sit together and play the machine.

They've got a spin button each, so they can play together, which a lot of couples do.

-And this is available now on the Venetian floor?

-It is.

That's right.

This is our official launch of the cabinet at this show.

-There is another machine you want to show me.

Let's go take a look at that now.

-Okay.

-All right.

So Gerard, what is this game?

-So this is "Buzzer."

It's a-- what "Buzzer" is, it's a gaming show channel.

It features old game shows, such as-- -Betty White is in it!

-Yeah.

That's Betty White on Family Feud.

-Okay.

-It's got Card Sharks and another game called Beat the Clock.

-All right.

-So the game features-- And the games are based around those gaming shows.

-What has your research shown?

Is there an appetite for this kind of nostalgia?

-Yeah, we believe so.

A lot of the players are older.

And so we believe something like this, the nostalgia of the game will bring them to the game.

And you know, the way we designed the game, it's fun to play.

I think everyone will enjoy it.

-So Konami has most of its offices in Japan, but there is a location here in Las Vegas.

What advantage, if any, does that give Konami to be based here?

-Great advantage.

It's the gaming capital of the world.

You know, it's called resort casinos, local casinos.

With that, it brings a large, diverse and experienced workforce like we rely on.

We have over 500 employees in our office here.

And, of course, the market here, we have all the research we need.

We can take what we need and go there and play games.

-And see it firsthand.

-And see it firsthand.

Exactly.

-Gerard Crosby with Konami, thank you for your time.

-Thank you.

-Thank you to Aristocrat Gaming, IGT, and Konami for sharing their time with Nevada Week.