G2E Asia kicks off its 15th edition with keynote address from AGA's CEO Bill Miller

The 2024 edition of G2E Asia opened Tuesday (June 4th) at The Venetian Macao. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the three-day event is set to feature 100 exhibitors and over 8,000 visitors from 80 countries and regions. Bill Miller, CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), delivered the Keynote Address on the opening day.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's three-day event's official opening, Miller said it was necessary to pursue sustainable evolution and innovation to meet customer demands post-Covid.

"I think that it's important, and one of the things that I say to government leaders in the US all the time, is we need you to understand that that evolution is because of the customer, and that at the end of the day, we want to be where the customer is, in the same way that every other discretionary, consumer-facing industry does," said AGA's President.

While acknowledging the exchange of information and intelligence between Macau and Las Vegas, Miller underscored the pivotal relationship between business leaders and regulators, emphasizing the need for collaboration and mutual understanding.

"It is very important that regulators and operators have an arm-length relationship, but it doesn't have to be adversarial. If we demonstrate that we're responsible, then we should have regulators that are not adversarial to us," he stated. "If we act in a manner not consistent with our values, not consistent with being responsible to the communities in which we operate, then we kind of deserve to have an adversarial relationship."

"I think it’s really up to the industry leaders to set the table for it and make sure that it comports with the values that the regulators are looking for, whether here or in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world," Miller added.

Bill Miller

Following the Keynote Address, Miller took part in a fireside chat with G2E Asia conference chair Andrew W Scott, who is also the Vice Chairman and CEO of Inside Asian Gaming.

Miller commented that he saw a thirst for experiences across Asia as he has witnessed back on home soil. "I absolutely believe that there will be, and already is, tremendous momentum here [in Asia] and I believe that will be sustained," Miller explained. 

According to Miller, the US gaming industry, home to more than 1,000 land-based casinos when considering both commercial and tribal operations, not only demonstrated tremendous growth post-COVID but appears to have settled into a new norm. 

"There are people who cover our industry both in the US and globally who said 2022 will be great, and 2023 will start great but as it tails off it won’t be so great. And each quarter the naysayers have continued to say ‘We’re never going to beat the last quarter,’ yet somehow the numbers continue to be good,” Miller stated.

"There is no doubt in the US we are not riding these big double-digit increases anymore, there is more of a normalization and that’s fine, but I also think people have a slightly different attitude around experiences, and that benefits our industry, whether it be the US, Asia or anywhere else," he concluded.

The event features two individual conference programs. In addition to Miller, key speakers include Leong Wai Man, president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, and Alejandro H Tengco, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The full conference agenda is as follows: 

Day 1 - June 4th

10:00 am - Keynote Address by Bill Miller.

11:00 am - Opening Ceremony

12:30 pm - Networking Lunch

2:00 pm - Asian Market Forum: "Outlook of Asian Gaming Markets", delivered by Praven Choudhary, Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Asia Limited.

2:45 pm - Tea break

3:05 pm - Panel Discussion: "Emerging Market Talks", featuring Angela Hanlee, APAC Gaming & Leisure Senior Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence; Angus Chan, Associate Director of Research, UBS AG; Evan Spytma, CEO, Casino Plus; Daniel Li, Advisor to the General Secretariat to the Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia; and Ioannis Kontoulas, Board Member, Hellenic Gaming Commission.

3:55 pm - Panel Discussion: "Spotlight on Thailand and Middle East", featuring Fredric E. Gushin, Managing Director and CEO, Spectrum Gaming Group; Vitaly Umansky, Senior Research Analyst - Global Gaming; Daniel Cheng, Industry analyst, and author; and Paul Bromberg, Senior Vice President, Investigations, Spectrum Gaming Group.

4:35 pm - Chairman's closing remarks by Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming.

5:30 pm - G2E Asia 15th Anniversary Reception

Day 2 - June 5th

10:00 am - Chairman's opening remarks by Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming.

10:05 am - Panel Discussion: Smart Table - New Era of Cohabitating with Innovations featuring Ben Blaschke, Managing Editor, IAG; Graeme Croft, VP, Table Operations, MGM China; Stephen Moore, Founder & CEO, Walker Digital Table Systems; Aaron Raj, Chief Technology Officer, ANGEL AUSTRALASIA PTY LTD; and Rick McDonald, General Manager Table Games Strategy, Star Entertainment Group.

10:50 am - Panel Discussion: "Player Experience Initiatives", featuring Ben Blaschke, Managing Editor, IAG; Lloyd Robson, General Manager - Asia, Aristocrat Gaming; Ken Jolly, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia, Light & Wonder; Jerry Chan, SVP of ELECTRONIC GAMING & SPECIAL PROJECT, OKADA MANILA; and Cheryl Tiglao, Director of Slot, Hann Casino Resort.

11:30 am - Tea break

11:50 am - "The Latest in Cybersecurity: How to Reduce an Attack and Recover Quickly" delivered by Kok Tin Gan, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd. 

12:30 pm - Networking Luncheon

2:00 pm: "AI & Machine Learning: Boosting Casino Marketing", delivered by Nihar Joshi, GTM Lead, Asia Growth, Pegasystems, Asia.

2:30 pm - Tea break

2:50 pm - "Harnessing AI for Business & Customer Intelligence", delivered by Jan Chan, Solution Architect, Qlik.

3:30 pm - Panel Discussion: "The 3rd Asia Pacific Responsible Gaming Forum", featuring Guojing Su, Professor, Asian Responsible Gaming Alliance; Professor Day-Yang Liu, Professor Emeritus, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology; Zeng Zhonglu, Chairman, Asia Pacific Association for Gambling Studies; and Li Gang, Professor, Shanghai Normal University.

5:15 pm - Chairman's closing remarks by Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming.

Day 3, June 6th 

09:55 am - Chairman's opening and welcome remarks by Kirsten Clark, Executive Director, International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) 

10:05 am - Keynote Address, delivered by Alejandro H. Tengco, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Philippine Amusement.

10:50 am - Panel Discussion: "What's Happening in Asia Pac Part I: Regulatory Updates and Understanding Growing Cross-Border Player Acquisition Risks", featuring Rui Pinto Proenca, Managing Partner, MdME; Tomohiro Takagi, Partner, Nishimura & Asahi (Japan); Lau Kok Keng, Partner, Head of Gaming Law Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; and Jaewoo Kwak, Partner, Lee & Ko.

11:30 am - Tea break

11:50 am - Panel Discussion: "What's Happening in Asia Pac Part II: Regulatory Updates and Understanding Growing Cross-Border Player Acquisition Risks", featuring Rui Pinto Proenca, Managing Partner, MdME; Marie Antonette Quiogue, CEO / Principal, Arden Consult; Lau Kok Keng, Partner, Head of Gaming Law Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; Long Gia Nguyen, Partner, Tilleke & Gibbins.

12:30 pm - Networking Luncheon

2:00 pm - Panel Discussion: "The Importance of Robust Data Protection Measures", featuring Daniela Guerreiro, Associate, MdME; Willie Vu, Head of Enterprise and Partner Solutions Architecture, Amazon Web Services; Graça Saraiva, Legal Consultant & DPO (SCL), Partner (MGS), Sands China Ltd, MGS Consultancy Ltd; Derek Watterud, Vice-President of Resort Technology, MGM.

2:40 pm - Tea break

3:00 pm - Panel Discussion: "The Latest Financial Crime Advancements and Challenges", featuring Douglas Wolfson, Senior Sales Director, APAC, LexisNexis Risk Solutions; and James Comber, Partner, Ashurst Hong Kong.

3:40 pm - Chairman's closing remarks by Kirsten Clark, Executive Director, International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).