Internet gaming and the potential for its federally approved legalization and regulation overshadows much of this year's G2E, which runs Tuesday through Thursday at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. The convention, the gaming industry's largest annual meeting and trade show, is closed to the general public.
On Sept. 20, the American Gaming Association, the industry's Washington D.C.-based lobbying arm, called on the federal government to legalize and regulate Internet poker as a way of protecting American consumers.
Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., the president of the American Gaming Association, which produces G2E with Reed Expositions, said the show is giving Internet gaming, particularly Internet poker, a large platform. More than half of the space in European gaming trade shows is now dedicated to Internet gambling, he said.
"It's growing and you get the sense there is a large amount of interest out there," said Fahrenkopf, whose organization had opposed Internet gaming until last year, when it took a neutral stance on Internet poker. The American Gaming Association released a report at the time saying that the group believes there's sufficient technology to properly regulate the activity.
"It's become a grass-roots education process," Fahrenkopf said of the association's lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. "There are over 100 new members of Congress. Many times, it's not just educating someone on Internet gaming, but gaming in general."