G2E Backstage Pass and Inside Look

G2E 2026: Bigger Screens, Bigger Questions and a United Industry

After more than 30 years of walking gaming trade show floors, I have learned two things: wear practical shoes, and pay attention to what is getting bigger.

The shoes have definitely become more practical.

And this year at G2E, bigger was everywhere.

The massive booths of the major slot manufacturers have evolved into destinations of their own. Towering digital displays, immersive cabinets, licensed brands, integrated systems and technology demonstrations compete for our attention. G2E expected nearly 400 exhibitors this year, and the addition of a Business Solutions & Tech Zone devoted to AI, analytics, cybersecurity, payments, CRM and marketing technology says a lot about how our business has changed.

Walking the floor, you are reminded that technology isn't simply supporting the gaming business anymore. Technology is driving the gaming business.

The evolution is particularly important for Tribal operators. Suppliers are increasingly talking about connected ecosystems rather than individual products – linking the casino floor with loyalty, payments, player engagement, mobile, analytics and digital gaming. AI is moving rapidly from something we talk about to something operators can actually use to interrogate data, understand player behavior and make decisions.

But one of the biggest stories of G2E 2026 wasn't found inside one of those enormous booths.

It was prediction markets.

Prediction markets – and particularly sports event contracts that opponents contend operate as sports wagering outside established state and Tribal gaming frameworks – have become one of the most consequential issues facing regulated gaming.

And they have created some interesting allies.

At G2E, the Indian Gaming Association joined the American Gaming Association and other gaming, labor and government leaders in presenting a united response. IGA Chairman David Bean, AGA President and CEO Bill Miller, CNIGA Chairman James Siva and Tribal advocate Holly Cook Macarro participated in “The Power of Unity: Confronting the Prediction Markets Challenge.” Another G2E main-stage discussion brought together commercial gaming, Tribal leadership, organized labor and government around the same issue.

That alignment matters.

Indian gaming and commercial gaming certainly don't agree on everything. We shouldn't expect them to. But prediction markets have raised a larger question about what happens when new technology and new business models move faster than the regulatory structures governing gaming.

For Tribal Nations, the conversation goes even deeper because it involves sovereignty, jurisdiction and the governmental gaming framework built over decades. IGA has been working to broaden its coalition beyond Indian Country, engaging commercial gaming interests, regulators, states, labor and policymakers.

There were also reasons to celebrate Indian gaming.

At the 2026 Global Gaming Awards Americas, Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel was named Property of the Year, while the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation was named Responsible Business of the Year. Choctaw Casinos & Resorts also placed among the top three Land-Based Operators of the Year, and Thunder Valley Casino Resort President Dawn Clayton was recognized among the top three for Executive of the Year.

Those recognitions are another reminder of how far Tribal gaming has come.
Thirty years ago, Indian gaming was still fighting to establish its place within the broader gaming industry. Today, Tribal operators are implementing sophisticated analytics, experimenting with new technologies, influencing national policy discussions and being recognized among the best gaming and hospitality organizations in the industry.

So, where does all of this lead?

Who knows.

If 30 years of walking G2E has taught me anything, it is that our industry will continue to reinvent itself. The screens will get bigger. AI will get smarter. Data will get faster. New gaming products and business models will continue to challenge the boundaries of what we consider gaming.

But amid all that technology, there is something important we cannot afford to forget: We are still in the people business.

Robot dealers may someday deal cards, AI may predict what a guest wants before they ask, and technology will continue to automate more of the transactional parts of our business. But technology isn't replacing our guests. And it doesn't eliminate the messy, complicated and very human interactions that happen every day between team members, leaders and guests.

Guests still want to feel recognized, welcomed and valued. Teams still need leaders who can coach them, listen to them and help them solve problems. And when something goes wrong – as it inevitably will – it often takes another human being with judgment, empathy and the authority to make it right.

Perhaps that is the interesting contradiction coming out of G2E 2026.

The more sophisticated our technology becomes, the more important our human skills may become.

Whatever the casino floor looks like 10 or 20 years from now, our competitive advantage won't come only from the technology we buy. It will also come from the people we develop – and their ability to use that technology to create experiences that still feel unmistakably human.

Deana Scott
Owner & CEO
Raving and Tribal Gaming & Hospitality Magazine