In Australia, the owner and operator of the Australasian Gaming Expo has announced that exhibition space for this year’s edition of the Sydney extravaganza has sold out while visitor pre-registrations have hit a 28-year high.

According to an official release from the Gaming Technologies Association, the 2017 edition of the Australasian Gaming Expo, is scheduled to take place from August 15 to 17 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. It is to feature 248 stands while its 102,881 sq ft of exhibition space will represent a year-on-year increase of some 17%.

“The results are a big vote of confidence in the future of the industry,” read a statement from Ross Ferrar, Chief Executive Officer for the non-profit Gaming Technologies Association, which represents some of the most influential gaming technology and equipment innovators in Australia. Also including Ainsworth Game Technology Limited, Aristocrat Technologies Australia Limited, Aruze Gaming Australia Limited, International Game Technology (Australia) Limited and Scientific Games Corporation.

The Gaming Technologies Association declared that the number of visitor pre-registrations it has received for this year’s edition of the Australasian Gaming Expo represents a 26% rise year-on-year while it has moreover filled every one of the Darling Harbour show’s 1,120 complimentary seminar places.

“As well as providing reliable and secure entertainment for millions of Australians, poker machine operations support more than 140,000 irreplaceable jobs and have provided over $50 billion in government revenues over the last ten years,” read the statement from Ferrar. “Anyone who has driven on a road, studied at school or university or visited a hospital in Australia over the last ten years is a direct beneficiary of poker machine operations.”