Spectrum Gaming Group, a New Jersey-based independent research and professional services firm, has for the thirteenth year compiled its Top Trends in Gaming list that identifies and addresses changes that are ongoing within the gaming industry in order to determine the most significant trends.

The company, which serves both public and private-sector clients around the world, along with its two sister companies, Spectrum Gaming Capital and Spectrum Asia, based in New York City and Asia respectively, track all aspects of the gaming industry on a regular basis. Spectrum Managing Director Michael Pollock said, “Spectrum has a strong track record, dating back to 2004, of peering into the future, and helping our clients successfully identify opportunities,” and, “We trust that this carefully considered list will fill that role in 2017,” according to Marketwired. 

In order of prominence, the Top 10 Trends for 2017 are:

1. Significant expansion opportunities are expected to arise as legislation is crafted in Brazil, India and Japan.
2. Lotteries and casinos will both seek online opportunities — sometimes with competing efforts in the same states and countries, creating competitive challenges that legislators and regulators must sort out.
3. Casinos will leverage their under-utilized square footage to create special attractions for Millennials, including lounges, entertainment, and skill-based gaming options.
4. States will attempt to overcome stagnating gaming receipts by proposing new forms of, or locations for, gaming such as retail gaming (i.e., a limited number of electronic gaming devices in liquor-licensed establishments), satellite casinos, and slots at airports.
5. Proponents of legalized sports betting — including the American Gaming Association, state associations and individual operators — will push their agenda more forcefully as state budgets continue to be strained, and as major sports leagues seek to capture a substantial new revenue stream.
6. Macau will again become a growth story as gross gaming revenues continue to climb and new integrated resorts open. The mass market will dominate and VIP play will decline to less than 50 percent of GGR for the first time since Macau reverted back to China.
7. The trend toward private management and, in some instances, private ownership of lotteries will accelerate in various countries and US states.
8. State legislatures will face pressure to reduce gaming tax rates, as well as to amend or streamline regulations, in response to increasing competition and the potential for saturation in various markets.
9. More casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City will stage eSports events and contests, while Atlantic City will attempt to reposition itself as an eSports hub.
10. The South will be a focus of casino opportunities, as the potential for legalization and expansion is debated in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.

An examination of the above trends, along with other important issues, will take place at the Winter Meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), which takes place at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, AZ from January 6th through the 8th, according to the news agency.