Lübbecke/Las Vegas. After the 2019 version of G2E MERKUR GAMING reported that this had quite possibly been the show’s best edition to date. Then came the pandemic, with no show at all in 2020 and a ‘hybrid‘ part in person (with restrictions) and part online event in 2021. So, expectations for the 2022 event were stratospherically high. G2E did not disappoint and their promotional phrase ‘G2E: Where The Global Gaming Industry Comes Together’ was totally fulfilled and even exceeded.

MERKUR went ‘all in’ to ensure that this return to one of the gaming world’s biggest and best B2B events was a major success for their brand and, indeed, it became just that. The MERKUR booth in Las Vegas highlighted an expanded range of Linked Progressive Jackpots: the already extremely successful Link Zone, Solar Link and the recently released Red Pocket Jackpot now being joined by two brand new products: China Charms and the exciting Fortunes of Fulu Chen. Add to this scintillating quintet the MERKUR Mystery bank display and the many new innovations in multigame mixes for which MERKUR is rightly world famous and it was clear that there was plenty for booth visitors to see.

As had been predicted, the return of G2E in its accustomed form was a huge attraction for many visitors from across the Latin American region. With an executive team from MERKUR’s subsidiary companies in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru on hand, everything was ready. Those national teams, and the whole MERKUR team, were kept totally busy from the show’s opening right through the three days until its close, in welcoming guests and dealing with enquiries.

Supporting MERKUR at G2E were its sister companies GeWeTe, the Group company responsible for cash handling solutions, MERKUR eSolutions, providing state of the art omnichannel solutions that bridge the gap between the physical and the iGaming world, and edict eGaming GmbH who demonstrated their edict aggregator solution that provides the famous MERKUR slot titles into the online world. All those companies individually recorded great results at G2E, creating new business opportunities as they made many new and exciting contacts.

When asked for his reaction to the three days of G2E 2022 MERKUR’s Chief Executive, International, Athanasios “Sakis” Isaakidis was full of praise for both the show’s organization and for his team. “This has been a really great show for MERKUR. As you can see, we have been extremely busy, over all three days and from opening to closing. I can sum up our reaction with three comments. First, it was absolutely great just to be back in Las Vegas (the spiritual home of modern-day casino gaming) and to see an event that was just as good as any of G2E’s previous editions. Second, it was such a pleasure to re-engage with customers, business partners and friends that we haven’t been able to see face-to-face for so long. Finally, and most importantly, it was great to see the proof that, despite the many warnings that the pandemic would damage traditional land-based casino gaming irreparably, gaming is back, is in good health and is just as active and as vibrant as it was before Covid hit. I want to thank the G2E organisers for putting on such an exceptional ‘back to business’ show as well as thanking our own team here in Las Vegas for working incredibly hard and bringing in such great results.” He continues: “We move on now to BEGE in Sofia, Bulgaria to close out our 2022 show year and then we eagerly anticipate the return to a traditional ICE in London: the show that we are happy to regard as the home event for MERKUR.”

As Athanasios “Sakis” Isaakidis had noted, G2E was a fantastic experience for everyone, exhibitors and visitors alike, and the overall takeaway was that it had provided the confidence boost that the entire industry had been hoping for and as a positive sign that the industry’s recovery is all but complete.