NBA 2017 All Star Game in New Orleans

The NBA announced that the 2017 All Star Game will be played in New Orleans. The game was moved from Charlotte, North Carolina due to the legislation that requires transgender patrons to use the restroom of the sex to which they were born in government buildings. The law also does not protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in the workplace and housing.

New Orleans by Day

New Orleans by Night

"New Orleans is a world-class destination for sports and entertainment and we are very appreciative that the city is once again hosting our All-Star festivities," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

The date of the game is February 19th. The economic impact on the weekend should be approximately  70 to 100 million. New Orleans is well equipped to handle the game on relatively short notice They have over  50,0000 hotel rooms and have the benefit of having hosted the game before in 2014.

The  NBA has evolved into a diverse international game both on and off the court. They have shown the ability to be innovative and are looking for additional ways to market a popular product. This includes advertisements on jerseys, games played in other countries and the initiation of the conversation about sports betting. The sports betting subject will be featured at the G2E 2016 in Las Vegas and will include David Stern, Former NBA Commissioner and Geoff Freeman, CEO of the American Gaming Association.

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                                                        36 days until #G2E2016

East Coast Gaming Congress - Day Two Recap

Day Two of The East Coast Gaming Congress was insightful because the panels were tackling issues that had the old guard vs. 21st Century thinking. I shuttled between Gender Equality in the Gaming Industry and Atlantic City.. And North Jersey?  They were in adjacent areas so I was able to cover both.

Virginia McDowell

The Gender Equality Panel consisted of Jan Jones Blackhurst,Vice President of  Government Relations at Caesars Entertainment, James Allen, CEO of Hard Rock International and Jane Bokunewicz,Assistant Professor of Tourism Management from Stockton University.  The moderator was the esteemed Virginia McDowell, President  and Board Chair of Global Gaming Women. This session should have been held by itself.  The turnout was light but the message was powerful. Women are underrepresented in management positions and are paid substantially less than their male counterparts. But the message and the numbers do not resonate unless they are heard by everyone. Most of the attendees were women and minorities. The data supports that companies that are diverse do better than one's that are not. Companies that have women in position of leadership are making more money than those where only men are present.

 

The Atlantic City ...And North Jersey panel had the most fireworks. The groups were divided by the trio that wanted a gaming expansion into North Jersey and one that was opposed. The Atlantic City group wants to maintain the momentum that they have by citing the increases in hotel occupancy and revenue over this time two years ago. They feel that casinos in North Jersey would derail that growth.

The North Jersey supporters of Jeff Gural and Paul Fireman, the two primary investors of the proposed Meadowlands and Jersey City project respectively, think that they are going after a market that Atlantic City does not have presently. No happy medium was reached.

 

The Casino Floor of Tomorrow gave a glimpse at what everyone thought the future gaming floor would look like. The consensus of this panel was that while we can't forget about our present customers, we must allocate a percentage of our space that will engage a younger crowd.

Geoff Freeman

Geoff Freeman, President & CEO, American Gaming Association, requested that the gaming industry do 3 things. The industry should expose the problems, see the opportunities and unify the stakeholders. This includes Sports Betting and Daily Fantasy Sports.

Part Two of the Day 2 recap will be on my Facebook and Twitter  mediums.


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