Licensing craze continues; celebrities drawn to show

By Liz Benston

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

What do Pamela Anderson, Clint Eastwood, Drew Carey and Ann-Margret have in common?

The eclectic bunch will all be in Las Vegas next week pitching slot machines featuring their likenesses at the Global Gaming Expo, the world's largest casino industry trade show and the premier venue for displaying whiz-bang slot technology.

The slot industry has been on a licensing binge over the past few years to capture and retool brands ranging from TV shows and game shows to vintage cartoons. Designing celebrity slot machines is the latest trend and has transformed the expo, which starts Monday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, into a star-spotting event of sorts.

This year's show, known as G2E, is the largest ever and mirrors the growth of the gaming industry worldwide, organizers say. Exhibits and conference sessions also will reflect emerging trends such as the fascination with poker and a proliferation of gourmet restaurants in casinos, they say.

The fourth annual event will attract from 24,000 to 26,000 attendees compared with 22,700 last year. About 700 exhibitors -- about 40 more than last year -- will display their wares. The exhibit floor will take up 255,000 square feet, up from about 217,000 square feet last year.

New this year is a food and beverage pavilion showcasing more than 40 vendors as well as a design pavilion featuring specialists in interior design, architecture, furniture and landscaping. This year's conference also will include more sessions on newer gaming markets in foreign countries as well as tribal casinos and poker tournaments.

In a Las Vegas takeoff on the popular "Iron Chef" cooking show, TV personality Robin Leach will open G2E with a culinary competition among Las Vegas' top executive chefs called "Neon Chefs."

"Just as the (casino) industry, especially in Las Vegas, reinvents itself every year, that's what we try to do with the show," said Judy Patterson, executive vice president of the American Gaming Association, which produces the show with Reed Exhibitions.

Besides rubbing shoulders with stars and watching demonstrations, managers will go to the conference to strike major business deals and check out the latest technology for their casinos, Patterson said.

"Contracts are getting signed and business is getting done," she said. "That's the main purpose. You can come and see things in practice (in the casinos) and you can see what the future looks like (at the show)."

Much of the trade show floor will be devoted to slots, the chief money-makers for casinos.

Slots bearing mainstream brand names will abound this year but many others will tout other alluring features such as systems that "hit" more often or have more bonus rounds and other interactive features, slot makers say.

A well-known name "is not a guarantee of success, but it does provide instant recognition for players," said Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing for International Game Technology. The Reno-based company, the world's largest slot maker, will show off more than 380 games in a 14,000-square-foot exhibit that is larger than some casinos.

"A movie can be hyped and you can spend millions of dollars on it, but you don't know whether it's going to be the movie of the year," Rogich said.

Most of IGT's games are available for sale or can be ordered for distribution within a year. Others are purely conceptual, with no launch date set.

Top games available now or soon include a special edition of its "Wheel of Fortune" slot featuring video clips of Vanna White, an Elizabeth Taylor slot machine that dispenses diamond jewelry as well as cash, a Drew Carey slot and a machine based on the "Star Wars" movie. Games in the pipeline include slots based on the movies "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Viva Las Vegas" and "Back to the Future."

Not to be outdone, Alliance Gaming Corp. is featuring more than 200 games in its booth including the "Pamela Anderson" game as well as slots based on the "Chippendales" show and "Atari" classic video games.

The licensing craze "doesn't show any signs of slowing down," Alliance Vice President of Marketing Marcus Prater said. "We still have to make a good game but clearly the player is drawn to things they're familiar with," he said.