Casino Operations Summit 2024

The Casino Operations Summit (COS) is a significant gaming industry event tailored for casino operators (land-based and online) in Europe. The summit plays as an epicenter where sponsors, operators, thought leaders, and industry experts meet to discuss the latest approaches to casino operations and new trends in products, technology, marketing and customer services.

Casino Operations Summit 2024 was held from April 23-25 in the Park Inn Hotel, Radisson Amsterdam, Netherlands. The event was held next door to Holland Casino Amsterdam West, just before Kings Day, giving attendees an unforgettable experience.

Delegates and sponsors from all around Europe graced COS 2024 to discuss variety of current topics in the land-based and online casino under the theme “Think Different”.

Did you miss this event, backed by the European Casino Association? Here are the talking points from the Casino Operations Summit 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Why Casino Operations Summit 2024 was a Success

The two-and-a-half day COS 2024 was packed with enriching and highly educational sessions. It attracted over 300 attendees (delegates and sponsors) and delivered highly educational and informative sessions.

The sessions guaranteed to transform delegates experience and skillsets and keep them abreast of current trends in the gaming industry. Additionally, the attendees had the opportunity to network, grow, and learn from their peers in the showrooms and entertainment settings.

Another thing that contributed to the success of COS 2024 is the accessibility of Amsterdam City. The city offered seamless transportation options by car or public transport and the Park Inn Hotel provided ample parking.

Lastly, the venue of the event was in a strategic location. This allowed participants to explore Amsterdam’s attractions, including the renowned Holland Casinos, the blooming beauty of the Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower park, and the enchanting spring weather.

Attendees had the opportunity to experience the unique festivities of King’s Day, the grandest open-air street party of the year, on the night of April 26 and throughout April 27.

COS 2024 Key Topics

Here’s a breakdown of the COS 2024 program:

Gaming in Holland – for Dutch Operators Only

On April 23rd, there was a mini-conference for Dutch operators only. Petra de Ruiter, CEO, Holland Casino gave the opening words. Thereafter, there were several topics discussed about the gaming industry in Netherlands.

The key areas discussed were:

• Keynote: A regulatory perspective on the Dutch land-based gambling market (René Jansen, Chair, Netherlands Gambling Authority)
• The Dutch arcade market as seen from abroad -Jason Frost (President, EUROMAT)
• The Dutch perspective: Opportunities & concerns -Henry Meijdam (Chair VAN Kansspelen)
• An end to the last land-based monopolies? -Dr. Alan Littler, Gambling Lawyer, Kalff Katz & Franssen
• Technical Innovation within a restricted Market -Einar Waegemaekers, Managing Partner, REAC
• Opportunities & business strategy in the Dutch arcade market -Eric Olders, CEO, JVH gaming & entertainment group; Frank op de Woerd, Editor-in-Chief, CasinoNieuws

Casino Operations Summit – The Amsterdam Edition; “THINK DIFFERENT”

Erwin van Lambaart, Chairman of the European Casino Association, gave the COS 2024 opening remarks. This opened the forum for key speakers and panel discussions on various topics, including:

• Shuffling the cards – navigating technology and social trends that will impact casino operations (Aric Dromi – Futurologist).
• A Decade of Data: Ten Years of Insights from Gaming’s Scientific Frontier -Nick Hogan – CEO reelMetrics
• Standard Deviation and Volatilty; the Math behind the Game -Medwyn Roberts, Charlotte Webb and Stella Apostolopouloulla
• How do players experience volatility? -Anthony Lucas- Professor UNLV

Think Different in Technology

The theme of day 2 was “Think Different in Technology”. Petra de Ruiter, CEO Holland Casino, gave the opening speech titled “Think different to survive.” Other key titles under this theme included:

• Think Different and Be Proud -Simon Thomas – CEO Hippodrome Casino
• Europe’s worst case scenario – the UK regulatory landscape (Paul Sculpher).
• On-line products that will excite Land-Based Casinos -John Purcell – CEO DigiWheel
• Think different in rewarding your Land-Based VIP Players; a case-study -Nick Weave
• Data-Driven Decisions: Shaping the Future of Casino Operations -Maulin Gandhi

After the lunchbreak, there were several panel discussions.

• Maulin Gandhi moderated a panel discussion on “Using Data to Do More with Less: Streamlining for Success in Land-Based Casinos”. Panelists Marcel Tobler, Mark Malia and Elizabete Podinska.
• Per Jaldung led a panel discussion on “Broader challenges for landbased casinos ahead.” Panelists were Simon Thomas, Ian Gosling, Delphine Lootens, and Yared Gabretensaye.
• Tim Kennedy moderated a panel tackling “The future of Land-based Casino Payment Solutions.” the panelists were Kai Buenger, Aristidis Tsikouras and Dimitrios Ntounis.
• Lucien Wijsman moderated a panel discussing “Future CMS functionality for Multi-Channel Operators; what will be required and what would be the icing on the cake?” The panelists were Andrej Sluga, Andreas Duller, Fivos Polymniou and Tim Klok.

Land Based Casinos and Sustainability / ESG

IGT group were the sponsors of day 3 theme: Land Based Casinos and SustaInability /ESG. Stefania Colombo, Director, Global Sustainability at IGT, opened the stage with a speech on “Sustainability through the eyes of the suppliers.”

Other key topics included:

• Think different; think sustainable -Helena Evert – Group Director of ESG and Sustainability Olympic Entertainment Group
• Building sustainable Casinos; Holland Casino, a case study -Pieter Boers – Vice President Gaming & Services Holland Casino
• Retaining Staff in a Competitive Environment -Irina Ruf – Managing Director Merkur Casino & Ivana Blečić – Human Resource Director Merkur Gaming
• Casino4green, an Operator’s story about the project of the environmental sustainability with cost efficiency strategy -Andrea Camponovo, COO, Casino Lugano.

There was a panel discussion to close the day. PANEL discussion Moderated by Pieter Remmers moderated the panel which discussed “Think different on Responsible Gambling, my lucky numbers.” Panelists were Jan Kowala, Arie Dijkstra and Gemma Boored

Conclusion

COS 2024 promised to be the biggest online casino event yet, and it delivered. Held in the Park Inn Hotel, next door to the beautiful Holland Casino Amsterdam West, attracted over 300 delegates from different countries in Europe. The conference offered unparalleled blend of professional development, networking, and leisure experiences in one of Europe’s most captivating cities, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Casino Operations Summit 2024

• Date: 23-25, April, 2024
• Location: In the Park Inn Hotel, Amsterdam
• Book your ticket: Casino Operations Summit