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FEBRUARY 2026 • Vol. 25 • No. 2 • $10 Global Gaming Business Magazine iGAMING IN FINLAND NEW TAX THRESHOLDS FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING NGCB CHAIRMAN MIKE DREITZER Association of Gaming Equipment Manufactuers Casino Protection Our annual special report on casino security and surveillance Winning bidders promise to bring jobs, fees and tax revenues to New York City’s boroughsFEBRUARY 2026 www.ggbmagazine.com 3 Global Gaming Business Magazine CONTENTS february COLUMNS 10 AGA Battling Human Trafficking Alex Costello 12 Fantini’s Finance Here Comes the Judge Frank Fantini 35 NCLGS NCLGS Sets the Stage for 2026 Juliann Barreto 39 Regulation A Message from AGEM Daron Dorsey DEPARTMENTS 4 The Agenda 6 By the Numbers 8 5 Questions 13 AGEM Update 40 Emerging Leaders With Paysafe’s Zak Cutler and Elantil’s John Debono 42 Cutting Edge 43 Frankly Speaking 44 New Game Review 46 Goods & Services 49 People 50 Casino Communications With Mike Dreitzer, Chairman, Nevada Gaming Control Board FEATURES Vol. 25 • No. 2 New York Bound The winners of the downstate casino race in New York are Metropolitan Park and Resorts World in Queens, and Bally’s Bronx. Here are details on the new licensees. By Jess Marquez 18 COVER STORY 14 Flying in Finland Competition will flood Finland’s open iGaming market in 2027, and Hippos ATG plans to be ready out of the gate. By Nicole Macedo Game Protection Report Our annual gaming security and surveillance report examines evolving technology and training in protecting casinos. 22 Card Counting Conundrum Are casino security and surveillance staffs wasting time and resources on spotting card counters? By Andrew Uyal and Bill Zender 26 Sporting Chance Security concerns reach the sports wagering business after several betting scandals. By Matt Rybaltowski 28 Protecting the House Experts report on the coming of AI, pending challenges to the security/surveillance discipline, and advancements in video surveillance. By Douglas Florence Sr. CPP, Joe Doa, and Max Davis 32 Battling Cyberattacks Technology companies are constantly improving solutions in cybersecurity as digital attacks increase. By Frank Legato 36 End of a Monopoly? Amid multiple industry challenges, Casinos Austria is fighting to justify its lock on the Austrian gaming market. By Imogen Goodman4 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2026 The Alt Gaming Hall of Fame Vol. 25 • No. 2 • FEBRUARY 2026 GGB Frank Legato, Editor-in-Chief flegato@ggbmagazine.com Robin Harrison, Publisher robin.harrison-millan@clariongaming.com Roger Gros, Editor-at-Large rgros@ggbmagazine.com Marjorie Preston, Managing Editor mpreston@ggbmagazine.com Gary Rotstein, Copy Chief gary.rotstein@clarionevents.com Monica Cooley, Art Director mcooley@ggbmagazine.com Terri Brady, Sales & Marketing Director tbrady@ggbmagazine.com Columnists Juliann Barreto • Alex Costello • Daron Dorsey • Frank Fantini Contributing Editors Max Davis • Joe Doa • Douglas Florence Sr. CPP Imogen Goodman • Nicole Macedo • Jess Marquez Matt Rybaltowski • Bill Sokolic • Andrew Uyal • Bill Zender _____ EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Rino Armeni, President, Armeni Enterprises • Dike Bacon, Principal/Partner, HBG Design • Lauren Bates, President, Global Gaming Women • Mark A. Birtha, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Hard Rock International • Brendan Bussmann, Principal, BGlobal Advisors • Alex Dixon, Senior Advisor, Board of Directors, Resorts World Las Vegas • Daron Dorsey, Executive Director, Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers • Sally Gainsbury, Director at Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic & Professor of Psychology, University of Sydney • Stephen Martino, Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, MGM Resorts International • Bill Miller, President and CEO, American Gaming Association • Walt Power, CEO, Grand Ho Tram • Rob Russell, Senior Gaming Analyst, Regulatory Management Counselors PC • James Siva, Chairman, California Nations Indian Gaming Association/ Vice Chairman, Morongo Band of Mission Indians • Michael Soll, President, The Innovation Group • Kresimir Spajic, CEO, Allwyn Digital • Katherine Spilde, Executive Director, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, San Diego State University —————— GGB Magazine 702-248-1565 • www.ggbmagazine.com The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor. Copyright 2026 Clarion Digital Media LLC GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS is published monthly by Clarion Gaming International, LLC. Printed in Nevada, USA. Email: subscriptions@ggbmagazine.com Official Publication BY ROGER GROS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE THE AGENDACHICAGO • LAS VEGAS • MOBILE • RENO • TULSA GOODGIANT.COM Winning starts with having the right team on your side of the ball. At Good Giant, we bring MVP-caliber talent to the casino, hospitality and sports betting industries, along with a playbook for success that’s tailored to you. Can you say touchdown? Hit us, we’re open. Toss us an email at hello@GoodGiant.com. We’re all about the W.6 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2026 A November analysis from Optimove examined key performance indica- tors in the online gaming sector, comparing U.S. and global markets. The data was based on a 12-month (November 2024-November 2025) average of 3.2 million active players in the U.S. and 21 million globally. • Global Growth Versus U.S. Contraction: The study report- ed a stark contrast in U.S. and global trajectories. The U.S. contracted significantly, ending November 2025 with casino bettors at 86 percent and sports bettors at 88 percent, down from the 100 percent baseline a year earlier. Conversely, the global market achieved positive year-over-year growth. Active casino bettors rose to 108 percent and sports bettors to 103 percent. • Funding vs. Action: While average deposit amounts increased signifi- cantly, actual wagering contracted. Both sports and casino betting amounts fell in November, suggesting that while U.S. players added more funds in late 2025, they hesitated to bet immediately. • Global “October Peak” and November Correction: Globally, October 2025 was a peak activity month that corrected in November. This indicates a seasonal adjustment after the start of the sports season. • Retention Volatility: U.S. retention rates swung from 75 percent in September to a low of 60 percent in October, then rebounded to 69 percent in November. By contrast, starting the previous February, global retention remained almost flat, demonstrating superior habit formation. BY THE NUMBERS GAMING PULSE REPORT U.S. vs. Global: Average Monthly Casino Betting Amount U.S. players wagered astronomical amounts compared to global players. Averages consistently ranged between $6,121 and $8,807, while the global average sat firmly at $1,359. This indicates that while the U.S. may have fewer activity days, the intensity of play is far higher. In previous months, the U.S. market took a signifi- cant hit. The average bet amount dropped from $6,733 in October 2025 to $6,121 in November 2025, the lowest point in the entire 12-month period. The global market also saw a slight decrease, moving from $1,369 in October to $1,341 in November, but it remained far more stable relative to its annual average. U.S. vs. Global: Average Monthly Total Sports Betting Amount The U.S. market is defined by high volume and high seasonality. The global line is much flatter, showing a slow but steady consistency. Despite the U.S. volatility, the average U.S. sports bettor wagers significantly more, often double or triple the amount of the global average player. In the most recent comparison, both markets declined. The U.S. average fell from $867 in October 2025 to $846 in November 2025, a cooling trend from the seasonal peaks. Similarly, the global average dropped from a peak of $420 in October to $396 in November 2025, suggesting a widespread seasonal dip in sports wagering intensity during this month. U.S. VS. GLOBAL: AVERAGE MONTHLY TOTAL SPORTS BETTING AMOUNT U.S. VS. GLOBAL: AVERAGE MONTHLY CASINO BETTING AMOUNT8 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2026 T ony Amormino dove into the Indian gaming world in 2024. Following stints on the commercial and supplier sides, he took the reins as CEO of Apache Nugget Corp. The industry veteran now looks to grow Apache in a small but mighty New Mexico tribal casino market, utilizing his previous experience to keep innovation and technology at the forefront. Amormino spoke with iGB U.S. News Editor Jess Marquez at October’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. GGB: You were named to GGB’s 40 Under 40 list for 2025 after moving to Apache Nugget. How did you get to this point in your career? Tony Amormino: My first property was Harrah’s Philadelphia, then I went down to Harrah’s New Orleans. I was up in Detroit for a little while and now I’m out here in the Southwest with Apache and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Without that great team, that support system that helped me grow into this position, none of this would be possible. In addition to your commercial and tribal experience, you also worked on the supplier side with Light & Wonder. What was that like? I thought I’d had enough of land-based and wanted to go to digital, because that’s the way the world is going. So I was excited to learn that piece of the industry and explore the iGaming realm. I loved it. Eventually, I had that itch to get back into the land-based side of things. But when I got to Apache, I thought, “We need the digital product back. We’re going to bring the two together.” How do you view the intersection of land-based and digital? How will that factor into Apache’s plans? You need to be able to optimize your floor space and bring in things to attract your clients. For us, we’ve got a million and a half acres; we’ve got a lot of room to play with. We’re talking about doing things inside the property, the reservation, and then going outside. As for digital, I truly believe if you’re not an innovator, you’re going to be reactive, and that’s going to do more harm than good in the long run. What do your current operations include? Right now we have the Apache Nugget Casino, located off U.S. 550 (near Cuba, New Mexico). We have 82 slot machines, a sportsbook, and we’re starting to bring in the infrastructure. We’re looking at Class II iGaming to come onto the reservation. We’re just dotting i’s, crossing t’s, but we’re also looking to build out our portfolio. Here in Las Vegas I’ve been talking to a lot of people about how to diversify and not just be an entity on the reservation. What’s your biggest goal for the next 12 months? I want to get another property up and running within that 12-month period. I’ve been talking to people and just tapping into my network. Long term, I want to see the success of the nation, not only as a property or an entity outside the reservation. I want to see the reservation and the nation grow. I want to build an additional property there and diversify our portfolios. 5 QUESTIONS “We were underestimated. I never considered our bid a dark horse.” —Soo Kim, chairman, Bally’s Corp., on winning one of three New York City casino licenses. The development will rise on the grounds of a former Trump golf course in the Bronx Tony Amormino CEO, Apache Nugget Corp. 1 2 3 4 5 February 3-5. MEGA Mexico Gaming, Mexico City. Produced by Eventus. For more information, visit eventus- international.com/mega. March 3-5: SBC Summit, Rio Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Produced by SBC Events. For more information, visit SBCevents.com. March 3-5: World Game Protection Conference, South Point Casino Hotel & Spa, Las Vegas. Produced by World Game Protection. For more information, visit www. worldgameprotection.com. March 17-19: ASEAN Gaming Summit, Shangri-La the Fort, Manila,Philippines. Produced by Asia Gaming Brief. For more information, visit aseangaming.com. March 18-19: SAGSE Protection & Compliance, Hilton Buenos Aires. Produced by SAGSE Latam. For more information, visit sagselatam.com. March 24-25: Prague Tech & Gaming Summit, Vienna House, Prague. Produced by Hipther. For more information, visit hipther.com/events. March 31-April 3: Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California. Produced by the Indian Gaming Association. For more information, visit indiangamingtradeshow.com. April 6-9: BiS SiGMA South America 2026, TransAmerica Expo Center, São Paulo, Brazil. Produced by BiS SiGMA. For more information, visit sigma.world/southamerica. April 28-30: SBC Summit Malta 2026, InterContinental St. Julien’s, Malta. Produced by SBC. For more information, visit sbcevents.com.We hope to see you on the beautiful greens of SouthShore Country Club for the 27th Annual AGEM & AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global! All proceeds from the tournament benefit the International Center for Responsible Gaming and their critical research. As gaming expands to more people than ever before, responsible gaming research is more vital than ever, and this is your chance to help drive it forward! For information about participation and sponsorship opportunities, visit golf.jcmglobal.com or contact JCM Marketing at 702.651.0000 or marketing@jcmglobal.com. Support the mission to advance research, education, and awareness for responsible gaming at icrg.org. At the 27th Annual AGEM & AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2026 Global Gaming Business DRIVING THE SUCCESS OF RESPONSIBLE GAMING 27th BENEFITINGNext >