Dean Harding of Crown Direct, representing one of the largest exhibits at the EAG show, would not be drawn on whether he felt the expansion of the show floor to accommodate a separate casino show and a merged social gaming expo ticked all the right boxes.
“It’s too early to say,” said Harding, “but you certainly can’t knock the effort the organisers and the exhibitors have put in. We handle both gaming and amusement equipment, so you will see Inspired, Light and Wonder and Novomatic machines on our booth in a dedicated area and the overall stand is adjacent to the roped-off casino expo.
“I am all for the new push, but how it goes forward depends not just on the effort here by Bacta and its EAG, but also on what happens in Barcelona next week.”
As an operator of arcades as well as a distributor of equipment to go into them, he was able to speak with experience on how last year went for the industry and the potential for this year.
“The weather was awful last year; Easter was a washout and you don’t get that time back. By August we had some fantastic weeks, so when you get the weather and things are working in our favour, you can see that families still want what we have to offer. An FEC is still a good value day out - we still have something with appeal.”
But he felt that other factors might combine to damage the prospects for 2025. “Costs are going up, families and operators face increased energy prices, we have the new minimum wage issue and NRI contributions, all of which have to be absorbed.
“Despite all of those factors, I still believe that we have great products that will help operators to overcome these issues. Our industry has faced worse situations than this in the past and has come through it.”
Crown Leisure operates 23 arcades, a mix of inland AGCs and FECs in holiday parks and on the seasides.