United States: Almost half of CEOs of gaming companies expect better business conditions in 2022

AGA has reported that the newly launched CEO Outlook of Gaming of the American Gaming Association (AGA) shows confidence in the expanded growth of the industry and in better business conditions in 2022, this optimism is the result of anticipated increases in new hires (71 %), salary growth (63%) and capital investment (39%).

In this regard, Bill Miller, president and CEO of AGA, highlights that the results reflect the demand for entertainment and adds: "The promising outlook is built on our innovation, but like many industries, supply chain and worker shortages continue to slow our full recovery ".

Along these lines, more than two-thirds (71%) of CEO respondents cited supply chain issues as a factor limiting operations. Labor force shortages (63%), consumer health concerns (46%), and lagging meetings and events demand (38%) are also widely cited as impeding short-term growth.

When referring to current conditions, the Index of 115.1 reflects exceptionally strong growth in gaming revenue, employment, and employee wages and salaries over the past quarter. This represents one of the fastest periods of growth in the industry over the past 20 years. Notably, all CEO panel participants assessed the current gaming business climate as “good” (54%) or “satisfactory” (46%).

As explained by AGA, the Future Conditions Index, which provides a leading indicator of changes in industry conditions, also shows positive results at 102.7. Nearly half of gaming executives expect future business conditions to further improve from today’s already strong climate, and just nine percent expect conditions to deteriorate over the next six months.

This data was presented by Bill Miller in the framework of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2021, the premier event for commercial and tribal gaming professionals.