Las Vegas Weekly

November 16, 2009 · 7:14 AM

G2E opens today at convention center with star-studded guest list

By Robin Leach

The G2E Global Gaming Convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Photo: G2E

More than 520 exhibitors, including 93 international manufacturers, from 26 countries are set to kick off today’s G2E Global Gaming Expo at the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center. G2E showcases cutting-edge technology with the latest casino games and industry leaders tackling forecasts for the industry.

Strip headliner comedienne Rita Rudner is just one of the celebrities attending G2E. For the second time, she will be the opening keynote speaker and plans to share her insights about men, women, marriage and the city she has called home the past eight years.

Sex and the City star Chris Noth will attend the annual ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. today at the Main Hall entrance. He’ll then stop by IGT’s booth to pull the first handle on the manufacturer’s new slot machine bearing the name of the popular HBO series turned big screen hit.

Playboy’s 2009 Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist will pose for photos and sign autographs at Bally Technologies’ booth each morning and afternoon. TV host Melissa Rivers, super celebrity agent Mike Esterman and former Baywatch beauties will participate in one of the Thursday panels about the use of celebrities for casino promotional appearances.

Tomorrow, magician Jackson Rayne will attempt a Guinness World Record for the fastest escape from a regulation straitjacket. He will try to best Italian magician Alexis Arts’ time of 10.19 seconds, which is the current world record set in May at Teatro del Fuoco in Foggia, Italy.

Las Vegas star chefs Kerry Simon from Cathouse at the Luxor and Simon at Palms Place; Geno Bernardo, executive chef of Nove Italiano at the Palms celebrating his grandmother’s 100th birthday and her recipes on his menu; and Rene Lenger from Switch at the Encore are joined by mixology director Armando Rosario from our Southern Wines & Spirits for various Food & Beverage kitchen demonstrations.

My pal Michael Godard, known as “the rock star of the art world” and currently the top-selling artist in America, has been signed to design new games for slot manufacturer Aristocrat Technologies. When he appears there tomorrow and Wednesday, he also will unveil his first art-designed machine. Michael has appeared on TV shows including Criss Angel’s Mindfreak and Inked.

More than 100 conference sessions will be dedicated to every sector of the casino industry. The show floor features the industry’s latest F&B innovations, the Entertainment arena, the Eye in the Sky Security & Surveillance pavilion, the Technology pavilion, Casino Design and Diversity Exhibitor Programs. A special New Exhibitor pavilion features companies showcasing their products and services at G2E for the first time.

American Gaming Association President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. will discuss current issues and news in the gaming industry and share his views on today’s economic climate, how it is affecting the industry and how the industry will address related challenges in the coming months.

A lot of attention will be focused this year on the new Wheel-R-Dealer, which is a handheld electronic playing card dealer and shuffler. The prototypes will be on show for the first time. Don’t fret: It’s not going to replace live dealers -- at least not yet! But it is designed for poker rooms, home games and blackjack tournaments to ensure that dealers are dealing justly and at the same time making dealing easier. “It’s impossible to manipulate the cards once they are inserted,” company officials say.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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