Now by Nick Dimatteo – May 2025 – Repetition magazine

Will smart operations shape the rest of 2025?

By Nick Dimatteo, Pinnacle Entertainment Group

The coin -delightful industry has always been built on innovation, resilience and relentless ability to adapt to changed market conditions.

While the US sales have become soft in the last quarters, I have a new feeling of excitement every time I leave the pleasure of Expo International. A fresh wave of new products, some of which have shot their heads at the youngest show, will give urgently needed energy everywhere in scope. From state-of-the-art VR titles and hybrid solving games to clever phrases for crane formats, the manufacturers once again exceed the limits. This means that the operators have exciting new opportunities to hire players, promote repeated visits and achieve income.

But striking products alone will not wear the day.

What makes this industry tick is their constant reinvention, which is based on creativity, commitment and striving for unforgettable guest experiences. These innovations are not just funny technology. These are tools that improve the gameplay, deepen the connection with players and offer more opportunities for the operators to increase the time of stay and expenditure.

The operators who stand out are those that go beyond simply adding a new game. It's not just about installing it. It's about how to roll it out, how you imagine your guests, where you place it, how it fits the mood of your floor and how your staff gets behind it.

A look at the rest of 2025 remains a fundamental truth: large products and intelligent operations lead to success.

Operators who do it well will not only pursue the most shiny new game. You will evaluate how it fits your mixture, how to market them and how to use them to create a more important moment on the guest trip. You make data -controlled decisions, refine layouts for a better river and train your employees to maximize customer interaction. Every little touchpoint is important and separates top performers from everyone else.

Which high -quality areas you can concentrate on?

1. Game mix and performance

Not every title deserves his storage. By regularly checking the performance data, the operators help to rotate underperformance units and give hidden opportunities. For example, I saw first-hand how trade in some mid-level artists with high maintenance was serviced for similar implementation of units with little or even at all. Small movements can lead to considerable results.

2. Guest flow and layout

This is also possible to only fit games on the floor. It's about understanding. The rhythm of their space. Are there any pinch points during the peak times? Are highly earning games buried?

An operator worked with a surprising elevator for card activations after moving the kiosks closer to the redemption area. This simple rethinking about how the guests move through the room can have a real influence. 3. Operational efficiency

Technology is not just a guest. Real -time reporting, forecast maintenance budgets and more innovative personnel planning can affect your final result. We helped the event locations to recognize costly games that were not selected manually. As soon as you had the right process and the correct data, restoration was quick and the performance of the downward game was almost 20%.

How do you create moments that people want to share? When guests laugh until it hurts or pull out their phones to win a victory, magic lives. People don't just come back for the games. They come back to see how these games and employees make them feel.

And while the economy is changing and the trends rise and fall, the joy of play remains constant. We are happy in the business of what is a strong place. The challenge is to remain what the next person is pleased and carried out at a high level.

When I went through the ground of pleasure, I saw many exciting options, but the outstanding performance was not necessarily the most complex. They were those who triggered an emotional reaction. That should always be the goal. Technology, games or attractions should make people smile, laugh or cheer. If you do that, everything else becomes easier. The expenses increase, word of mouth spreads and the guests stay a little longer.

The best options are not just the new. They are intuitive, unforgettable and funny. If you are combined with intelligent operations, make a significant difference.

While we move until 2025, stay curious, stay sharp, pay attention to what your guests react and be ready to test, optimize and further develop. The operators who keep their eyes open, ask good questions and stay nimble.

The future of amusement is still light and it is up to us to ensure that the light remains switched on.

Nick Dimatteo is Vice President of Operations and Business Development at Pinnacle Entertainment Group. It brings more than 25 years of experience in food and drinks, arcade, route and inline entertainment with a background in operations with several units and at the national level. Today he works with entertainment providers to improve performance through operations, P&L and team development. Nick in Texas, is also an active mentor and proud father of five years. Visit www.grouuppinnacle.com to more information about [email protected].