NBA Finals: Warriors & Cavs -Chapter Three

Everyone wanted this to happen. It was more of a foregone conclusion that the Warriors and Cavs would meet for the championship.  Once Kevin Durant signed with Golden State, it became finals or bust for them. He has improved their team with his rebounding and defense. This is a player that is always in the top ten in scoring but we recognize his overall impact on a team that has the best backcourt in the league.

We see LeBron playing the best all round game of his tremendous career. He is shooting well from the outside and making the 3 consistently. He and KD will cancel each other out. They will rotate people on James to limit his production.

Irving and Curry are the x factors. Whoever wins this match up will win this series. Most people think that the Warriors win in 6. I see the inside game being too much for the Warriors. Green gets the edge in his match-up with Kevin Love. Rebounding edge is with Cleveland.

Here are some VEGAS numbers.
Warriors favored by 7 in Game 1.
Warriors are -260 to win the series. Cavs are +220.
The over/under for game 1 is 225.

We are going with the Cavs in 6. KD is great but he will come up short again in the bright lights.

We will post the highlight of each game thru out the series. Stop back and see which play we select from Game One.

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My 400th Post: Q&A with Gaming Guy M

We debated for a long time about doing this one. We would rather give the attention to the trending topics and current events. Writing about people of interest is what excites us and keeps the audience engaged. But over the past 3 months, several people associated with this blog thought that the number 400 is a pretty big deal. So each of them sent submitted questions that would require thought and reflection. So here is our 400th post!

1). What social media platform do you like the best?  Twitter is still our favorite. When a major sporting event is on you can engage a large group of people and share reactions in real time.

LinkedIn is good for post and updates that are business related. We have a large following on both of these. Going forward with Esports ,we will make a more concrete effort to post more on Instagram The followers on that medium tend to be younger and fit the demographic of a gamer.

Rose Cook ,Dan Cortes and yours truly

2) Who was your best interview so far?  So many it is hard to pin down just one. We enjoyed the transparency of  Luisa Woods & Tony Rodio at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. The latitude given by my former VP of Casino Operations, Rose Cook  with Countdown at the River.  The most thought provoking was how gaming would look in 2025. Other post may have had more readers but those were top three.

3) What post was the most emotional for you to write? The most emotional was not a blog post but a LinkedIn article called Philly Girls Rock. It was written for my former co-worker and colleague, Leigh Whitaker. Leigh is now with the University of Pennsylvania as their Director of City Relations.

3) Who was most influential over the last 4 years of posting? Three people. Cyrus Pitre with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Jan Jones, Vice President of Government Relations with Caesars Palace. Lastly,Mark Lipparelli , former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. and current Nevada State Senator. Each of them provided insight about online gaming when many members of the industry thought it was light-years away.

4).What been the biggest accomplishment so far? The development of the Smart Responsible Gaming app. Just having the ability to say we have an app is a pretty big deal. People can read our post every time we blog. The sophistication of having an app and two websites is a sign that we are serious and only beginning.

5) What's Next?  What next is to expand further into Daily Fantasy and Esports.  They are the growth areas that have no boundaries. We have several concepts that we will post about with the target being an increase in content and audience. We are open to discussions and consultations based on compensation.

                                                            Stay Tuned!
                                                           
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The Best Photos from #ECGC21 via Instagram

Here is recap of some of the best pictures from #ECGC21.  Hope you enjoyed the conference and look forward to seeing you next year at #ECGC22.

Greg Carlin, David Cordish and Jim Allen

Geoff Freeman from American Gaming Association

Donna Vecere from Cooper Levenson

Gaming Guy M & Henry Pisano from Seminole Gaming

Lloyd Levenson & Wendy Hamilton from Rush Street Gaming

Mayor Don Guardian & Laura Cox from Rush Street Gaming

Melissa Price from Caesars Entertainment

Top Model at ECGC21

Esports Panel with Seth Schorr (center) & Adam Steinberg (far right)

                                                 
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Esports video of the week

This week the video we selected was found on Twitter. Here is the link Each week we pick a video that is entertaining and engaging. The goal is to expose more people to #Esports. The next video will appear after the start of the #NBAFinals. Check out #CaribGamer in the meantime.

                                                    Enjoy the Holiday Weekend!

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Part Two: Interview with Jules Vorndran: VP of Marketing at SugarHouse Casino

Jules Vorndran and Gaming Guy M

5). What book would you suggest to someone about marketing? "I don't have one particular book. I have been lucky to work with a lot of smart people that helped mentor me thru my career. My 1st mentor was Gene Belletiere. I learned about customer service from him. In the early 90's, I worked with Ken Condon in Atlantic City. I acquired knowledge about looking at the big picture of Casino Marketing. I would be remiss if I did not include Mark Giannatonio ,the current President of Resorts Casino. When I left Atlantic City and started to work in other jurisdictions, I really started to grow and became better with marketing strategies."

6).Any advice to anyone that aspires to do what you do? "You really need to love the business. It's 24/7 and 365 days a year. The business has given me the opportunity to travel and do things I never dreamed of. I've attended a Rolling Stone Concert. I've been privilege to watch Andrea Bocelli, the reknown opera singer perform. I played some of the top golf course in the country and saw one of the fights between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti. I have also learned so much about many different people and cultures.So love what you do and the rewards are limitless"

7).Did you ever see yourself participating in a panel session of the #ECGC21? "I always thought someday. When I worked in Atlantic City, I would attend every year. I always thought it was a good way to see things from a different prospective and see what was new in the industry. When Joe Weinert from Spectrum Gaming reach out to me, I was thrilled."

                                        Interview with Jules Vorndran Part One

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Interview with Jules Vorndran: Vice President of Marketing at SugarHouse Casino

We asked Jules to share his bio with us prior to the interview questions.

My current title is Vice President of Casino Marketing and VIP Service at Sugarhouse Casino in

Philadelphia, PA. My responsibilities at Sugarhouse are overseeing Player Development, Casino Host, VIP Events and Call Center.

I started my career in the gaming industry at the Trump Castle in 1985 as a clerk in the Junket Program.Over 26 years in Atlantic City, I also worked at  Resorts, Ballys Park Place, and Tropicana Hotel and Casino. I have held several positions from Executive Casino Host to Vice President of Casino Marketing.I spent nearly two years working at the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs,

CA overseeing Marketing and Player Development teams. Since leaving California, I returned back to the east coast in marketing roles at the following other casino properties in Pennsylvania.They include Valley Forge and Sands Bethlehem.

.

1).What social media outlet do you use primarily for marketing? " We use all of the normal channels. Facebook,Twitter,Instagram and now Twitch for Poker."

2).Quality or Quanity of player base. What do you emphasize more and why? "Both. We try to attract all levels of gaming customers to the property. We range from guest with small bankrolls to some of the largest gaming customers in the country. I believe it's like going to a restaurant that is empty. You think to yourself that something is wrong. Having all types of customers gives energy to the property."

3).Compare Marketing at a resort in Atlantic City to a metropolis like Philadelphia. Give 1 pro and con of each?  "In Pennsylvania and notably Philadelphia,the pros are convenience and population. The con is the tax structure. In Atlantic City, the pros are the non gaming options and the hotels. The con is the lack of reinvestment."

4).In two decades, the gaming industry has went from boxing and car giveaways to MMA and skill base games. Has that changed your marketing philosophy? "Yes. We always continue to be creative with events,shows and festivals. We constantly look for non gaming amenities game types to satisfy our current customers while attracting new customers of all ages."

Part Two of this interview will post during Jules participation in the #ECGC21 on 5/25 in Atlantic City.

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ESports video of the week

This is our pick for Esports video of the week. Each week we will select a video that is entertaining and engaging. The goal is to expose more people to #Esports. The next video will appear after the #ECGC21 in Atlantic City.

Esports in Atlantic City

                                     Hope you enjoy the video. Click here for the link.

                                              
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ESports is more than just a game

We are posting the best videos we can find about esports. This video is excellent. We found it on YouTube. It was originally on CNN.com. Click here for the link.

Follow us for more content like this. Share a photo if you are a gamer and we may include it here or in a future post.

Here is our selection for esports  video for the week of 5/19 thru 5/26

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