Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is trading the ice for the Las Vegas Strip this month, joining a lineup of top casino executives and child safety advocate Elizabeth Smart as headline speakers for the Global Gaming Expo's 2026 main stage. The convention, which runs from September 28 through October 1 at the Venetian Expo, expects more than 25,000 industry professionals from over 120 countries, regions and territories.
Gretzky, known as the Great One and regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time, will join BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt for a discussion on the convergence of sports, digital innovation and sports betting, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Gretzky, who held or shared 61 unique NHL records as of 1999, signed a multiyear brand ambassador deal with BetMGM in 2021. That partnership has already produced tangible products for gamblers: BetMGM launched Gretzky Light the Lamp, an exclusive online slot game featuring his image and branding, across its New Jersey and Michigan platforms in January 2026, according to Gaming America.
CEOs to Tackle Global Expansion and Domestic Growth
National Emmy Award-winning CNBC correspondent Contessa Brewer will moderate a discussion among three gaming executives: Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International; Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment; and Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts. Per the same Las Vegas Sun report, the executives will discuss Las Vegas and international expansion, integrated resorts, technology, tourism and long-term industry growth.
Their conversation arrives as their companies pursue enormous overseas bets. Wynn Resorts has set a September 2027 opening target for its $5.7 billion Wynn Al Marjan Island project in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, which would mark the Middle East's first integrated casino resort, according to Covers.com. MGM Resorts, meanwhile, broke ground in April 2025 on the ¥1.27 trillion, or $8.9 billion, MGM Osaka project, Japan's first government-approved integrated casino resort, targeting an autumn 2030 opening, per CDC Gaming.
Record Revenue Meets Shifting Sports Betting Margins
Those international commitments come against a backdrop of record domestic performance. The U.S. commercial gaming industry generated an all-time record of $78.72 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2025, a 9.2 percent year-over-year increase that produced $18.09 billion in direct state and local gaming taxes, according to the American Gaming Association. That momentum carried into 2026, with commercial gaming revenue reaching $20.39 billion in the second quarter, up 5.1 percent year-over-year — though sports betting revenue posted its first non-pandemic quarterly decline as operator hold rates dropped.
Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO, will deliver a keynote address on September 29 emphasizing innovation, strength and collaboration driving the legal gaming industry. “These conversations will bring together influential voices to share insights, spark meaningful conversations and discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for our industry,” Miller said. Nevada's own casino operators contributed to that momentum, setting a state record with $15.8 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2025, with Downtown Las Vegas win rising more than 2 percent while Strip revenue remained flat, as Hoodline previously reported.
Elizabeth Smart Returns to a Main Stage on Resilience
Elizabeth Smart, an advocate for missing persons and sexual abuse victims, will speak on September 30 alongside Meghan Speranzo, Global Gaming Women's co-chair of mentorship, on resilience, mental adversity and professional authenticity. Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 at age 14 and held captive for nine months before she was found in Sandy, Utah. Her G2E appearance follows a pattern of keynote speaking on trauma survival, including at Portland's APCO Western Regional Conference in March 2025, which Hoodline covered at the time.
Global Gaming Women, the nonprofit co-presenting Smart's session, marked its 10th anniversary as an independent organization in 2026, now representing more than 9,000 members across 70 countries, according to Yogonet. The convention has also expanded its educational programming for 2026, adding dedicated tracks for Digital Technologies, Lottery, Marketing and New Gaming Frontiers alongside existing iGaming, Regulatory and Responsible Gaming tracks, per the Global Gaming Expo.
A Show Floor Beyond the Main Stage
G2E, organized by RX and presented by the American Gaming Association, will host nearly 400 exhibitors and more than 300 speakers across more than 100 education sessions during the four-day run. The show floor will also feature the national G2E Dealer Championship, a frontline worker competition introduced in 2025 that puts casino floor personnel alongside the corporate keynotes drawing headlines. The convention takes place at the same Venetian Expo that hosted last spring's debut of the resort's Lusso Lounge, which Hoodline covered in March.
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