This time, live from the COS stage.

Professor Anthony Lucas of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is no stranger to the Casino Operations Summit. He has contributed to previous editions of COS from Las Vegas via Zoom — but for COS 2027, we are delighted that Anthony will finally join us in person, on stage in Ostend.
Anthony is one of the gaming industry's most respected academic researchers, specializing in casino management, casino marketing, slot operations and performance analysis. What makes his work particularly relevant to casino operators is his willingness to put commonly accepted industry beliefs to the test.
Rather than asking “How have we always done it?”, Anthony asks a much more interesting question:
“What does the evidence actually tell us?”

His research has challenged conventional thinking on subjects including slot machine house advantage, player sensitivity to changes in hold, free-play, slot floor optimization and casino marketing effectiveness.
And that is precisely why we keep inviting him back to COS.

Anthony does not always tell the industry what it expects — or necessarily wants — to hear. He brings research, statistics and evidence to discussions that are too often driven by assumptions and conventional wisdom.

Previous COS delegates have seen Anthony Lucas on the screen.
At COS 2027, they finally get to see, and challenge, him on stage.

What is really happening in gaming? Let the data do the talking.

Following his contribution to COS 2026, we are delighted to welcome Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital, back to the Casino Operations Summit in 2027.

H2 Gambling Capital sits on an extraordinary amount of gaming market data, covering both land-based and online gaming markets across the world. This gives Josh a unique vantage point from which to look beyond individual markets, short-term developments and industry headlines — and identify the trends that are actually shaping our industry.

At COS 2027, Josh will once again take us behind the numbers. Where is gaming growing? Where is it slowing down? How is the balance between land-based and online changing? What differences do we see between markets — and, perhaps most importantly, what can the data tell us about where the industry is heading?

Josh's presentations are not about opinions looking for supporting numbers. They start with the numbers and ask what those numbers are telling us.

For casino operators trying to understand their position in an increasingly complex gaming landscape, this promises to be another fascinating, data-driven look at the state — and direction — of our industry.

You asked us to bring him back. We listened.

John Purcell is no stranger to the Casino Operations Summit. A gaming industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of gaming, technology and operational innovation, John has contributed to previous COS editions — and in recent years has become one of our most engaging voices on Artificial Intelligence.

Following his previous COS sessions, a remarkable number of delegates approached us with essentially the same request:

“Bring John back — and give him more time.”

So that is exactly what we are doing.

At COS 2027, John will not deliver a single presentation. Instead, he will lead a three-part AI Masterclass, with one dedicated one-hour session at the end of each conference day.

And this will not be three hours of talking about how AI might change our industry sometime in the future.

The emphasis will be firmly on using AI. Across the three sessions, John will take delegates from understanding what today's AI tools can actually do, through practical applications and prompting, to exploring how AI can become a genuine everyday tool for casino managers — helping us analyse, research, communicate, create and make better-informed decisions.

Each session will build on the previous one, making this a genuine three-day learning journey rather than three separate presentations.

Delegates completing all three sessions will receive a COS Certificate of Participation in the AI Masterclass.

John once helped to reinvent the wheel with DigiWheel.

At COS 2027, we're giving him three hours to help us reinvent the way we work.

AML rules are written on paper. Casinos have to make them work in practice.

We are pleased to welcome Aleksandr Kostjukevits back to the Casino Operations Summit. Aleksandr previously contributed to COS and returns in 2027 at a particularly relevant moment, as European casino operators prepare for a new AML regulatory environment.

Based in Estonia, Aleksandr brings close to 20 years of experience in law, AML, compliance and regulatory affairs. Importantly for COS, his experience is not limited to advising companies from the outside.

As former Group Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel of Olympic Entertainment Group, one of Europe's major gaming operators, Aleksandr has experienced first-hand what it means to translate regulatory requirements into procedures that actually have to work across casino operations. Earlier in his career, he was also one of the first compliance and AML professionals at Wise, giving him experience across both gaming and financial services.

That combination makes his perspective particularly valuable.

AML compliance cannot simply be about adding more checks, more forms and more procedures. Casinos still need to serve customers, employees need processes they can realistically follow, and management needs to balance compliance, operational efficiency and customer experience.

At COS 2027, Aleksandr will help us understand not only what the new AML rules require, but what they mean for the day-to-day operation of a casino.

Because regulation only becomes real when it reaches the casino floor.

When you have spent more than 35 years running slot floors, you have seen a few things change.

We are delighted to welcome Buddy Frank, one of the most experienced and respected slot operations professionals in the industry, to COS 2027.

Buddy's career in gaming spans more than three decades and includes senior slot operations positions at some of the best-known casinos in Nevada and California. He ultimately spent almost nine years as Vice President of Slot Operations at Pechanga Resort & Casino, where he was responsible for the slot operation of one of the largest casino floors in the United States.

Throughout his career, Buddy became known not only for his operational experience, but also for his data-driven approach to slot management and his willingness to embrace new technology. At Pechanga, he was an early adopter of new slot systems technology and even helped set a Guinness World Record by connecting more than 2,500 machines for what was then the world's largest slot tournament.

In 2023, Buddy's contribution to our industry was formally recognized when he was inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame in the Slot Operations category.

Today, Buddy remains closely involved with the industry as a consultant, commentator and regular contributor on the evolution of slot operations.

At COS 2027, we will draw on that experience to look both backwards and forwards: what has really changed on our gaming floors, which lessons have stood the test of time — and where does Buddy believe slot operations are heading next?

With 35+ years of experience and a place in the Slot Operations Hall of Fame, Buddy has earned the right to have an opinion. We intend to ask him for it.