Land gambling CEO says online and land gambling can co-exist

In an interview with the publication Vegas Inc. this week, Michael Silberling, chief executive of Affinity Gaming and formerly president of international operations at Caesars Entertainment, opined that the online vertical will continue to grow, and that it does not represent a threat to land-based operators.

“Land-based facilities will stay profitable, as people inherently are social, while online gaming will continue to grow,” Silberling predicted. “The two are complementary and can coexist.

“We will start to see skill being incorporated into gaming. As demographics are changing and people are growing up with screens, a higher level of sophistication and interactivity will be needed to attract that audience.”

Asked which gambling trend has surprised him the most, the casino executive said:

“The amount of money being made in social gaming where there is no ability to win anything of value.”