The Mississippi Casino Operators Association (MCOA) and BNP Media Gaming Group, co-producers of Southern Gaming Summit, have agreed to extend their current partnership through the May 2019 show.

Representatives from both sides of the partnership said the five-year extension of their existing agreement demonstrates both the enduring success of Southern Gaming Summit and the belief that the strategies and structure are in place to grow the show to the benefit of all its stakeholders going forward.

"We are very enthusiastic about Southern Gaming Summit, and this extension helps to secure what we believe is a very bright future for the event," said Larry Gregory, executive director, MCOA. "The combination of an inclusive and committed operators association here in Mississippi and a company with the depth of gaming business-to-business capabilities of BNP is very powerful. We look forward to building on our collective strengths to grow Southern Gaming Summit substantially through 2019."

"We are very proud of our longstanding relationship with MCOA, our association with Southern Gaming Summit, which we have co-produced since 2001, and thrilled that our work on this event will continue through at least 2019," said Randy Green, group publisher, BNP Media Gaming Group, the parent company ofCasino JournalandSlot Manager magazines. "We look forward to deploying all of our many resources on behalf of Southern Gaming Summit in the most effective manner possible, and to bringing it to new heights, both in the coming year and through the rest of this decade."

The 20th annual Southern Gaming Summit will be held May 7-9, 2013, at its permanent home, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center in Biloxi, Miss. Southern Gaming Summit 2013 will, for the fourth consecutive year, be co-located with Bingo World, a successful addition to the event, and one which will continue through the 2019 contract extension.

For more information, visitwww.sgsummit.com.