Casino Enterprise Management

Obviously, any analysis of business performance, objectives or metrics requires supporting data. But when generating a visual analysis, it is important to look at the questions asked and analyze the results, not just the data. It is easy to form a syllogism — a logical argument — from two premises to reach a conclusion, but whether that conclusion holds water is another story. For example, turkeys cannot fly, and your coworkers cannot fly; therefore, your coworkers are turkeys. Visually, faulty logic like this is easier to spot.

Unfortunately, once you spot the faulty logic, you still may not be in the clear. Have you ever made a presentation only to have an “Oh, &#%$!” moment? Someone asks one simple question, “What about X?” and your infallible presentation, great results and excellent predictions are suddenly invalid, just because you didn’t think of X. Visual analytics helps you avoid this kind of situation, and its hypothetical nature allows you to search for questions you may not have already considered.

This month, we conclude our three-part series on visual analytics with an in-depth look at IGT’s Mariposa™. CEM sat down with Mariposa’s creator Javier Saenz, VP of strategy for network systems at IGT.

Casino Enterprise Management: What makes Mariposa’s visual analytics stand out?
Javier Saenz: We care about players, not just games. We can obtain a visual representation of game performance based upon player attributes. For example, Mariposa customers can look at just female players on weekends or all players’ performances. This is guest relationship management. Our customers can have data visualization for geography and market, such as ZIP code or state, which makes it a great marketing tool. For maintenance, they can look at events and historical events, like how much idle time does a machine have? How long does it take for response? This works with service-level management.

CEM: A tremendous increase in visual analytics capabilities has occurred over the past few years. What happened?
JS: A couple of years ago, we could report, “Here’s what’s there.” Now we are much more proactive, making recommendations based on visualization. The system can determine under-performing games. It can also identify over-performing games. From there it says, “Here’s what you should do about it,” helping with floor optimization.

CEM: Who drives software changes like this at Mariposa?
JS: Operators push for changes. The other driving force is vendors, especially here at IGT. Consider server-based gaming: Customers need simple tools and to be able to make changes in virtual space and use the graphical interface to crash-test the floor. They can use data mining and predictive modeling to try out changes, see the anticipated results and work with game performance. It allows you to become proactive, not reactive. There is a convergence of technologies. Timing is everything, and allows our customers to gain control over their floors.

CEM: What about casinos that are just getting into visual analytics or are considering using it in the future? Will they be able to modify Mariposa’s existing reports and create new ones based on their individual requirements?
JS: Our customers’ first reactions are, “Oh my God! That’s great.” After using the software for awhile, they say, “How about ...?” It is a very dynamic system, and the user can create ad-hoc reports easily or go to scorecard products, such as Mariposa Suite. The “out of the box” lasts quite a while, but users always evolve and push the tools further. It’s an evolutionary process that depends on the user.

CEM: What would be the biggest argument for using Mariposa? Let’s use the slot floor as an example.
JS: For slots alone, there are 1,200 different reports — and users can use SQL. There is a real shift going on. The problem used to be getting the data productively. We empower slot directors to make better decisions. We’ve added science to the voodoo. Visual analytics is a business reporting tool, and there’s specialization now. Historically, slot accounting systems would provide data, but they weren’t designed to do visualization and analysis. Let’s let those systems do what they were designed and regulated to do. Slot accounting is a car, not an airplane. If you want an airplane, get an airplane.

Customer Insight
The best indication of how good software is, and how well it fits customer requirements, is what customers have to say about it. CEM sat down with one of Mariposa’s customers, Jon Wolfe, senior VP and CIO of Resorts International, for a closer look. Resorts International has Mariposa installed in six casinos, located in four of the most competitive gaming jurisdictions in the United States.

CEM: How does Mariposa’s visual analytics help your business?
John Wolfe: For the most part, a picture is worth a thousand words. Time continues to be one of our most valuable commodities, and visualization provides tremendous opportunities to process significantly larger amounts of valuable information to make appropriate decisions and move on. … On the front-line level, a user now has the ability to absorb the entire floor visually and make decisions on a variety of customer-driven opportunities, all presented visually, to bolster the casino’s relationship with the player on a one-on-one level. In a business where loyalty reaps huge rewards, this capability creates a tremendous amount of value for the company. Users who interact with our customers make better decisions for the company and customer, improving relationships and increasing loyalty.

CEM: Mariposa fits well into your organization. Do you think it would fit into other operations just as well?
JW: Despite what others may tell you, there is no “cookie-cutter” fit for these kinds of products. They may be utilized consistently from a strategic standpoint, but the tactics are different from property to property and user to user. Force-feeding a product to fit has failed more times than it has succeeded, and opportunities to learn from creative users can be extremely limited. Resorts may define some fairly consistent strategies for how these products may be utilized, but tactics always vary from market to market. These kinds of products have been very successful for our company, but regular “best practice” meetings and summits provide valuable and diverse opportunities for use that were not even considered … when they were first deployed. Our company’s dedication to flexibility has been a key to the success of these products, as opposed to a corporate-centric approach.

CEM: Has Mariposa changed the way Resorts International conducts business in other ways?
JW: Yes, without a doubt. We expect more from the people who have this software and technology at their disposal. From managing player relationships to product placement to pricing models, they have better information to base decisions on.

CEM: Have you been able to discover new metrics for your data since Resorts International started using Mariposa?
JW: That’s an understatement. I was participating on a recent panel for business intelligence when asked this same question. It seems that everyone expects business intelligence to result in a single “wow” that accompanies implementation. Quite typically, it is a series of wows that happen over and over, rather than a single “big bang.” The more people that get involved in this process, the more questions we develop. Every answer we generate creates 12 more questions and infinite opportunities to refine our business. I believe we have significantly more metrics than we have had before. This comes from a combination of things, primarily the sophistication of our data warehouses combined with our ability to extract and visualize information with more layers and lenses. Suppose we want to modify our mix of machines on the floor. Traditionally it was a decision based on accounting data. Now there are multiple layers to the decision process, from pure accounting performance to database demographic and psychographic information, all of which can be visualized to be appropriately incorporated into the decision process. It’s no longer just accounting, and it’s no longer just a spreadsheet of numbers.

CEM: Do you see your employees becoming more proficient in obtaining answers from visual analytics data?
JW: I truly believe they have. One mistake companies make is deploying software as a single effort, and not looking at it as an evolution over time. It is an evolution of skills, a growth of awareness as users learn new skills and shake off their initial fear or resistance to new applications and ways of looking at information. … Many users that have traditionally been resistant to change, especially in the areas of technology, are embracing these new products, in part because these products are much more intuitive and have a significant and measurable impact on productivity and effectiveness. … A company must be committed, and not just at installation. Too many people make such a big “to-do” about the installation of a product. Implementation of the software is mandatory to success, but it by no means guarantees success. Companies must make an ongoing commitment to invest in the capabilities of their users to keep it going. The bridge from the infrastructure to intelligence is the hardest to cross, and is typically where a lot of these implementations fail, or fall significantly short, of the original goals.

Taking Action
It is an ideal time to start using visual tools. There are excellent software packages available today with reports and visuals to help you from day one; this three-part series has introduced you to Casino Data Imaging’s CasinoCAD®, Compudigm and IGT’s Mariposa. With a proven track record of customer support and a growing base of installed systems, new users are better poised to start receiving the benefits of these visual analytics systems than ever before.

Visualization allows your entire company to benefit, from the top executive down to floor-level employees who interact with your customers directly. It allows information to be shared with all, in a form they can use. It ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals and also allows you to become proactive, anticipating results before they happen, not just reacting to trends on your floor. It quite likely will be a catalyst in changing your business rules. It is a progressive solution that will become a necessity as technology advances on your floor. The ability to analyze hypothetical situations before investing time and resources will help you make better decisions.

Visual analytics enables you to remove the emotion and guesswork from your business analysis and forecasting, replacing them with intelligent, defendable and timely information. No solution is perfect, however, and the human element of visualization is significant. Remember, micro-analyzing might result from the process, and it must be avoided. Research the details and make sure your results are sound, but keep your eye on the big picture. If you can do this, using visual analytics may be the best decision you’ll ever make for getting the most out of your data.

Javier Saenz joined IGT in December 2006 as VP of Strategy for Network Systems. Saenz provides strategic leadership across IGT’s portfolio of systems products, focusing on creating solutions that maximize value for IGT’s customers. Before joining IGT, Saenz served as the Senior VP of Information Solutions at Venture Catalyst Incorporated from 2000 to 2006. During this period, Saenz created and marketed Mariposa, a suite of customer relationship management and business intelligence products designed specifically for the gaming industry. Saenz led the design, development and rollout of Mariposa, which IGT acquired in 2006. Saenz has also held various positions in finance, operations and casino marketing at Harrah’s Entertainment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Vermont, where he majored in finance and MIS.

IGT — Mariposa
While Mariposa’s robust analytical tools can quickly churn a dizzying amount of data, its Data Visualization module brings it all clearly into focus. Graphic representations of information  make complex customer and gaming data easy to understand.

For marketing purposes, the Data Visualization module allows you to literally see who your customers are, where they’re from, what games they like to play and which promotions they respond to. Tied to Mariposa’s Data Warehouse and Campaign Management modules, Data Visualization lets you easily and visually research customer and market data by geographic region, and delivers visual analysis and segmentation with point-and-click ease.

To help you keep a bead on your casino operations, Mariposa’s Data Visualization integrates with the Player Contact System to provide visual depictions of casino floor activity as it happens. You can see where customers are playing, at which machines or table games, and their levels of play — all in real time. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this function is worth a million data points.

Features:
• Slot and table games performance analysis over any time period,  using any of dozens of available metrics
• Patron geographic market analysis by ZIP code and address
• Drill down into the map for more detailed information
• Easy-to-use interface to select data for mapping

Benefits:
• Makes complex data easy to understand
• Users can quickly identify game or patron performance variances
• Creates more accurate market definitions for improved marketing
• Quickly recognizes the best- and worst-performing regions in your market  and games in your operation
•Integrates with CAD or uses the Mariposa drawing editor For more information, visit www.mariposa-software.com.

John Wilson is the Owner of ICS Gaming, providing slot consulting services and game design. He has designed several slot games in both Class II and Class III markets, in video and stepper-reel configurations. He can be reached at jwilson[at]icsgaming.com.