Casino Enterprise Management

“Ooooooo, red!” shouted a middle-aged woman, as she paused her reel spinning for a moment to choose a horse in the virtual race she had been waiting to pop up on the side of her slot machine screen. A younger woman watched, then chose white.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged woman was already back to spinning the reels. Moments later, the “Pechanga Classic” began. The woman never stopped playing … until her red horse momentarily took the lead. Then she began cheering for her horse to win.

As the horses crossed the finish line, the player across the bank cheered loudly with a big grin on her face. Her horse had won. Even though the red and white horses lost, the women still smiled and laughed as they spun their reels.

The women were all playing Virtual RacingTM, part of Bally’s Elite Bonusing SuiteTM, on iVIEW™ Display Manager. It’s an event showcased on 1,200 games across the floor at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., to engage players on a casino-wide level. CoolSign™ is used to show the race on large television screens throughout the casino.

Pechanga promoted the races miles away. A billboard for the virtual event was the first Pechanga sign I saw on our drive from the San Diego airport to Pechanga for Bally Technologies’ Systems User Conference 8. The Virtual Race delivered on Bally’s promise to show off its “Products in Action” at this year’s popular Systems User Conference. Along with the floor-wide race, the event went as far as taking over a section of the gaming floor.

Buddy Frank, VP of slots at Pechanga, says the horse race and other Bally Elite Bonusing Suite products play on people’s competitive nature. “On a single bank you’ll see one group of customers playing a horse race cheering, and the other people sitting there going, ‘What’s going on? Why I can’t I be part of it?’ So for an operator, having customers trying to get a player club card so they can be in your bonus, that’s ideal.”

Watching the Bally Technologies Virtual Racing event live, in person at Pechanga, is one of the experiences attendees enjoyed most at Bally UC8 in March. This was the first time the event was held outside of Nevada, and it was the biggest to date. Because of the risk Bally took with the location, the success of the best-attended user conference in Bally history made Ramesh Srinivasan, newly appointed president and COO, smile with excitement during our discussion and speak with even more passion than usual.

Richard Haddrill, Bally CEO, spoke to the UC8 crowd to kick off the event. He first addressed the economic issues casino operators are facing and offered an optimistic view of the future. While giving attendees advice for the week, Haddrill quoted Vikings player Fran Tarkenton, “Ugly people want love, too.” The crowd laughed, but Haddrill truly made a point that wraps all of the exciting features Bally systems offer into a nice summary—everyone wants to feel special. And Bally team members will tell you that innovative Bally products can make players feel special when they visit your casino.

The anecdotal stories you’ll read throughout this story are ones I’ve witnessed or visions I’ve heard from Bally team members and casino operators. They show how the convergence of games, applications, hardware and networking are working to improve revenues, social currency, and player involvement, excitement and experience.

iVIEW DM and DM Tournaments™
An announcer’s voice informed players it’s time to compete in a DM tournament on the very machine where they had been playing their favorite game—even if the base game was made by a Bally competitor. The tournament began and the sounds of buttons tapping and cheering came with it. We looked up at the big screen above to see who was in the lead, then back to the players to see the same rundown on the machine. The minute-long tournament ended with one excited winner and many other happy players who returned to their favorite game.

Futurist James Canton, Ph.D, who spoke at the event the following day, commented on the DM tournament, calling it “amazing.” Bally’s Senior VP of Strategy and Business Development Bruce Rowe refers to it as a “game changer.”

With Bally systems and the DM tournament set up throughout your casino, players across the property can compete in this tournament all at once, creating a buzz that can be heard and felt across the floor. You can also make tournaments available to certain levels of customers or in a specific location. DM tournament, part of the Elite Bonusing Suite, can run on Class II and Class III games and is backward compatible. It can run on any machine made by any manufacturer.

Rowe says DM games are all about using your marketing dollars in a way that makes a difference. “It’s good to make people laugh,” he says. “How much do you laugh when you get $10 in your mailbox? You don’t laugh at all. And so this gives you a chance to take that money and give it back to customers in a different way. It’s differentiating.”

IVIEW DM is now being used at six sites on 600 machines from six manufacturers. The product currently offers free games casino marketers use to incentivize play. In the future, it will also support pay-to-play games and Bryan Kelly, newly appointed senior vice president of technology, says it will have the ability to connect with social networks.

Apps for Customers
A group of 20-somethings enter the casino engaged in one conversation with each other and another via text messaging with their friend who couldn’t make the trip. They post a photo of themselves with the casino’s sign behind them on Facebook, using their iPhones. One of them looks up long enough to see a sign about an app for the casino. They all download the app.

Moments later they link up their player’s card information with the app and it says hello to them. Then they see iBonus™, which reminds them of a scavenger hunt. The Bally app explains that if they get a certain win on a certain game, they can take a picture of it with their phones and get an extra prize.

As they walk around searching for the game, they bump into a woman in her 60s who is doing the same thing in hopes of winning free buffet tickets. Her son just bought her a fancy phone (an Android operating system) that takes pictures. The 20-somethings show her another useful feature of the application and are surprised at how easy it was to do so because the apps on their iPhones were the same as the one on her Droid. She proceeds to order a soda and check her current offers using her smartphone.

The 20-somethings play a “for fun” version of Bally’s Cash Spin on their phones while they wait for their food at the restaurant. One of them has the top score and the others are trying to beat it. They hear games on the floor have this too and they decide to give it a try before heading to their usual blackjack table.

Cash Spin, when played on a DM, is called U-Spin BonusingTM and is part of the Elite Bonusing Suite. Using the same touchscreen as the game, U-Spin Bonusing allows players to spin the wheel for prizes. Casino operators can configure the wheel differently for each player, offering various levels of awards depending on the player’s value. In the future, Kelly says the popular SkeeBall app will also be available as an Elite Bonusing Suite game for the DM.

In 2010, there were no sessions on mobile technology at the Bally conference. At UC8 this year, all attendees were given an iPod® Touch so that they could experience the various mobile options Bally makes possible. Various sessions highlighted Bally’s mobile technology.

Bally Technologies offers an app that utilizes a thin client platform, which allows operators to design or update an app once in open standards format and then publish it across multiple operating systems.

The possibilities seem endless when it comes to what a customer-facing app can do. These are just some of the highlights introduced to attendees at Pechanga. Canton, during his keynote address, also encouraged attendees to think about electronic cash, which will turn smartphones into transaction devices. Bally is already working on this, and recently announced its partnership with Sightline Payments to offer a mobile wallet system in two to three years. This technology uses near-field communication based on a radius of four centimeters.

Biometrics
A VIP player walks up to your casino resort’s hotel desk and is greeted by name, handed a key to her room and a voucher for her latest offer. A bottle of her favorite wine is sent to her room.

When the VIP sits down at a slot machine, the game knows it’s her without the use of a card and offers her favorite games on the iVIEW DM screen. If she chooses, she can play her favorite game without moving. It also knows which kind of soda she likes to drink during the day and asks if she’d like one delivered now.

As Rowe says, this kind of customer service creates a connection. “You have an association with them because they know you, as opposed to, you buy there,” he said.

As the VIP plays, the 60-something woman walks up to a digital sign and it shows her information on the next time Kenny Rogers will be performing at the casino’s entertainment venue. She makes a mental note to get tickets. The 20-somethings walk up to the digital sign next and it shows them how to get tickets for tonight’s MMA fight. Maybe they will stay overnight at the hotel so they can catch the action.

The players saw different ads because the biometric technology in the camera they didn’t even notice on the sign determined their approximate age and tailored the message to them.

Later that night, as the MMA fight draws a record crowd, there’s a problem with a machine and a slot tech needs to physically open the cabinet. He gets the task assigned on his work-issued iPod and goes directly to the machine, using his fingerprint as a key.

Rowe says there’s no reason to need a key to get into a slot machine today. Using biometrics cuts down on time at shift change, and the time and cost eaten up when keys are lost. Plus, Rowe explains the added level of security biometrics brings, saying, “We can then link it to scheduling systems so that even if a technician does have access, I can actually decide at what time he has access.”

Bally Technologies is working with NextgenID, a company that does biometrics at airports, high-profile events and banks. The technology is currently used for blacklist detection and marketing efforts. NextgenID places cameras in locations people are strategically funneled through, like escalators or waiting lines. It’s able to detect faces even when people are walking by without posing or stopping. It can detect multiple faces at one time, can tell the approximate age of the person and if they’re happy or sad. Of course this technology can also play a role in a casino when used in security and responsible gaming measures.

Imagine the difference it could make in your casino’s customer service operations. Rowe and Stephen Patton, director of Bally’s Innovation Lab, asked attendees to think of the possibilities during their session about biometrics. They explained the technology and asked for partners—operators who want to work with Bally to take the technology to the next level.

It’s fun to think of how this would all work, but of course it will require an extreme back-end system to tie all the data together. That can be done with Bally systems through the Bally Integration gateway. An operation’s regular hotel check-in system doesn’t even have to change. DM can be installed on those computers and pop up this extra, valuable information in a side window. The same system is used to send information out to casino staff’s handheld devices.

Apps for Employees
After the front desk orders the VIP’s bottle of wine, a hotel staff member gets the order on his iPod. He takes the task, delivers the bottle of wine, and then checks his iPod for the next customer request.

At the end of the VIP’s stay, the valet driver gets the task of bringing up her car. “You can actually create differentiating experiences by letting your valet parkers know who these people are because they’re often the first people to greet your guests and the last people to see them before they leave. What if they knew whether or not they won or lost on that trip?” Rowe asks.

Frank says giving Pechanga staff the ability to walk around with all the right information is extremely valuable. He adds: “As an operator, I can look up the catalog of the manufacturer to see the exact game details right in my pocket instead of going back and searching binders. I’m able to tell when a promotion stops and ends, who won, who didn’t win. We’re able to send our folks right to where the guests are having an issue, and send them to our best guests or our most urgent issue first.” 

Bally is also working with MICROS to develop apps for waitstaff at restaurants that will connect them with the customer information described in this article. The employee app can even give workers the option of hitting a button to view the standard operating procedure for the task they’ve been assigned. It also allows employees to choose tasks, pause tasks to help another customer and send alerts if they see another task that needs to be completed while they are busy.

Tableview and Pokerview
Tableview is currently used at more than 90 sites and close to 5,000 tables. Mohegan Sun has the largest installation, with more than 300. Tableview technology provides touchscreens, alerts, player ratings, increased game speed, idle rating, VIP tagging and notification, and floor analysis for managers. It utilizes optical chip recognition and allows players to use tickets at the table. In a few months, Bally will introduce a live floor view for Tableview, so that managers can see information they currently can see for slot machines.

Pokerview is next, and it will automate the manual processes in a poker room. That includes a way to track players, list winners, configure percentages, create waiting lists, send player alerts and more. Much of this will be done by integrating with CoolSign. Floor view will be able to zoom into player level and see how many chips players have. Pokerview will track bets, using optical chip recognition and biometrics. It also can track the chip tray to see when levels are low and more chips are needed.

In the future, Bally plans to take this technology to other games like baccarat and use technology like card tracking.

Social Currency
The Bally team can point out numerous ways in which its systems products will drive revenue by increasing play and loyalty. But Rowe talks about another kind of currency—social currency. As in, “Did you see that race thing last night?” talked about at the water cooler, posted on Facebook and sent via text messaging.

Patton explains that Bally believes the next phase of loyalty is in social media. Many casinos are currently marketing themselves and connecting with players on Facebook. Patton says, take that to the next level with “participatory promotions. And that’s where people actually participate in a promotion and they have to do something. They’ve got to be a fan or they’ve got to have a special status to get this offer.” By getting people to engage with you on Facebook, it increases your visibility among their friends. Bally’s Innovation Lab is also working on a Facebook application for casinos. Patton explains, “The less you have to alter behavior to get them to play your games and then start marketing to them and sending the messages you want, we think, is key.”

Canton also discussed the need for casinos to embrace and lead the way with social media. “If you miss it, you’re at risk. If you don’t understand it and manage the influence and engineer the influence and manage the influencers, you’ll be hurt by it, potentially,” Canton says. “Increasingly, the consumers drive influence with other consumers. It’s not just what you do in your marketing spend that will influence the consumer.”

Patton says Bally brings data to the social currency equation. He explains: “On Twitter, for example, you describe what you’re looking for and the data somehow finds you, and that’s where Bally systems comes into the picture. Because you’ve got data in your systems and we want to be able to provide you an interface to get that data out, so that data can find your customers and the types of things that they’re interested in.”

A Winning Team
Canton’s challenge to casino operators is this: “Make sure that you are in a winning team by constantly innovating, challenging your inhibitions, challenging your culture, being out in front of the customer. You want to be enabling and guiding and navigating the customer into the future. And it’s all about radical innovation.”

Bally is working to meet Canton’s challenge. All of this work Bally is doing on its systems offering is part of a plan, mentioned by Kelly. “We’re going to architect for the big bang. That is: anytime, anywhere, anything—seamless media.” This will allow Bally customers to constantly communicate with players. Kelly says Bally is on its way, but it’s going to take years to complete the process. He adds, “The whole mission of this is to get your players to enjoy your casino portal app at home and drive them back to the location.”

Srinivasan says, “This truly is not your father’s Bally system anymore.” He told attendees upgrading systems with Bally is not risky, as it was believed to be years ago. He attributes this to increased resources in research and development and increasing resources that will go toward customer service in the field.

Frank says: “I heard a good quote the other day, and I’m going to steal it. ‘In this business it’s either feast or famine. Shame on you when you’re in one of those conditions and you’re not preparing for the other.’ A few years back, we had a famine condition, but I think investing in the tools to get you out of it—new products, new games, new technology—is the way to get back out of it. Better times are coming. Why not be prepared to maximize your return?”

Srinivasan made another interesting point as to why now is the time to invest in technology. He cited a study that found when the same rules apply (in baseball) for a long period of time, variation in performance decreases. When it comes to technology, the rules are changing. Technology, he says, is the weapon you can use to differentiate yourself. He adds, “We at Bally firmly believe that the time has come in gaming that technology is going to matter, and it’s going to make a big difference between winners and losers.”


Bally User Conference Highlights

UC8 Customers
 635 locations are currently Bally systems customers

UC8 Attendees
126 customers represented by 403 people
30% of attendees are IT professionals
13% slot operations
16% marketing
12% executives
5% casino operations
4% finance

What, in your opinion, was the highlight of the event?
“The highlight of the event for me was the demonstration of the power of the Elite Bonusing Suite on a ‘live’ casino floor. It provides casino operators with a platform for their creativity.” —David Kavaljian, IT Manager, Kiowa Casino

 

What products are now on your “wish list?”
“They’re talking about facial recognition and table games. It allows table games to get into the same arena that slots have been in for a while. They really analyze their data, market better to their customers, see what products are working better and not working better. So that one’s exciting. Some new forms of dispatching—we’ve got lots of data and now we can use it to figure out where the customers move throughout the floor and then deliver that message on little inexpensive handheld devices to my team members on the floor. They can use that information to make better guest services.” —Buddy Frank, VP of Slots, Pechanga Resort & Casino

 

Is there a story you have about something neat you saw happen on the casino floor with Bally products?
“The buzz and excitement around the promotions that were run on the floor were of value to the attendees, Bally and the casino patrons, too. If for no other reason, patrons made comments like ‘Hey what’s going on over there, can we get in on it?’ ” —Don Lindsey, Director of IT, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

 

What is the most important thing you learned about the Bally products you already have?
“That there are fixes to some of the issues we are experiencing with DM and EBS.” —Don Lindsey



Sarah Klaphake Cords is the New Media Editor for Casino Enterprise Management. She can be reached at editor3[at]aceme.org.