Aristocrat Technologies launched its first-ever Buffalo Bar in a Las Vegas casino to take advantage of its popular slot brand. The company is eyeing recreating the experience elsewhere in Nevada and across the country.
The former sportsbook area turned slot machine section at the Rampart Casino in Las Vegas’ Summerlin community, kicked off the new concept with a ceremony and public opening on Feb. 8. The casino and Aristocrat hosted a media availability Feb. 12 to show off the 1,095 square-foot room that has more than 60 Buffalo-branded games.
The space features the new Winner’s World Multi-Game bar top, featuring Buffalo slots and Buffalo Keno, as well as the original Buffalo, Buffalo Gold, Buffalo Gold Revolution, Buffalo Stampede, Buffalo Diamond, and Buffalo Grand.
Jon Hanlin, senior vice president of commercial strategy and data analytics for Aristocrat, said the Buffalo theme reached the point where the brand has a large and diverse offering and a loyal fan base. Centralizing the games to one area and letting players congregate and have fun together seemed like a great idea.
“We can highlight the power of the Buffalo brand and that unlimited free-game mechanic that has taken the video slot world by storm over the last 10 years,” Hanlin said.
From left to right, Dan Long, Vice President of Marketing, Lorie Foerschler, Vice President of Slots, Michelle Bacigalupi, Vice President & General Manager Hector Fernandez, Aristocrat Americas President
“Rampart is an amazing customer of ours and is a perfect partner who’s invested in Aristocrat,” Hanlin said. They were trying to activate that space, and we collaboratively came up with the Buffalo Bar concept that has taken off and gotten a lot of press and attention.”
Hanlin said Aristocrat has received requests since the concept has gone public, and the company is in active development on expanding the idea within Nevada and outside the state.
Lorie Foerschler, vice president of slot operations for the Rampart, said the Buffalo brand is one of the casino’s most popular games, which draws roughly 85% locals as its players. When Aristocrat came out with its first bar top, the casino saw an opportunity.
Many properties sprinkle games throughout their casino, but after talking with the property’s marketing team and Aristocrat, Foerschler said they decided to go all-in on the Buffalo brand and create a draw.
“We wanted to make a splash because we have a lot of confidence in their slots,” Foerschler said.
On opening night, Rampart saw more than 2,000 of its invited casino players passing through the new section and receiving champagne, T-shirts and other Buffalo promotional items.
“The Buffalo brand has such longevity,” Foerschler said. “You have legacy games and brand-new games. You got different experiences within the brand that makes it easier to pull off a section like that. There are participation games and wide-area progressive (jackpots) so it doesn’t look like the same product.”
Rampart has a section of Asian-themed slot games on the casino floor and is considering a new section by the end of the second quarter. Foerschler said the concept is under development and declined to give any details.
“There’s a lot to be said about branding slot sections and appealing to different demographics and giving yourself a new identity in the building,” Foerschler said.
#newsroom – Aristocrat launches its first ‘Buffalo Bar’ at the Rampart Casino in Las Vegas. –@BrianBuckWargo, CDC Gaming. https://t.co/LgLemdO3k2 #CDCgaming @aristocratslots @RampartCasino
— CDC Gaming Reports (@CDCNewswire) February 17, 2020
The Buffalo celebrated its 10-year anniversary in November and in honor of that mark, launched its Buffalo Diamond progressive game that had a $1.7 million payout last fall.
The original Buffalo game was invented by an Australian designer with simple free-game mechanics that had not been tried at the time, Hanlin said. Players are attracted to its volatility and because they know they can win big, he said.
“The Buffalo sound and visuals were so iconic and unique to the market that it developed a super-strong following because of its simplicity and trust players have that it will pay,” Hanlin said. “It’s our biggest brand and self-grown and evolved over time.”
