Securing the components of high-tech slot machines with low-tech locks that are costly and labor-intensive did not make sense to casino industry veteran Jeff Connor. When the opportunity presented itself to introduce high-security, key-changeable locks to the gaming industry, Connor founded Lockdogs. The rest is history.
“We have a lock that is engineered differently than its predecessors,” Connor explained. “This engineering brings about efficiencies that really play into the needs of casinos.”
The fact of the matter is every slot has locks for the main door, central computing system, top drawers, bill validators, and cash boxes. Multiply that by an inventory of 1,000 machines, for example, and you are looking at 5,000 locks.
“Let us say the lock on the central computing system is compromised in some manner,” Connor speculated. “This will require the entire floor to be re-keyed. In the past, locks had to be drilled out, requiring significant manpower and man-hours. This translates into money, and we know the single largest expense in any business is payroll.
“Our lock does not have pins, is key-changeable 13,650 times, and can be changed mechanically with special keys. The entire floor can be re-keyed in a matter of hours instead of days.”
When Connor learned about the lock and began speaking to operators about it, the enthusiastic response was immediate.
“They told me, ‘Boy, do we ever need this! Our biggest pain in the neck is switching out locks and having to store locks for each application in separate containers’. With our locks, there is no storing by application. One container for shorts locks, one for long locks, all coded into neutral.”
Connor and Lockdogs’ CFO and chief compliance officer, Rachel Loudon, pride their company on customer service unsurpassed in their business component.
“Rachel’s commitment to the customer is paramount,” Connor said. “We are like-minded about our relationship with customers because we both have been on the operations side and are aware of the frustrations they encounter. We make certain no call goes unanswered. We service what we sell and we can be reached twenty-four seven, 365 days a year.”
The business model at Lockdogs, Connor explained, in no way resembles that of the typical lock business where they sell you a lock and then sell you the keys in perpetuity, knowing everybody bends or breaks keys at some point in time.
“I thought to myself, ‘How can we eliminate this nightmare for operators?’” he continued. “So, what we do is offer a two-year warranty on the lock and a lifetime warranty on the keys. If any of our operators bend or break a key, all they have to do is snap a photo of the serial number, send it to us, and we send them new keys.”
Connor is confident that the lock he sells will stand the test of time, insisting from the start that there would be no planned obsolescence.
“We didn’t want to sell something to the casino operators that we knew would become outdated, or have to be replaced, or come with a ‘hook’ that would be a constant revenue stream for us. Nobody likes that. Nobody wants to buy the new, ‘sexy’ printer and find out that the toner and ink is going to bankrupt you.”
Operational efficiencies abound with Lockdogs locks, including the fact they are made out of stainless steel which requires no routine maintenance with lube or graphite.
“If an operator has the old pin-style locks, they require attention,” Connor reminded. “Someone must be paid to take care of the locks. My lock is maintenance-free, giving the property greater profitability and better control of payroll expense. It can open opportunities for employees to invest more time in customer service.”
Another quality it possesses gives power to the slot machine manufacturers, Connor revealed. He explained that when machines come off the assembly line and are purchased, they are usually sold with what is called a shipping core. The shipping lock is installed and then they load it up for delivery. Upon delivery, the casino removes the shipping lock and installs a new lock.
“We went to the manufacturers and told them that they would be doing a really great thing for their customers if they would install our locks on their assembly lines,” Connor said. “If your customers are also Lockdogs customers and you install our locks secured with the manufacturer code, once delivered the operator can simply re-code it.
“What this accomplishes saves a lot of money because they are not having to pay employees to install new locks. Working with the manufacturers to install our lock on the assembly line so that they come pre-installed for the customer paves the way for the machine to be on the floor and making money for the casino much faster.”
Connor revealed that the competition sells high, medium, and low security locks while Lockdogs only sells one level…high security, which can be keyed 13,650 times.
“The permutations for our locks are infinitely higher and are omnidirectional, which means we can change the code 13,650 times and can even go back to number one if we have to,” he noted. “With a traditional pinned lock, you can change it once, twice, maybe three times, but you cannot go back to the first or second. Once you have changed it, you are done.”
Lockdogs locks are engineered for the addition of special features, including something called “Stop Can”, which identifies whether the user turns the key left or turns it right.
“I was one year into owning the company when I showed this feature to a group of slot directors,” Connor recalled. “They all got very excited and went to their vice-presidents of operations to report that they really needed our locks. The “L” and “R” feature astounded them; little things that make the lives of slot directors and slot techs much easier.”
Connor is grateful that Lockdogs customers are his greatest advocates, recalling that “we literally grew the business at what many would consider a ‘glacial pace’, but we wanted to be sure that we had great customer service, that we would have no supply chain issues, and that we would be able to get the locks and keys to our customers”.
“Also, we needed to be certain that if our customers needed extra help, we would have a team available that could be dispatched to assist with the installations,” he said. “Equally important as having a great product is the ability to have the product available and to service it.”
Lastly, if you are wondering how Connor came up with the name for his company, he was watching the movie “War Dogs” on TV and happened to look down at his own beloved, bull dog, Neville.
“That was it,” Connor recalled, “Lockdogs it is!”.
Neville, the “founding spokesdog” and inspiration for Lockdogs’ captivating bull dog logo, died at the age of 12 in 2018. Right at Connor’s side today are Nigel, the current “spokesdog”, and Sugar, Nigel’s mother.
“Excuse me if you heard snoring during our conversation,” Connor concluded. “Both Nigel and Sugar are sleeping on the floor by my feet.”
That is what you call high security.
