Tomorrowland might be clearly delineated at Disney parks, and such features as a people mover have become reality. When it comes to casinos, though, there’s a clear concern that they eventually could decline into just some Mickey Mouse operation.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some ideas out there for the casino of the future, and many were shared at Tuesday afternoon’s G2E session “Casino Tomorrowland: New Products and Environments for Today’s Player.”
Panelists were John Hemberger, AGS senior vice president of table products; Keith Riggs, Everi senior vice president of engineering; and Sam McMullen, CEO of FiveGen, a company that works with Las Vegas Strip-based operators and others with eSports, skill-based games and other endeavors.
Many of the ideas have been discussed before, but they gave greater details or a deeper analysis during the session.
Moderator Brenda Boudreaux, regional head for SAP North America, set the table by listing four general areas that will affect the future:
Product offerings, such as mobile games, virtual reality and skill-based gaming;
Beyond the floor and property, such as eSports lounges, integrated resorts, varied pricing for rooms and the social experience of customers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram;
Revenue driving, which includes interactive choices for players, personalization, competitiveness and the overall customer experience; and
Digital transformation, such as artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, blockchain and big data.
Hemberger said technology will be vital.
“We have nine tables on the G2E floor and we have technology tied to all of them,” he said. “It’s all intended to extend the gaming experience and enhance it while not taking away what’s been there for so long. We want to make it an overall better experience.”
He said another way to attract customers is through offering prizes other than cash.
“We are focused on other, more personalized, experiences,” he said. “A wheel product could also include experiences specific to a property such as restaurant credit, suite stays or fight tickets.
“These are experiences to be shared with friends, family, maybe even people who aren’t gamblers.”
Riggs noted that by just looking around at the G2E exhibit floor, a person could easily see that bigger is better.
“It’s an arms race on the slot side of the business. We’re continually trying to come up with new products that immerse the player,” he said. He noted that Everi has concluded that slot floors have been shrinking, so the company came up with a solution that can bank machines in a carousel, with a 20 percent smaller footprint.
McMullen said security is going to be important as well as methods to entice the younger generation to get away from their phones.
Hemberger shared about the time he was playing blackjack at a Vegas casino and “during the course I have four things a dealer told me I could not do.”
“I felt like at some point they could put on a mask, punch me in the face and take my money and we could all call it a day,” he said. “There’s a certain among of value people want. We are competing against folks going to the movies or going out to dinner. I’m a believer in a low house advantage and players reward you with a bigger bet.”
McMullen said at eSports events, competitors cared about prizes more than they cared about the check.
“They like to show off the prize and have bragging rights,” and are also are more likely to share on social media,” he said. “Then the player will go back out to their friends and engage them and bring them in.
“We want to build something that creates a viral experience and that, in turn, turns into a community.”
McMullen also encouraged conference attendees to check out eSports in person, to gain a better understanding of the people and the dynamic.
Hemberger said data collection is the biggest weakness in table games.
“It’s amazing to think that, out of all that’s available, there’s nothing to link it all together,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but there’s something about the experience from a player standpoint of having those chips in your hand and taking them with you which throws off the data.”
“I was standing at the airport waiting for my luggage and I said, ‘I don’t think this process has changed in 30 years.’ It’s the same type of thing, unfortunately. Nobody’s kind of cracked the code to please all sides.”
Riggs said operators are more interested in change than you might think.
“There are challenges in crossing those industry streams, but everyone is open to the idea,” he said.
But Hemberger noted that the revenues are different.
“ETGs faced this years ago,” he said. “You’re being compared to a part of the casino that exists today. You can’t rate a skill-based game at the rate of an hourly blackjack table.
“Instead, what we need to do as an industry – and this has happened with e-tables – is establish that maybe for the greater good there will be new patrons on the casino floor. “
Added Riggs: “I think no one’s quite found the secret sauce yet. From a skill-based game standpoint we’re still trying to get there.”
McMullen said he could see a day when holograms welcome guests to their hotel.
“I would love to see, for example, if you like Star Wars, Yoda welcoming you into your room,” he said. “It’s not really demographics, it’s not really psychographics. It’s individual, with each person an island unto themselves.”
Hemberger agreed about the individual approach being necessary.
“I can’t tell you how many mailers I tear up because they’re just not for me,” he said. “When you start thinking of things in real time… if, for instance I’m being tracked, if there’s a way I’m being tracked on the phone and I had a bad experience and there’s a way to get me back in… ”
