If your casino still has separate apps for gaming, hotel bookings, loyalty, and dining, you’re already behind.
At the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego, Everi’s Hannah Finch and Vicki Griffin made the case for why casino operators must unify their digital guest experience. They also laid out how to avoid the biggest mistakes in app strategy.
“We often see these functionalities in separate apps,” said Finch, Group Product Manager for Mobile at Everi. “We want to talk about what it looks like to get on the path toward one app that actually matters to your guests.”
A live poll during the session confirmed what most marketers already know. Guests expect loyalty first, followed by booking, mobile check-in, and messaging with hosts. But Griffin, VP of Program Strategy, said that focusing on features alone misses the larger opportunity.
“Your app shouldn’t just be a box of features. It should be your most powerful marketing channel,” she said. “Push notifications, SMS, inbox messages. This is where you meet your guest digitally. Every department needs to be involved.”
The most common mistake? Building in a vacuum.
“Traditionally, marketing and IT ‘own’ the app,” Griffin said. “But if hotel, gaming, and F&B aren’t involved from the start, your app becomes irrelevant fast.”
Finch advised operators to approach app development with clear goals and a phased plan.
“What’s your North Star? Are you trying to reduce front-desk wait times? Push offers based on real play? Increased loyalty opt-ins? Start there. Build your strategy in crawl, walk, run phases.”
Griffin reminded attendees that personalization should go far beyond first names in emails.
“There was a time when putting someone’s name on a postcard was revolutionary,” she said. “Now, it’s about context. You know Joe heads to the high-limit room when he visits. The app should, too.”
Finch noted that consumers are more open than expected when it comes to data sharing. She cited Salesforce data showing that 56 percent of users will share personal data if it leads to a better experience.
The speakers also urged operators to soft launch apps with staff and VIP guests before going public.
“Test with your employees first,” said Finch. “If they don’t know how the app works, they won’t recommend it. They’ll tell guests to skip it.”
“Gamify your rollout,” added Griffin. “Track which team members drive the most downloads. Create energy. If your frontline doesn’t care, your guests won’t either.”
Griffin closed with a warning for operators not thinking long term. “Too often, the person who launched the app leaves. There’s no roadmap and the app goes stale. You need infrastructure that’s built to scale.”
