Native American casinos are turning to digital signage in a way that goes beyond traditional messaging and is now about creating an experience, according to Dave Kubajak, vice president of sales and marketing for JCM.
JCM’s latest technology, which reflects an expanded focus by the company in that business segment, will be displayed during this week’s National Indian Gaming Association tradeshow in San Diego.
“The traditional video wall, in most places, is just a 16-by-9 rectangle on a wall,” Kubajak said. “The content on it can be very impressive, but it’s (basically) just a big picture. We’re developing a more architectural type of signage.”
One of JCM’s new offerings is a curved wrap of columns and pillars.
There is also a cube concept, which offers more content than a flat picture. It allows casinos to build a three-dimensional object, much like using Lego blocks.
The company will also demonstrate a floor application that can be walked on that interacts with a patron’s presence and weight on the surface.
All three are capable of having any video or content put on them, Kubajak said.
“We’ve increased our focus on this the last two years because we have seen it become fairly common in everyday life,” Kubajak said. “Anywhere you go – a casino or retail location, a bank, a grocery store – you will see different types of digital signage. We realized that needed to be brought into the gaming industry.”
Native American and First Nation casinos are investing in digital signage to effectively communicate with their customers and create a unique experience to bring new customers in, he said.
“The Native American and First Nation are making a considerable investment in the technology, more than your traditional commercial casinos, because they want to create a unique experience,” Kubajak said.
He described one yet-to-be-completed project that JCM has been developing for a tribe. In it, people walk through a tunnel of light, which has images of the changing seasons projected onto it, into a VIP gaming area.
An Osage Casino in Oklahoma has an entrance to a VIP slot area with arches and three-dimensional coins falling from the sky.
“The tribes that want to do something unique are doing a whole architectural concept,” Kubajak said.
Some are using higher-end direct view LED technology with seamless screens with no lines or framing. An architectural feature can be wrapped in LED technology, and simple direct marketing has been taken over by creating environments like nature scenes, he said.
“They are using tribal and First Nation artifacts and tribal symbols to advertise the culture of the tribe and its history, rather than just the $9.99 buffet. It’s more of a recognition of the tribe itself – what it does, its beliefs, its heritage. A big part of any tribal group is education and this gives them a platform for that.”
By putting signage in public gathering areas or in a bar or restaurant, Kubajak said, the technology gets people in the door and gives them a reason to want to come back, Kubajak said.
“The biggest thing digital signage will get you is attention… you (can) create an experience.”
“It’s used for communication, but also to create a social environment. It can be a unique feature for the property that is a draw to get more people in the door, stay in the door longer and make a connection or attachment to that property.”
At NIGA, JCM’s booth will be showing live sporting events, complete with betting ticker, in addition to the architectural technology.
“We will give them something to think about,” Kubajak said, “a… way to create something unique for their property that nobody else has.”
