Summary

In this first episode of Season 3, Nick and Don discuss the slot influencer phenomenon with domain pioneers and undisputed leaders, Brian Christopher & Josh O'Connell of BC Slots. Brian and Josh cover the company's full timeline, from Brian's first impromptu clip to becoming the industry's most powerful influencer brand. Learn about the logistics of BC Slots engagements, their benefits to operators and suppliers, and the company's newest products, FlipTheSwitch.com and Brian Christopher Slots 2. Also in this episode, Dragon Link expansion.

Transcript

Nick Hogan:

Good morning, Don. Here we are. First episode of our third season. Can you believe that?

Don Retzlaff:

That’s crazy. I can’t believe it’s 2024. Wasn’t it just 1999 like three years ago?

Nick Hogan:

It was indeed. So are you buried in snow there today in Illinois?

Don Retzlaff:

No, actually all the snow we had was melted, but we’re supposed to get a storm tomorrow. Since we got that negative five, negative six over the weekend, it never gets that cold in St. Louis.

Nick Hogan:

Okay. Whoa. Alrighty. So we have two guests today for whom we have a lot of questions, so we’re going to keep the pre-interview banner to a minimum today. So if it’s okay with you, Don, I’m going to bust straight into the listener questions.

Don Retzlaff:

Awesome.

Nick Hogan:

Before I do, let me say that we love to tackle any questions that anybody listening may have. If you have a question about what we’re presenting or something you’d like us to present, please drop us an email at reelcast@reelmetrics.com. Again, that’s R-E-E-L-C-A-S T@reelmetrics.com. Our policy is to keep all questions anonymous, so please speak directly and don’t worry about us revealing your identity. That’s not something we do. So Don, first question comes from an operator in the American Midwest who writes. “Good Morning, ReelCast, I have a Dragon Link four pack that we expanded by two units and they’re still doing nearly five times four. Would you, A, add some of the higher liability Dragon Cash units? B, add more Dragon Link units at the same jackpot liability? Or C, keep everything as is? All input is appreciated, fellas, thanks in advance.” So Don, smack dab in the middle of your wheelhouse. You want to take that one?

Don Retzlaff:

Yeah, five times house I would really consider expanding still. Depends on your density levels, but if your density levels, your occupancy levels are over 80, 85%, I would consider expanding before you get into Dragon Cash as your players can play up on the Dragon Link machines. Normally anything above four, four and a half times house average, you can probably still add more units, especially if you added units and the play didn’t go down, that means you have access demand for it. So we found a lot of our host-level customers really like Dragon Link and they will play up. You’ll probably generate $50 more per player per theoretical in each hour. So add more Dragon Link first.

Nick Hogan:

Okay, very good.

Don Retzlaff:

There’s just been a couple of cases where I’ve seen really high multiples and it didn’t warrant expansion and that’s usually because the oxygen, oxygen levels are really low, like 40, 50%. But at five times house, you’re probably pretty safe.

Nick Hogan:

Okay, fair enough. Okay, so we have a second question that actually came in a couple months ago, and this one comes from an operator in Australia who asked, “Hi Nick and Don, would you be willing to do an episode on slot influencers? I think many operators are interested in working with them, but we don’t understand much about business models and the other details. Thanks. PS, we love the podcast.”

So why we haven’t done this yet is a bit beyond me, but in short, yes, we’d happy to do this. And it’s perfect segue to introduce today’s guests. These gentlemen run what has become, without question, the biggest name in slot influencing and one of the most fascinating businesses to emerge in the gaming industry over the past decade. They have roughly 650,000 YouTube subscribers, 4,400 videos up, incremented daily, a branded gaming area at the Plaza in Las Vegas, a branded slot machine produced and marketed by Gaming Arts, and branded cruises with Carnival Cruise Lines. Basically when slot influencing is mentioned, it’s the first name that comes to mind. I’m referring of course to BC Slots and we’re delighted to have with us today the founder and CEO, Mr. Brian Christopher and VP of Product Development, Mr. Josh O’Connell. Howdy boys. How are things in Palm Springs today?

Brian Christopher:

Very good. Thank you so much for having us.

Nick Hogan:

You bet. Now, like many in the gaming industry, when I first heard of Slot influencing, and I think this goes back to let’s say 2018, 2019, I, not unlike essentially every industry person I know, just dismissed it. I just couldn’t imagine anything more inane than watching YouTube videos of some dude playing slots. I just felt it would be a flash in the pan, placed it in ignore mode, and went on with life. And then fast-forward to 2022, Brian and I met at an AGS conference in Florida, and on one of the nights I bumped into him on the slot floor streaming a session at Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe. And when I asked him how many people were watching him, he delivered a digit. I simply could not believe it was 18,000 people. Now my memory is a little bit fuzzy, but upon hearing that metric, I seem to recall my head spinning all the way around on its axis, like a radar dish, just ignore mode officially deactivated at that point.

Brian, let’s start from the top here. What on earth compelled you initially to bust out your phone and start streaming your slot play?

Brian Christopher:

Yeah, actually it started in 2016. That’s when we first started doing this. I had no plan to do this for a living, let’s be frank. I had set my whole life as an actor in Canada and my lifetime goal was to move to LA to further my career. And so after 20 years of it in Canada, I packed up and moved with my husband down to LA. When we first got here, it was right before Christmas, and so we didn’t think about traveling back home for