John Acres created the gaming trade’s first player monitoring system within the Nineteen Eighties, giving casinos the flexibility to comply with a buyer’s slot machine wagering exercise and reward the gambler with varied incentives.
The downside, he mentioned, is casinos are nonetheless utilizing the identical know-how many years later.
“It was good within the Nineteen Nineties, however someplace round 2000, shopper expectations modified,” Acres mentioned. “The youthful generations would reasonably watch paint dry than play a slot machine.”
That assertion may appear contradictory, provided that on line casino revenues nationwide – business and tribal mixed – grew almost 125 p.c between 1999 and 2019. However, Acres famous that solely 16 p.c of the expansion got here within the final 5 years.
He believes a failure to alter with the instances means cash is being left on the desk by the on line casino trade, particularly as the usage of cashless gaming and digital funds will increase all through casinos nationwide.
“We focus an excessive amount of on the gamers we’ve, as a substitute of attracting the gamers that we do not have,” mentioned Acres, 68, who additionally developed one of many authentic progressive slot machine jackpot systems and the primary bonus system that awarded clients primarily based on play. His improvements earned him induction into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame in 2016.
He has now developed Foundation, a know-how product being constructed at Las Vegas-based Acres Manufacturing’s small workplace and manufacturing facility off Tenaya Way and Sunset Road.
The know-how is packaged in a pink field that resembles a wi-fi router used for a house wi-fi set-up. It acts as a server amassing info from the video games, monitoring real-time player habits and knowledge that permits casinos to ship customized bonuses to gamers on their cellular units.
The system stories knowledge from each slot machine in a on line casino in real-time, utilizing a smaller pink field embedded inside the sport that feeds the data again to the first server. The property’s operator can change any slot machine’s credit score meter on command, which might spool a reward to a player instantly.
Acres jokingly known as his newest product “a pleasant computer virus,” versus the detrimental connotation of that time period referring to malware that may infect a pc system. His system permits casinos to tie into the rising use of cashless gaming, enabling a property to put rewards, bonuses and different incentives immediately right into a buyer’s digital wagering account.
“The knowledge we accumulate and the profiles that we accumulate enable us to know the gamers’ character and that can be utilized wherever within the property,” Acres mentioned. “It’s as much as the casinos to resolve how they wish to make the most of that knowledge.”
Last month, Acres launched Foundation with regional on line casino large Penn National Gaming, which operates 43 casinos in 20 states, together with M Resort in Henderson. Acres is working in partnership with Las Vegas-based Everi Holdings, which offers Penn with cashless gaming and digital cost know-how.
In November, the businesses took the system to Penn’s casinos in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The system will subsequent go dwell at Penn’s Indiana casinos. Noah Acres, chief working officer of his father’s firm, mentioned Penn plans to convey the product to the entire firm’s casinos by subsequent 12 months, together with M Resort.
“By the top of this month, we could have shipped 26,000 (of the Foundation units) to them,” Noah Acres mentioned. “Not all are in casinos but. We’re simply ready for regulatory approvals in sure states. We’re able to go dwell as soon as they get the inexperienced gentle.”
A row of gaming elements throughout a testing part at Acres Manufacturing on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent)
An analog mobile phone stands beside Foundation gaming elements at Acres Manufacturing on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent)
Evolving player loyalty know-how
John Acres mentioned buyer loyalty packages have been utilized and expanded up to now all through U.S. shopper markets, equivalent to within the resort and lodging trade and airways.
UNLV gaming historian David Schwartz mentioned on line casino player loyalty packages have wanted to evolve past merely monitoring play. At the outset, the “comparatively novel systems” helped differentiate one on line casino from one other.
“Now, with extra competitors for disposable revenue from a wide range of sources, it is smart {that a} program that would present larger personalization can be precious,” Schwartz mentioned.
He famous that content material suppliers have extra details about their clients and that clients are used to personalization, equivalent to recommended merchandise for buy or what exhibits to observe on streaming channels.
“Their expectations {that a} on line casino does the identical are, from this angle, comprehensible,” Schwartz mentioned.
An absence of cooperation by know-how suppliers has slowed on line casino operators from increasing their loyalty packages, John Acres mentioned. Traditional on line casino know-how suppliers “attempt to increase their proprietary product life cycles and achieve a bigger share of the on line casino pie.”
He added that any third-party builders providing enhancements are discouraged or prohibited by gaming tools corporations.
“Creativity and innovation are stifled,” John Acres mentioned.
To show his level, John Acres famous that conventional non-gaming know-how corporations noticed revenues develop from $5 million in 1999 to $252 billion in 2019, an astronomical achieve of fifty,509 p.c.
He mentioned the Foundation platform is open to all third-party gaming know-how corporations. The introduction of cashless gaming has seen cooperation amongst a number of operators. For instance, 5 corporations are concerned in cashless gaming at Resorts World Las Vegas, and Boyd Gaming’s cashless launch is dealt with by Aristocrat Technologies and Sightline Payments.
“While cashless simplifies the player expertise, the supply of customized bonuses and experiences will drive revenues upward and assist casinos appeal to new gamers, even whereas higher serving present gamers,” John Acres mentioned.
Everi Holdings Executive Vice President Darren Simmons mentioned Penn National put the 2 corporations collectively to launch its cashless gaming effort. He mentioned the on line casino operator had particular targets, together with rising its buyer base by attracting a shopper that favors cashless and digital.
“Penn checked out what know-how suits their wants, by way of delivering to their gamers,” Simmons mentioned. “Obviously, there may be loads of items to the puzzle that come collectively to form of full the image between ourselves, Acres and Penn.”
Simmons mentioned he’s loved working with Acres.
“John is a visionary, and he has loads of concepts in regards to the player expertise and bringing worth to what an operator desires to ship,” Simmons mentioned.
An indication promotes gaming elements at Acres Manufacturing on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent)
‘A velocity of latest concepts’
John Acres makes use of a prop to show his level about advancing know-how when he visits on line casino operators to debate Foundation. He brings alongside his Nineteen Nineties-era Motorola DynaTAC brick-style analog cell phone. He locations it on a desk and tells potential purchasers the know-how contained in the now out of date cellphone is what they’re utilizing to function buyer loyalty packages of their casinos.
He mentioned one CEO of a serious on line casino operator introduced in his chief know-how officer to hearken to the presentation, and that he agreed with Acres’ evaluation.
Noah Acres mentioned Foundation permits casinos to reveal the info it collected to app builders, who can design totally different bonuses and rewards distinctive to that property.
“We’re saying it is all of your knowledge and you’ve got this channel and it’s proprietary to you,” Noah Acres mentioned. “Nobody can ever take that away from you. In my opinion, that’s going to gasoline the rate of latest concepts.”
As cashless gaming and digital funds develop into extra prevalent in casinos, Noah Acres believes a tighter integration between conventional casinos, on-line casinos and sports activities betting will likely be most well-liked by clients.
Because Foundation delivers rewards on to a buyer’s cellular system, he mentioned the know-how might enable on line casino operators to faucet into further knowledge sources exterior of the on line casino.
“We might match up your sports activities bets or your play historical past from different casinos,” he mentioned. “What the casinos need, particularly the bigger operators, wish to have one app that’s the whole consumer interface to their omnichannel presence.”
