Casino management system technology has given rise to a new generation of player rewards, contests and tournaments
It wasn’t that long ago that casino marketing meant bounce-back coin coupons, direct-mail invites to sweepstakes drawings and promotional tournaments, and a host of other programs that invariably, at some point, involved customers standing in line.
These days, casino rewards don’t necessarily require leaving one’s slot machine. The days of regular players doing frequent coupon runs to cash in their coin vouchers have yielded to the new Holy Grail of casino rewards, free play. (Even the term “cash back” has all but disappeared.) Instead of drawings featuring emcees turning the crank on church-carnival-style ticket cages, entries earned through play are placed in a digital cage. And, while showbiz-style drawings may not have disappeared completely, players are just as likely to collect their sweepstakes prizes without ever getting up from their slot chairs.
IGT’s Carded Lucky Coin bonusing interface
The business of casino marketing has been transformed over the past decade into one of instant rewards, bonus games, tournaments and other promotional rewards that stream from any of the major casino management systems linking the games in a given casino. For the most part, all the player has to do in the process is play. (Card in, of course.)
Scientific Games Corporation was one of the pioneers in this evolution, the venerable systems division of its legacy company Bally Technologies having produced some of the first major floor-wide bonusing seen in the industry through the use of the Bally iVIEW Display Manager system. The floor-wide Virtual Races – both horse and NASCAR varieties – started what has grown into the Elite Bonusing Suite, a diverse, dynamic collection of customizable bonus tools for use as player loyalty awards.
Bally’s iVIEW system
“At first, bonusing options were drawing tickets and hot-seat promotions, which continue to be a staple within the casino marketer’s toolbox,” says Tony Alanis, a senior product manager for Scientific Games. “Focusing on the requests of casino marketers, we then introduced Virtual Racing events – and, later, tournaments – to capture the excitement of community gaming events.
“We’ve continued to focus on the requests of customers. The latest bonusing products are Rewards Quest, which leverages the appeal of quests to achieve badges, and Player Boutique, which automates and enhances common gifting promotions.”
These days, operators can tap into a smorgasbord of system-based bonuses. Flex Rewards allows casinos to customize player rewards according to pre-set formulas that integrate wagers, wins, and losses. U-Spin Bonusing allows players using the iVIEW interface to spin a wheel for a customized pay-table award. DM Tournaments enables system-based tournaments in any format, from individual on-demand to the classic roped-off tournament style.
Other major slot manufacturers have tailored their own system-based reward programs to simplify the reward and promotion process. International Game Technology moved into system-based rewards when one of its subsidiaries merged with Acres Gaming in 2003, in the process acquiring what was then called the Acres Advantage casino management system. The system was designed by John Acres, a pioneer in system-based bonusing and player rewards. Since then, IGT has poured R&D into new bonusing and reward technology for what is now the IGT Advantage system.
“IGT Advantage has been delivering innovative bonusing solutions to operators of all sizes since 2003, helping them drive their businesses forward and delivering exciting experiences to their players,” says Nick Khin, IGT’s chief commercial officer, gaming. “One of the first bonuses delivered through IGT Advantage is Free Play Time, which enables a casino operator to award a player with free game credits delivered directly to their slot machine. Free Play has been a stalwart of the casino marketer’s arsenal to reward and incentivize players.”
IGT has also developed programs, such as the Xtra Credit solution, based on the free-play incentive. “The Xtra Credit solution started as a match play option where a player would seed the machine with their own funds in order to use the awarded extra credit,” Khin says. “Upon concluding play, any remaining Xtra Credit rewards are stored in the player’s club account.
“Because Xtra Credit rewards integrate easily with other IGT applications, it’s a great way to pay out bonuses in non-cashable rewards. And it’s now evolved so that operators can offer the Xtra Credit bonusing without requiring players to deposit their own money.”
It’s all part of what IGT calls the On Demand Suite. “(The) On Demand Suite provides numerous bonusing features and services, which help players spend less time waiting and more time having fun,” Khin says.
IGT’s Weather On Demand feature
Beyond the Free Play Xtra Credit module, the On Demand Suite includes several other innovative reward methods. “IGT’s Point Play streamlines operations and increases play time by giving players the ability to convert points to either cashable game credits or non-cashable Xtra Credit rewards right at the game,” Khin says.
“Other popular on-demand features include a beverage application that integrates with an operator’s point-of-sale system to help fulfill drink and even food orders on demand; Valet On Demand, where players can summon their valet and car from the service window on the gaming machine to avoid waiting in a line or going to a kiosk; Weather On Demand, which displays weather conditions in real time; and Security, which enables a player to send an alert to the surveillance system from the service window.”
Konami Gaming is another company whose system-based bonusing has changed over time. The company debuted its first system-based bonusing solution in 2008, as part of its award-winning Synkros casino management system. Called LotABucks, the system module eventually evolved into what is now called SuperSeries.
“(LotABucks) was a first-of-its-kind innovation which allowed carded guests to be entered to win a mystery progressive jackpot at any equipped point-of-sale on the property, from slots to restaurants,” explains Jay Bertsch, vice president of global systems sales for Konami. “In 2012, Konami developed BonuStream, another type of system-delivered bonusing solution, which uses any equipped slot machine’s LCD display to deliver animated mini-games to carded players, with custom-targeted qualifying criteria and potential rewards.”
That same year, Konami debuted True-Time Tournaments, a system-delivered slot tournament solution that allows casino operators to schedule synchronized or on-demand tournament events that automatically qualify carded players for entry based on specific criteria and behavior.
“Today it is used across many different types of casino properties to bring the excitement of slot tournaments to any number of machines, by any manufacturer, with the tap of a button,” says Bertsch.
IGT’s XtraCredit feature
“Konami’s advanced marketing tool kit offers SuperSeries, BonuStream, and True-Time Tournaments, all of which are system-delivered bonusing solutions designed to give Synkros properties a competitive edge by driving unique player excitement and engagement. SuperSeries and True-Time Tournaments are highly recognized game events among players and operators.”
All of the suppliers offer operators the ability to customize their reward programs through the casino management system. “(The ability to easily customize) pay tables, tournament duration, race types, racer names, and other configurations has driven the success of Elite Bonusing Suite in the market,” says SG’s Alanis. “The newest promotional application, Rewards Quest, takes customization one step further, allowing operators to easily upload their own art and create their own layouts, in addition to the configurable settings. Rewards Quest is specifically designed so that a marketer can easily brand the game that’s presented to players.”
“IGT understands how much operators can benefit from extending their branding across the gaming floor,” says Khin, “which is why our bonusing portfolio is customizable. Operators with HTML resources can customize the system independently, and we also offer globally accessible internal technical services teams, as well as recommended third-party vendors, to assist with customization.”
IGT also customizes bonuses based on its own hit games. “Station Casinos has leveraged the technology to run enterprise-wide Wheel of Fortune-themed bonuses in the Service Window, which have proven to increase carded play,” Khin says.
Konami’s Bertsch says the Synkros system’s SuperSeries gives operators the ability to deploy progressive bonus events to specific zones, banks, and even individual machines.
“True-Time Tournaments offers the same customizability,” he says. “Konami has customers that leverage True-Time Tournaments across dedicated machines during select time periods in order to generate special attention around a given promotion. There are other Synkros customers that make tournaments available on-demand across the casino to give players more convenience and accessibility.”
Efficiency through Technology
Advances in CMS technology not only give operators the freedom to customize rewards to their players; developments in technology have saved operators a lot of money by revealing more efficient ways to use marketing dollars.
“The advantages are automation and seamless player experiences,” says SG’s Alanis. “The CMS can monitor behavior to automatically qualify players and present the bonus game or promotional event directly at the point of play. Older methods relied on database marketing, where play from prior visits was used to qualify players for a promotional event.
“It wasn’t always clear to players whether or not they met qualifications (in the older methods). Integration with the CMS enables players to view real-time progress toward qualification and also play the bonus game – all without leaving the game.”
Scientific Games’ 3D Wheel
Tournaments are one area that has been completely transformed, efficiency- and cost-wise, through system technology, says IGT’s Khin. “Our TournXtreme tournament product is fully integrated with IGT Advantage and leverages the power of the patron database,” he says. “This gives casino marketers instant data and analytics about their player base so they can offer tournaments to their best players, for example, or target any other type of incentive. Offering tournament entries is an effective way to reward and incentivize players.”
Konami’s Bertsch notes that costs of all manner of promotions have plunged thanks to system technology. “System-delivered bonus events don’t require dedicated machines,” he says. “They allow players to both earn and redeem entries from any equipped machine. Practically any touchscreen-enabled gaming device can be instantly transported into a bonusing event, and then returned back into revenue-generating game play.
“Everything is managed, controlled, and deployed through the Synkros casino management system so casino operators don’t have to reserve dedicated machines or purchase a large set of specialized game cabinets. In addition, bonusing events that are fully integrated into a property’s casino management system give operators the opportunity to build their marketing programs around real-time incentives. Casinos are able to define targeted actions, such as new loyal card sign-ups, particular wager amounts, or time on device, and automatically reward players through the casino management system based on whether carded players have completed qualification criteria.”
All the advances in CMS technology mean bonuses for casino players will become more customized, and more personalized, in the future.
“Bonusing driven by analytics will be the basis for personalized player experiences,” says SG’s Alanis. “Increasingly, players expect a gaming experience tailored to their liking. The CMS should know that a player prefers scratch games to wheel spins or prefers high-volatility games. Delivering the right game to the right player at the right time is becoming a marketing staple. The technology to enable these tailored player experiences will continue to evolve and improve.”
