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Coming off a second consecutive record year, Engaged Nation will launch new offerings at NIGA

Posted on April 20, 2022 by - From the Floor, Suppliers

Digital marketing pioneer Engaged Nation, coming off a second consecutive record-breaking year, plans to launch a variety of new offerings at introductory rates at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention.

In the past two years, interactive digital engagement has grown exponentially and firmly established itself as a critical marketing component for the casino industry and beyond, according to Jerry Epstein, CEO of the Las Vegas-based company that posted its second consecutive year of record earnings in 2021.

“Since COVID, the world has really changed regarding digital engagement,” Epstein said. “In the last two years and now as we head into the National Indian Gaming Association conference, things have never been so exciting. We’re now the leader in the casino industry when it comes to digital engagement.”

With growth driven by the digital boom during the pandemic, Epstein cited a study by Forbes verifying that U.S. adults consume seven hours of digital media per day – more time than they spend sleeping.

Epstein said companies are eager to embark on a digital journey, but they don’t know what to do and how to do it. Engaged Nation is showing them the way.

“Digital engagement is now clearly a marketing requirement and our proprietary REACH system has set the standard in results-driven digital nurturing,” Epstein said. “Our ongoing continuous program methodology has proven itself to help make digital marketing and engagement meaningful to players and financially beneficial to our online and land-based casino clients.”

Transitioning the average player from more traditional forms of promotional outreach to digital requires a thoughtful strategy for both short and long-term goals, Epstein said.

“The key in large part – just like with traditional media buys, direct mail, and most marketing initiatives – is consistency, reach, and frequency,” Epstein said. “It’s virtually impossible to make an impact and change player behavior with one-off campaigns. Effective and results-driven digital engagement now needs to be an ongoing part of the marketing mix. That’s why we offer the complete package, from email to branded interactive engagement portals.”

Engaged Nation offers a seasoned team of casino, technology, and digital marketing experts to help develop and guide properties on a successful digital path, Epstein said. The campaigns EN designs are proven to deliver positive results by effectively driving a call to action with any target audience. Program designs include driving incremental revenue from an active database, halting and reversing trends of a declining player, and reactivating lapsed players.

“We try to bring the brand to life in a fun and engaging way,” Epstein said. “We create an emotional experience and emotions drive our decisions by more than 300% over information context and product attributes. People get jazzed by going to a property and playing our games. We can drive additional trips, greater engagement, and a greater bond between the player and the property. It’s absolutely turning out to be a competitive advantage.”

Once the audience is determined, the EN process then builds a custom-designed interactive program that aligns with a casino’s priorities, such as increasing hotel bookings while eliminating online travel agency fees, boosting the download and adoption of casino apps, driving concert sales, increasing the results of on-floor promotions, and generating sports book wagering. In all cases, EN works with each client to determine the most effective strategy and program implementation.

“We look to the properties to tell us what their pain point is and in so many cases, it’s the reactivation of inactive players,” Epstein said. “We just have a great way of converting people. Ten years ago, properties said, ‘I don’t want them online. I want them playing at our property.’ Right now, you’re vying for their digital time and if you can break through and connect with them, that means not only are they having fun at your property, but they’re also enjoying your brand experience at home.”

One of those options is what they call “edutainment.” People are educated in an entertaining way about a product or service, Epstein said. With an uptick in digital engagement, people are seeking out fun and entertainment, not only at the property but at home.

“We provide what properties do on the floor and bring that to life online. This keeps players connected with a properties’ brand in a fun and rewarding way. We take a look at recruiting them with our games, rewarding them, and the key here is retaining them,” Epstein said. “We’ve learned this over time and one of our big messages at NIGA is that we will highlight continuous ongoing engagement, because it’s so much more effective than a one-off. You want to maintain your connection with a player year-round. Would a property do only one direct mail, billboard, or radio spot? Of course not. It’s reach and frequency.”

The foundational outreach for Engaged Nation begins with email. The company has established itself as the premier email provider in the casino industry with more than 80 clients and 60 million annual sends through its exclusive use of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Epstein said. Offering three different levels of service plans and a close working relationship with Salesforce, land-based casinos and online sportsbooks can take advantage of the email platform that boasts the expertise of the Engaged Nation email specialist team, Epstein said.

In addition, Engaged Nation is expanding its gamified mechanics offerings to its email-only clients and is in the process of becoming an Official Partner of Salesforce. One of the email specials on offer at NIGA is $500 introductory pricing on an interactive rewards campaign.

Epstein said the current digital marketplace is referred to as the “Age of Digital Clutter.” People are more overwhelmed today than they were before the pandemic started.

“As we go into NIGA, we’re asking properties if they’re digitally relevant and effectively breaking through to engage and create a stronger relationship with their players for their brand, property, and their promotions,” Epstein said. “We’re about to finish an incentive rewards program, to be released later this year, which I think is going to be a gamechanger for email distribution. People will be incentivized to open and read email and rewarded for doing that.”

Engaged Nation’s client roster is realizing that a 24/7/365 digital nurturing of their player database produces greater results – more player loyalty and spend – than a one-time or intermittent approach, Epstein said. To accommodate this increasing demand, Engaged Nation will introduce a managed Digital Engagement subscription service at NIGA.

Rather than paying larger fees for an individual campaign, casinos can realize the full power of digital nurturing and amortize their costs over six to 24 months of player engagement, Epstein said. The NIGA subscription-service special starts at a monthly fee of $3,500 based on the length of the subscription after the initial site build.

Engaged Nation’s sports-themed programming has consistently delivered significant results for casinos, from helping to build a qualified database to driving more wagering, especially as more and more states legalize sports betting, Epstein said. To best serve this fast-growing segment, Engaged Nation has added additional sports-specific features to their programs, including game- day pick ’em challenges and upgrading their bracket and statistical-predictions functionality. The “NIGA sports-betting promotion special” features a $100,000 insured prop card that starts at $5,975.

“The year 2021 inspired us to achieve a three-peat in growth for 2022,” Epstein said. “To do this, we’re offering a variety of new cost-effective programs and are finalizing agreements with some of the industry’s biggest, most respected, and innovative companies. We’ve already completed successful campaigns and are developing new business-to-business-to-consumer programs for Light & Wonder, Konami, Everi, TPI, Global Payments, IGT, Salesforce, and Inspire Hub.”

Engaged Nation’s roster features the iconic brands of Anheuser-Busch, including Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, and their emerging Hard Seltzers and sodas, the NFL, Jack Link’s, and some of the largest chains in the nation, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, and 7-Eleven.

“We are now the go-to firm for proven strategic digital-engagement and nurturing programs, ” Epstein said. “We take great pride in the innovative national programs we’ve designed and implemented beyond the casino industry. Coming off one of the most successful Bud Light digital campaigns ever with our insured March Mania promotion, we’ve now completed nearly twenty regional and national campaigns for major national and global companies.”

Engaged Nation was hired by Anheuser Busch with all their brands when, during COVID, they saw their sales dropping, especially at convenience stores, Epstein said.

“Nobody was driving and getting gas,” Epstein said. “They asked us to design a campaign that would connect with people, help build a new customer database, and drive people to make purchases. The variety of campaigns we produced and managed produced a customer database of more than 150,000 and an increase in Michelob Ultra sales of 64% when the other convenience store sales were down.”

“Quantifiable results continue to fuel our growth. We look forward to developing branded digital-engagement programs that are a win-win “” fun for players and profitable for our clients.”

Engaged Nation will be in booth No. 562.

NIGA Tradeshow: Operators can leverage free-to-play promotions to increase customer bases

Posted on April 20, 2022 by - Other

Can free-to-play verticals be leveraged to make money for gaming operators? Is it possible to seamlessly integrate these verticals with casino operations for profit?

During Wednesday’s discussion “Free To Play: Engaging Fans With or Without Gambling” at the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow and Convention, hosted by Victor Strategies Vice President Gene Johnson, panelists agreed it’s possible – if gaming operators fine tune their expectations.

“I think what you have to understand about free-to-play is how it fits into the wider puzzle of all these different things,” said Genius Sports Account Manager – Media & Engagement Christian Abbonizio. “The way we like to look at it is as a funnel. Free-to-play is at the top of the funnel, and then you can move down the funnel into DFS (daily fantasy sports). All the way to the bottom is your real-money gaming and your conversions to sportsbooks. You have to understand where free-to-play fits in, why it’s valuable in that context, and how it plays along with those other pieces of the funnel.”

Joann Pierce, GAN Vice President of Sales, says the use of free-to-play should mesh with an operator’s goals. Whether it’s increasing the number of new users or growing a database, collecting emails or as a pure marketing tool, it’s important to focus on an end result.

“You as the operator will decide what the player journey will look like,” Pierce said, “and how you’re going to market to a certain cohort of players.”

CEO and Co-founder Dan Kustelski of Chalkine, a customer-acquisition-and-retention engine for the sports betting industry, says one of the ways to leverage free-to-play is to allow customers to bet an NBA game using money lines or pointspreads, without having to wager real money.

“You let (customers) engage with that and start them with this process, because a lot of people just don’t know whether sports betting is legal or not,” Kustelski said. “And then, second of all, they don’t know some of the terms I just rattled off. So it’s really about educating your patrons. Your patrons are sports fans, believe it or not, and they actually want to lean in on whatever sports they’re fans of.”

At Wind Creek Hospitality casinos, free-to-play promotions are never linked to wallets. Instead, Wind Creek Chief Marketing Officer Ken Rohman said free-to-play is used to keep patrons connected to the brand.

“In a fashion, it’s not asking them to reach for their wallet that keeps them engaged with our brand,” Rohman said. “So the next time they want to go back to a casino environment, we’re at the top of their mind. We stay engaged with them. We place a value on time on device; we actually quantify that. … Our mission is to get another visit from that player and potentially get their next visit to be with us instead of at a competitor casino, by keeping them engaged with our brand.”

Pierce said that one way to monetize free-to-play games is to get players to purchase virtual points to continue to play. But if an operator is taking a longer approach by way of providing free betting experiences, that also can eventually provide dividends, according to Kustelski.

“You do it with as few friction points as possible,” Kustelski said, “to allow people to engage in and start to understand sports betting.”

Abbonizio said paywalls can also be an option for gaming operators who want to leverage free-to-play for profit. But there are other ways to commercialize assets. Abbonozio noted that some clients will solicit Genius Sports for help attaining a sponsor.

“For example, BetMGM will come in and sponsor an MLB game,” Abbonizio said. “MLB gets to offer this cool engaging product to their fans to get them in their funnel. But it’s actually paid for by BetMGM. And then you can do all these deep integrations with sponsors in free-to-play games, whether it’s a logo drop, or in legalized betting states you can do click throughs directly to betting partners.

“There are all types of ways to get value and squeeze value out of simple free-to-play games, even if you’re not doing things like engaging and actually drawing money from the user themselves. You can keep it truly free to play and commercialize it in other ways.”

NIGA Tradeshow: Europe’s cautionary sports-betting tale should inform expansion and promotion in the U.S.

Posted on April 20, 2022 by - Other

Longtime sportsbook executive Joe Asher downplayed concerns that the U.S. could turn into a nation of problem gamblers, but he did warn that sports betting will lead to increased addiction over time, albeit not at the levels in Europe, due to cultural differences.

Victor Rocha, chairman of the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention that kicked off Tuesday afternoon in Anaheim, broached the subject of addiction with Asher, president of sports betting at IGT.

Rocha raised concerns of the potential fallout as sports betting expands throughout the U.S., including among tribes.

Rocha spoke about what’s happened in England and elsewhere in Europe, as the proliferation of sports betting ads and concerns over gambling addiction have led to a crackdown on advertising and potentially tougher gambling laws. A member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Rocha said he’s worried, especially as California voters consider allowing sports betting in a November ballot referendum.

“The UK market is interesting to watch, because now the pendulum has swung the other way,” Rocha said.

“There are tighter restrictions on marketing and gambling. They’re having conversations about means-testing players, which is insane. It sounds like a Soviet-era mentality. That’s because the industry wasn’t self-regulating enough.”

Asher, who once worked for UK gambling company William Hill, said it’s a complex issue, but “there’s a fairly significant culture difference in the UK versus the U.S., and I probably didn’t fully appreciate it until I started to work for a British company. I thought, we had this war a couple of hundred years ago, but now we’re best friends. There’s quite a difference culturally, so I think individual responsibility versus government protections of a broader swath of people is one of the distinctions.”

Asher told Rocha problem gambling “is a real issue” and talked of the backlash in the UK over it, spurred by individual cases spotlighted in the press. In addition, members of Parliament seized and focused on the issue.

“In the U.S., you see it in states where sports betting is just becoming legal. The runup before football season in the amount of advertising that customers were subjected to was unbelievable, not only on television, but social media feeds as well,” Asher said.

With so many competitors in particular states, all of those ads combined can be overwhelming to the public. Asher said it’s not an easy issue for which to find a solution, short of a regulatory approach.

“There are so many operators,” Asher said. “The NFL had a restriction that there could be only six advertisements per game, but you have the pre-game show, the post-game show, then the local news and a sports TV show after the news. There’s definitely a saturation issue. Then you have all the ads on Twitter and Facebook feeds.”

Asher cited a similar overwhelm in 2015 with FanDuel and DraftKings ads for daily fantasy sports. The sheer volume of ads can lead to an increase in problem gambling, he said.

“It’s only natural, because of the advertising,” Asher said. “People see it and are tempted to try the product, and a segment of that population is going to have a problem controlling their use of the product. An increase in problem gambling is inevitable in the next few years. I don’t have the solution to the issue or I’d be talking about it nonstop. It’s a complicated problem, but we’re just seeing the beginning of it.”

Rocha said if the U.S. ignores the problem-gambling aspect of sports betting expansion and promotion, “we’re going to have a problem just like they’re having in the UK and Europe. Going into these new markets, we have to be very careful that these issues are being addressed. It will turn around and bite us in the behind if we don’t.”

According to Rocha, the bigger issue is mobile betting; it’s so easy and accessible that it can exacerbate problem gambling. He said he wants Native Americans to understand the risks as well as the opportunities that come with sports-betting expansion that is being pushed onto tribes whether they’re ready for it or not.

He agreed with Asher that “there’s a different mentality here. There’s even a difference between the East Coast and West Coast. I used to live in New Jersey and people used bookies that their grandfather or dad had. It’s ingrained in the culture. California doesn’t feel like that. We don’t have that same passion. It’s important we take problem gambling very seriously and deal with it going forward.”

NIGA Tradeshow: Land-based gaming operators should embrace online gaming

Posted on April 20, 2022 by - Other

Luisa Woods often hears from land-based gaming operators reluctant to invest in digital gaming.

But her experiences in assisting New Jersey launch icasino gaming in 2013 might make those hesitant operators change their minds. Woods, Delaware North’s Vice President, Marketing – Gaming and Entertainment, says that 25% of the people who signed up for igaming were lapsed customers who, due to lifestyle changes, stopped gambling.

“They had kids. They had older parents they were looking after,” Woods said Tuesday during the session “Operations: Managing A Low-Margin Vertical” at the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow and Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

“They had medical issues. They moved to a different part of the state. They got promoted and were too busy. All kinds of things break down our relationship with land-based customers and I’ve seen no better tool than expansion into digital gaming to allow you to reconnect and extend your relationship with those customers.”

Woods is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced voices in the igaming industry. In 1998, she served as CEO for Internet Presence Inc., a Canadian company specializing in online gaming and software sectors. Woods has also worked for gaming companies in Argentina, Malaysia, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City, mostly focusing on digital marketing and gaming.

If looked at solely on economic terms, igaming might seem to be an problematic investment.

Woods noted that online gaming has a hold percentage of 3%, compared to hold percentages between 6% and 12% at land-based casinos. And most online customers she’s surveyed think they can win more at brick-and-mortar casinos than they can at icasinos.

“The difference is that when you’re sitting in a casino, you’re absorbing the ambient win, surrounded by people who are hitting jackpots,” Woods said. “It’s just you when you’re sitting there with your mobile phone. You’re betting faster. You’re betting typically smaller increments and the sense of winning, because it’s not amplified by your environment, is very different.”

Other factors make investing in igaming tricky. While overhead is less than that of brick-and-mortar casinos, which must account for everything from infrastructure costs to staffing, the cost for a customer to switch igaming apps is practically nil.

“I don’t even have to get off my couch to go to a competitor,” Woods said, adding that for prospective igaming customers, “there are a million reasons,” from reluctance to reveal personal information to errors created through “thumb typing,” for abandoning the registration process.

That registration process will get easier, Woods thinks, because “smart, talented, and dedicated people” are working on it.

A gaming operator recently told Woods that he preferred to keep his customers on the gaming floor. `Why on earth would I promote digital gaming to my land-based customers?’ he asked her.

Simply, it’s the cost of retaining loyal customers who will gravitate to another operator if their gaming needs are not met.

“(Operators) are spending millions, hundreds of millions, of dollars to acquire those customers and build relationships with customers who you have a relationship with today,” Woods said. “And the thing you need to remember is that the opportunity for a land-based operator is to create a cohesive relationship with your brand, with your business, and your customers. They come in your door or they download your branded app. They don’t see those as separate businesses.

“On the back end, your retail gaming and your digital gaming may be operated by completely different people. They may be operating on completely different systems. You customer doesn’t care.

“When they walk in and have a question about your digital gaming operation, they want you to know the answer. They want you to act like you own it.”

NIGA Tradeshow: Slot trends include distancing, data, bet sizes, dominant games, and more

Posted on April 20, 2022 by - Other

“Social distancing is here to stay” and “Grandma is streaming on her phone.”

Those are just two of the many realities that slot operators need to consider post-COVID casino. The comments came from the panel “Trends To Create a High-Performing Floor and Better Player Experience” at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Conference” on Wednesday.

Panelist Bryan Brammer, an analytics specialist at Raving Consulting, said that greater spacing of slot machines due to virus restrictions validated the idea that players prefer better separation from other guests, regardless of a threat of COVID spread. He added that it was one of the factors resulting in fewer machines on our floors post-COVID, but a surprising increase in spend and time on device.

Joseph Nayguonabe, CEO at Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, said that we need to be aware of changing technology trends and be willing to explore them, despite the risks. Noting that his grandmother is now streaming on her iPad and phone, he said, “Streaming content is a barometer of entertainment. Consumer behavior is rapidly transferring to our floors.” But he cautioned, “The amount of time to failure and falling off the cliff is accelerating. Time is getting shorter and shorter.” He was referring to the lack of patience players have for weak games and their desire to seek maximum entertainment value.

Trevor Taylor, another Raving consultant on gaming operations, urged the audience to start looking at player behavior compared to their own earlier behavior.

“We’ve all had to roll up our sleeves and dive into the data. It’s about yielding the floor and I don’t think any of us realized how deep we have to dive in. I’m beating the drum on understanding the comparison of players to themselves.” In other words, looking at how players react to new games and products, compared to earlier behavior, and thus understanding how “to maximize their budgets. We need to get the right game for the right individuals.”

Mike Trask, VP of product marketing & global communications for Ainsworth, said, “Bet levels are rising post-COVID. The 40-coin game has quickly grown to 80-plus coin and higher. And we’re seeing players spend more time on the floor. We’re closely monitoring that trend to make sure it doesn’t go too high.”

Interestingly, he said that despite 40-plus competitors, “the leading pre-COVID games are still dominant today.” He said the greatest challenges to manufacturers are “gaining floor space and supply-chain issues.” He added that they’re carefully monitoring data on when players cash out and making sure they’re having a great experience without costing them too much.

All the panelists, including moderator Deana Scott, CEO of Raving Consulting, stressed the need for better and better analytics to understand the rapid changes occurring on our floors today and how best to take advantage of new technology.

Nayquonabe added, “We need to make sure that we are including the top slot executives to participate in our marketing discussions.”

Scott agreed and stressed the importance of avoiding silos. “We all need to work together.”

NIGA Tradeshow: JCM Global partners with Cassida Pro on cash processing for gaming industry

Posted on April 19, 2022 by - Other

As a part of the company’s partnership with JCM Global, Cassida Pro will display its Pro Zeus cash processor in JCM Global’s booth, #638, during the Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention.

JCM Global has provided the Cassida Pro Zeus 2-pocket currency discriminator as a cashier assist to casinos as part of its transaction and payment technology.

JCM’s casino customers can utilize the Cassida Pro Zeus both in the cage and in the cash room. In the casino cage, the Cassida Pro Zeus cashes out casino patrons with proprietary software that reads both TITO tickets and tickets with 2D barcodes printed from JCM’s GEN5 Thermal printer. In the casino’s cash room, Cassida Pro Zeus currency discriminators streamline cash processing with leading-edge bill recognition, unsurpassed counterfeit detection and minimalistic machine design.

“The opportunity to create custom programming on the Cassida Pro Zeus to read casino gaming tickets for JCM Global has been mutually beneficial,” said Matthew Holt, director of partnerships and operations for Cassida Pro. “After many successful deployments in casinos, we are glad to show it to the rest of the industry at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow in Anaheim.”

“At JCM Global, we constantly seek to develop partnerships that will help our customers increase efficiencies, boost security, and enhance the player experience. Partnering with Cassida Pro brings its leading technology to our customers’ cage environments; Cassida Pro Zeus reads currency and 2D barcodes from TITO tickets, a technology JCM invented for the casino industry,” said JCM SVP of Sales, Marketing, and Operations Dave Kubajak.

In addition to distributing the Cassida Pro Zeus 2-pocket currency discriminator, JCM Global is also offering the Apollo 1-pocket currency discriminator.

Marker Trax to demo complete mobile app integration at NIGA

Posted on April 19, 2022 by -

Marker Trax LLC will demonstrate its capability to fully integrate with mobile applications as part of a “digital wallet” at NIGA, the Indian Gaming Trade Show & Convention, April 19-22 in Anaheim, California.

Before appearing at NIGA as part of Acres Manufacturing Company’s newest mobile application, Marker Trax’ innovative cashless casino marker system has been available at several casinos, including Ellis Island Casino, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, and Emerald Island Casino in Las Vegas; Grand Sierra Resort in Reno; and Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in California, among others. The NIGA demonstrations will publicly introduce Marker Trax

and its functionality as a fully integrated part of a resort operator’s mobile application.

Demonstrations will take place in booth number 262 at the convention, showcasing Marker Trax as a vital component of Acres’ Orange Blast mobile app, a mobile wallet outfitted with Marker Trax. Through the app, players can use Marker Trax to transfer digital marker credit to slot machines throughout the gaming floor.

“We’re well on our way to accomplishing our goal of fully integrating our cashless marker system with industry leaders around the country, and NIGA is an incredible opportunity to show that integration in action,” said Gary Ellis, Marker Trax founder and CEO. “Through collaborations with incredible partners like Acres who share our vision, we’re creating a gaming experience that benefits both players and operators. Customers love the convenience of the Marker Trax cashless system, and operators appreciate better player tracking and brand loyalty growth mechanisms afforded by the platform.”

Acres’ new Orange Blast app is the frame around which the demonstrations take place. “Our app combines the entire player experience into a single user interface,” Noah Acres said. The app manages players’ experiences by allowing them to easily transfer cash, free play and Marker Trax credit, while also tracking and generating player loyalty bonuses.

The live demos and appearance at NIGA continue Marker Trax’ momentum, which has been accelerating in recent months, highlighted by a substantial financial investment from global fintech company Euronet Worldwide, Inc. in March. Marker Trax’ technology is also powering cashless, seamless advances in player programs at resorts in Nevada, tribal properties, and nationwide, while the company is further strengthening its partnerships with industry leaders including Aristocrat Gaming, IGT, Konami Gaming, and Light & Wonder.

Following its appearance with Acres at NIGA, Marker Trax officials said they will continue advancing a number of other projects and innovations, including wider rollouts to more resorts and companies in Las Vegas and around the country.

“The future of gaming truly is cashless,” Ellis said, “and we’re thrilled to be a driving force in this movement.”

NIGA Tradeshow: Everi Holdings to showcase games, fintech, and digital content

Posted on April 19, 2022 by - Other

Everi Holdings Inc. today announced it will showcase the new Player Classic Signature cabinet with seven new classic stepper themes, as well as compelling content for the Empire Flex cabinet, alongside the company’s latest fintech and igaming innovations at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention.

Everi will display, in Booth #420, its expanding breadth and depth of player-engaging video content and classic stepper games, as well as fresh takes on entertaining premium titles. More than 10 new innovative themes on the Empire Flex portrait cabinet will be featured, including Cha-Ching!, Money Line, and the Press Your Luck Series based on the iconic game show. These themes are also available on TournEvent Everiway, the next iteration of Everi’s TournEvent platform.

TournEvent Everiway provides added flexibility that enables all TournEvent supported cabinets, including dual-screen and/or portrait, to deliver the group-style TournEvent Classic or sit-and-go TournEvent Now promotions. Player Classic Signature, the newest addition to Everi’s successful mechanical cabinet portfolio, will also be showcased with several of its launch themes, including the Gems Deluxe™ Series as well as the Jackpot Power Series, which features a progressive-tier burnout mechanic.

Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel Fire & Ice, with its two mischievous characters, will be presented on the Flex Fusion premium cabinet, Everi’s fully featured banked product. Little Shop of Horrors Director’s Cut, which builds off the high-performing theme on the Empire MPX portrait cabinet, and Outlander, which is based on the hugely successful television series, will both be shown on the Empire DCX premium cabinet. Fu Lu Shou Land of Wealth, presented on Empire Arena cabinet, showcases two unique base games that are chock full of exciting features, including a heart-pounding two-minute frenzy mode.

Everi’s fintech solutions continue to help tribal operator partners meet the emerging mobile ecosystem via the Company’s “Digital Neighborhood,” its complete suite of financial, casino loyalty and compliance products and services that bring commonality and continuity to operator workflows. With a particular focus on self-service, the growth of Everi’s “Digital Neighborhood” suite demonstrates the Company’s leadership position and highlights its ability to develop solutions that improve the casino patron experience across loyalty, payments, and casino operations.

The CashClub Wallet solution integrates and extends cashless payments throughout the gaming enterprise using traditional, alternative, and mobile technologies. CashClub Wallet is a mobile digital wallet that allows casino operators to offer their guests the option of cashless and contactless funding of electronic game play, including funding at the gaming device, as well as payments at the point of sale or online to fund sports betting or social gaming.

JackpotXpress, the intuitive jackpot and tax forms management solution, allows casino staff to securely and efficiently process slot jackpots using a mobile device right at the winning gaming machine. Jackpot Xpress is the only jackpot management system that combines mobile productivity, secure payment, tax forms management and anti-money laundering tracking into a single solution. Also on display will be the award-winning Trilogy loyalty platform, offering player-centric gaming solutions to enroll and engage customers while providing a premium experience that follows them across the gaming floor and beyond.

The company will also exhibit its growing and unique library of award-winning igaming content, including digital progressive games, all delivered via the proprietary Spark Remote Game Server (RGS). Over the past three years, Everi Digital has extended the footprint of the Spark RGS to include Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in the United States, as well as Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec in Canada. During this time, Everi has become a top provider of iGaming content to operators and has consistently grown its reputation for creating compelling content. Everi’s digital gaming catalog now consists of more than 50 distinct titles, with more on the way.

“We look forward to returning to the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to our Native American gaming partners,” said Randy Taylor, Everi President and CEO. “Everi has a long, successful history of supporting tribal gaming operators, providing a broad portfolio of products that enhance the patron experience and help improve casino operational efficiency.”

NIGA Tradeshow: Global Payments Gaming Solutions offers complete commerce ecosystem

Posted on April 19, 2022 by - Other

The quicksilver pace of the gaming industry over the last three years has been astonishing. In 2022, the industry generated record revenue of $53 billion, breaking the mark set in 2019 by 21 percent. The record revenue came one year after many brick-and-mortar casinos were temporarily shuttered in 2020 due to the pandemic.

As revenue increases, gaming operators are increasingly exploring how cashless payment systems can be integrated in casinos.

“In today’s market, there is a tremendous opportunity for casinos to leverage new technology to provide the cashless, contactless, gaming experience that many patrons now prefer,” says Christopher Justice, president of Global Payments Gaming Solutions. “A vertically integrated suite of solutions doesn’t require an overhaul of a casino’s existing infrastructure, creating an effortless transition to cashless gaming. Global Payments provides not only the technology, but also the industry expertise to enable operators to deliver an enhanced gaming experience to patrons.”

Based in Las Vegas, with more than 20 years of experience in the gaming industry (and 60 years total), Global Payments Gaming Solutions has assisted over 400 locations to create safe experiences for customers. Its complete commerce ecosystem, which satisfies every facet of cashless payment experiences for consumers, will be featured at the NIGA Tradeshow in Anaheim, California, April 19-22.

Customers have grown used to mobile-based consumer experiences in both physical and digital spaces, whether paying for groceries at a supermarket or downloading music files or e-books. Global Payments’ vertical suite of solutions provides customers with seamless payment solutions that are fine-tuned to meet gaming industry needs.

“To remain competitive and adapt to the changing nature of how consumers want to do business, Global Payments has enhanced our vertically integrated suite of solutions to provide a seamless payment experience to casino guests beyond the gaming floor,” Justice says.

The suite features VIP Mobility and VIP Financial Center, both powered by VIP Preferred, Global Payments’ industry standard e-check and ACH network. The systems work in tandem to ensure frictionless, safe payments for patrons, and can be used to pay for all transactions at casino resorts.

“With VIP Mobility, guests can use a single account to fund their resort experience, including hotel, restaurant, and casino transactions,” Justice says. “Additionally, VIP Financial Center provides guests with a single-source solution for cash access on the casino floor. Both solutions leverage bank-grade security to ensure each transaction made throughout the casino property is secure.”

The need for safe, frictionless, cashless, payment systems will only grow as the gaming industry evolves. Sports betting is now legal and available in 30 states and the District Columbia, and online gaming in six states. Reports from the two centers of gambling in the United States are positive: Visitors are flocking back to Las Vegas and revenue in Atlantic City increased in early 2022.

These factors indicate a robust market and numerous opportunities for tech companies. Global Payments is not only well positioned to take advantage of emerging developments in the gaming industry, but has already received “positive responses about our entire product suite,” Justice says, adding that VIP Mobility and VIP Financial Center “seem to mesh best with the needs of gaming operators and patrons.

“VIP Mobility is the industry’s first mobile solution enabling true cashless gaming from funding through cash-out,” he says. “By harnessing the flexibility and ease of Global Payments’ groundbreaking VIP Preferred account network, patrons can effortlessly transfer funds to their favorite online or casino game and from one operator to the next.”

VIP Mobility also delivers “bank-grade” security to its gaming-industry clients and doesn’t require additional technology certifications on casino floors.

VIP Mobility operates in tandem with the VIP Financial Center, the industry’s first full-service solution providing convenient self-service TITO tickets, bill-breaking, e-check, ATM, and cash-advance capabilities for casino guests who prefer to use cash. Offering robust service capability, high dependability, easy serviceability, and enhanced security in a slim profile design, it enables casinos to achieve maximum value for the floor space occupied by their kiosk solution, saving more room for revenue-producing slot machines or table games.

At NIGA, Global Payments will feature its suite of products, and introduce some new and enhanced items at Booth 748. Notably, PlayerCash @dvantage and Choice4 will be featured.

PlayerCash @advantage is a credit- and debit-card cash advance solution. The industry’s only single-source solution, PlayerCash @advantage is available through Global Payments’ VIP Lightspeed ® platform and enables casinos to securely access all major credit and debit card networks.

“More than 400 North American casinos have selected us for cash advance,” Justice says.

Choice4 is the company’s delayed settlement e-check product enabling patrons to put more cash into play by extending settlement to 7, 14, 21 or 28 days. Choice4 seamlessly integrates into VIP Preferred and equips operators with the latest technology to deliver an enhanced gaming experience to patrons who prefer a cash or cashless experience.

NIGA Tradeshow: Eclipse Gaming features artwork from Native American Artist John Balloue at Its NIGA booth

Posted on April 19, 2022 by - Other

Eclipse Gaming today announced that its exhibit at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow later this week will feature innovative, colorful, and inspirational fine art from renowned Native American contemporary artist John Balloue.

Balloue, a registered Oklahoma Cherokee tribal member, Vietnam veteran, artist, and illustrator, will also appear in Eclipse’s Booth No. 1456 at 11 a.m. on Thursday and Friday to greet visitors and sign a limited number of prints of Balloue Bison, one of his most popular works. In addition to giving out prints, Eclipse will raffle off a framed and signed John Balloue print, randomly selecting the winner from all tribal operators who visit its booth.

Eclipse Gaming Chief Business Officer Brennen Lawrence said, “As part of our Going Beyond the Game initiatives, we partner with tribal gaming operators to provide slot cabinets and games that entertain, engage, and generate revenue for tribal communities, and we can’t think of a better way to honor our mission than showcasing tribal artwork in our booth.”

Balloue said, “I’m honored to have my art featured in Eclipse Gaming’s NIGA booth. I’m dedicated to keeping alive and honoring my Native ancestors and I appreciate Eclipse’s commitment to helping me do that by bringing my colorful works alive in large-format graphics at a tradeshow dedicated to helping tribal people thrive.”

Balloue has won numerous awards for his art, including Indian Arts and Crafts Association “Artist of the Year”; Santa Fe Indian Market “Best of Show” Poster Artist; Cover Artist, Southwest Art Magazine; Who’s Who in the West; and Gene Autry Museum “Best of Class.” He has exhibited his work at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles, and numerous other museums and shows across the U.S.

Eclipse Gaming Systems, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, is a software gaming company dedicated to tribal gaming and select commercial gaming markets.