Acres Manufacturing Company plans to launch a game-changing digital wallet during the Global Gaming Expo that enables players on slot machines and table games to earn free play, points, and other perks in real time.
Called the Acres Wallet, the software application will be built on the company’s Foundation casino management system that enables cashless gaming. This summer, Acres launched Foundation at Penn National Gaming’s new Hollywood Casino York in Pennsylvania, following previous installations at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Pennsylvania. Foundation will be deployed at other Penn National casinos across the country pending regulatory approvals.
Foundation, the first-of-its-kind casino management system, provides casinos with real-time data from slot machines and a direct interface to the credit meter on any slot machine. AMC was founded by John Acres, the inventor of casino systems technology.
Foundation is designed to reinvigorate an industry currently incapable of meeting modern consumer demands. Armed with a massive amount of real-time data, an adaptable credit meter on any game, and bonuses deployable to a player’s mobile device, casinos will be able to optimize every customer relationship and maximize long-term profitability, said Noah Acres of Acres Manufacturing.
“Cashless gaming is the hot topic around the industry this year, and Foundation provides the quickest and easiest path to cashless gaming,” Acres asserted. “That said, we view cashless gaming as just the first step towards where we ultimately want to be.”
The Foundation hardware helps a mobile wallet to instantly put money into a slot machine, a table game, or be accessed at the cage. In addition to cashless transfers, Foundation delivers all data generated from a play session in real-time. That means the casino can understand each player’s experience as it happens, and the mobile wallet can be used to deliver customized, real-time content tailored to every individual gaming experience, Acres said.
Acres contends that players want the ability to use whatever source of money that’s convenient for them. Some prefer free play. Others like to use their points, and others want to draw off their credit.
“Cashless gaming should be about more than just transactions,” said Acres. “It should be an entirely new way for players to experience the casino. We include a ledger for every form of currency used in the casino – cash, free play, points, credit, and so on. We even include cryptos and NFTs. Through real-time messages, bonuses and other incentives, casinos can use data to deliver tailored experiences to each player. The wallet even automates redemption because prizes can be issued directly to the wallet in any form of value, which can then be transferred to the slot machine or table game.”
Acres has enabled a scratch-and-win bonus game within the Foundation Wallet. Players must earn eligibility, and a status bar updates in real-time to show progress towards revealing the bonus. This live, secondary game experience is the first of its kind, he added.
“Bonuses and rewards are vital to the player experience. We’ve designed our environment to be compatible with any type of bonus, and players can even select from a menu bonuses they’re contending for,” Acres explained. “Anyone can make a bonus for Foundation, and we’re currently working with game designers, sports teams, and social influencers to implement their own bonuses.”
Another benefit of the wallet is automated redemption. Prizes can be paid directly to the player’s slot machine, or to any form of value in the player’s wallet. There is no need to go to the cage or player’s club, Acres noted.
“We can even provide bonus games to players who aren’t physically at the casino,” he said. “We can implement expiration dates or time sensitivity to drive additional visits. With Foundation Wallet, casinos never lose contact with the player.”
Acres is excited about the personalization because that’s what casinos are going to need to compete with modern consumer offerings.
“Casino technology today is designed around the monthly mailer,” said Acres. “Foundation and the Foundation Wallet turn today’s delayed tier-based marketing into the data-driven, real-time personalized experiences offered by companies like Google or Facebook.”
Acres explained that when the company gets its Foundation footprint past the critical mass, there are bonuses and jackpots that could be nationwide. It could scale up and be like an app-based Megabucks.
“This is where we see the casino industry going,” he observed. “Foundation converges land-based gaming with iGaming and mobile sports betting. Land based gaming has been at a technological standstill for nearly 20 years now, and we’re excited to finally help propel the industry forward.”
