G2E: Global Payments showcasing new Client Experience Center in Las Vegas

October 15, 2019 10:30 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports
October 15, 2019 10:30 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports

Global Payments has unveiled a showroom that paves the way for the company to collaborate with the gaming industry on the next generation of payment solutions. 

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Called the Client Experience Center, it’s in the headquarters of Global Payments’ Gaming Solutions division, northwest of the Strip. The company brings in casino executives and staff for training there, in addition to demonstrating payment solutions and other offerings for state regulators. 

“The experience center (offers) a very comfortable way to collaborate,” said Christopher Justice, president of Gaming Solutions for Global Payments. “We have been bringing in experts from the trade associations and operators to (talk) solutions and to get their feedback on (the solutions we offer).” 

That includes state regulators from across the country, as well; Global Payments’ VIP Mobility app is set to roll out to an Oklahoma tribal casino in November, and the company has had conversations with a number of state regulators interested in creating working groups that would enable that to happen, Justice said. 

The app allows the customer to transfer money directly from their bank account to the casino for slot play, table games, and mobile gaming. From a regulator perspective, this provides a better tool to help players manage their play responsibly by placing limits on themselves. It also helps combat money laundering and suspicious activity, he said, since people won’t be coming in with suitcases full of cash.

The Experience Center starts with a couch and big-screen television to mimic someone playing from home. The rest of the room has slot machines, a table game and a retail and restaurant setting to demonstrate how its solutions work throughout the integrated resort. There are even kiosks and a cage.

“This helps (them) see our vision of what gaming truly is,” said Justice, standing in the mock living room. “Gaming can start at home. You’re watching Sunday football, playing or betting on computer or on your phone. … Some of the operators we have brought here, after 30 to 45 minutes it’s shattered their view of how it has to be. There is a different way (with the VIP Mobility solution).”

Global Payments will duplicate the Client Experience Center at its booth, No. 4411, at this week’s Global Gaming Expo, but the center will also be open to show clients a quieter setting for a demonstration. 

“We’re using it for our customers –  to see what’s in the market, what we’re bringing to the market, and to provide an overarching look at the experience from a player’s perspective,” said Michael Minor, executive vice president of sales and client experience for Global Payments. “It’s a fairly comprehensive training center for customers to come in and create better experiences for their players, but it’s also for new customers to to see how the new products look and how they can leverage them to differentiate and separate themselves from their competitors.

“You can get a quasi-G2E anytime you come by the Client Experience Center.” 

The center is getting a comprehensive mix of people who come by, Minor said. That includes casino staff from finance, treasury, cage operation, player development, gaming operations including slots and table teams, technical teams, IT organization and infrastructure teams, and compliance. 

“It focuses on anyone that touches the operator from any angle,” Minor said.