While NRT Technology and Sightline Payments are in the process of completing a merger, the two companies jointly unveiled payment and guest engagement solutions at the Global Gaming Expo.
The combined companies design and develop enterprise platforms for the gaming industry, including current and next-generation payment systems, specialized self-serve financial/marketing kiosks, big data analytics, credit marker information services, and digital and mobile experiences. They’re in more than 850 casinos worldwide.
“The gaming and payments worlds are combining and continue to evolve faster today than ever before,” said Kirk Sanford, Sightline’s founder and CEO who said the merger should finalized in the next 60 days. “The reason why NRT merged with the company I founded is for the roadmap for how we create a migration path because cash will not go away tomorrow – and how do we create utility from what do today to expand that as another alternative for patrons to have a better payment experience.”
Coming on the heels of NRT’s string of five acquisitions over the last year, executives highlighted dozens of new software and hardware solution to make payments easier and guest experiences better.
“Those have already been integrated into the NRT infrastructure, and we’re just waiting for the merger of Sightline to be completed,” said Aron Ezra,” chief digital officer for NRT. “We operate now as joint venture partners because we’ve had a long-standing relationship.”
Among the highlights at G2E were the Play+ cashless digital payments platform, which the company described as a frictionless commerce platform deploying an invisible layer of payments for a cashless integrated resort or entertainment venue that is faster, safer and more convenient. It allows patrons to enjoy an Omni-channel loyalty and payments experience, across all in-person and digital on-premise and off-premise facilities, company officials said.
The new P2P Encrypted Table Pay solution introduces the next generation of payment and marker technology for table games that will increase profitability, improve operational efficiency, and increase guest satisfaction, company officials said.
There were multiple kiosk solutions, including the NEO kiosk, which it calls the most advanced, reliable and secure casino cash handling and payment kiosk in the world.
Also highlighted was the 19-in-1 VisuaLimits Intelligent Table Management tools for improving dealer productivity, optimize utilization, and enhance game protection.
The OfferCraft software was also showcased. It is patron engagement platform that is used by operators to motivate guest behaviors like higher spending and more redemptions via dynamic content tools like smart offers and gamification, officials said.
NRT Sightline revealed with it called an industry first in HABIT, powered by GamingAnalytics.ai. It’s a new prescriptive analytics tool that analyzes data across the entire gaming enterprise and forecasts gaming revenue with 99 percent accuracy, officials said.
Sanford said there are areas of growth for the company. The first is the core business of cash-access and redemption kiosks of which NRT is the No. 1 provider of both.
“In an integrated resort environment, if you can have an interaction with a mobile phone for gaming and non-gaming activities through a centralized resort wallet, there’s a lot you can do with customer engagement,” Sanford said. “That’s what we’re focused on, the heart of those things. We lead in that space. Some of our customers are MGM, William Hill on the sports side and Poker Stars. It doesn’t matter if it’s brick and mortar or race and sports online or lottery or social, anything you can want to do for your gaming activity we want to make that experience happen.”
Sanford said they’re the only company to have an “end-to-end casino credit marker solution” from the time people apply online until it’s underwritten in the back office and time drawn down on the marker.
“A marker that traditionally takes 15 minutes issued in the pit now is issued in 90 seconds,” Sanford said.
Sanford said they’re the leading provider for payment solutions for race and sports and when the federal ban on sports betting was struck down in May by the U.S. Supreme Court, they were a “significant beneficiary” and it’s a growth driver for the company.
“There are a lot of content providers and lot of different platforms, but there are not payment providers that are integrated to all the platforms. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a FanDuel, DraftKings or William Hill and others, we’re Switzerland.”
Ezra said the company’s goal is to allow for transactions to happen more smoothly and that it’s easier to move money around and for customers to fund their accounts to get money on those machines.
“We’re also at the same time trying to help our partners to inspire more people to want to go into the casino in the first place and to want to spend that money,” Ezra said. “We think of ourselves as helping the gaming industry to keep up and exceed what’s happening in other industries where cash can move a lot more freely.”
