THE INTERVIEW
of the tremendous possibilities unfold before their eyes in the early stages of testing. In my opinion, having already witnessed the success of this in the technology sector, with services from companies such as
Salesforce.com and Amazon, this is the beginning of a new type of ‘en-mass’ operational service that has the potential to radically benefit all types of casinos. Once again this is evidence of IGT’s R&D budget in action. “As it relates to some of the specific
benefits of IGT Cloud, this solution gets to the heart of the conundrum of how to streamline floor operations in its many
Craig Churchill: “IGT’s ongoing commitment to
research and development has driven innovation in the industry time and again and I’m proud to be part of a company that has this type of ongoing focus. As you say, these types of R&D budgets are far and few between in this industry and that’s why we spend a great deal of time listening to our customers and future gazing across the industry in order to optimize our investments for all stakeholders. One example of this type of relentless focus is around market attuned content. This year, we premiered our localized, market-attuned games that are designed to appeal to global audiences while being tailored for specific regional cultures. This was done by investing in market research across several regions around the globe. By focusing on game play and themes that resonate with local players, we have developed exclusive Asian-themed titles such as Pearl Dragon and Eastern Gems for the Asian player. IGT’s new video slot themes Carnaval Riches, Dia de Muertos™ and Huevocartoon® cater to the Latin American players. We will be doing further market research in more countries and regions as we move forward with this concept. In addition, we are showcasing a full catalogue of pop culture games that reflect the strong relationships we maintain with major, international licensors. This allows us to roll out blockbuster games such as The Hangover, Ghostbusters, Sex and the City Fabulous, Elvis the King and many more exceptional titles”.
CI: Of course, right now, the IGT Cloud Partner
Program seems to be one of the most exciting products to innovate the gaming floor to give operators new opportunities to connect with their players and capitalize solution services for the future. Apart from the groups that have signed in for the programme, are there any new additions after this year’s ICE?
Craig Churchill: “Interest in IGT Cloud and the IGT Cloud partnership program is ‘white hot’, and momentum continues to build every day. The fun part of this is watching word spread across the industry as participating operators go live and begin to see some
MAY 2012 25
forms without increasing total cost of ownership (TCO) of the technology and management ecosystem that surrounds it; that’s nirvana right? Well in fact, we are really looking at going way beyond this in the future to answer the question of how to, ultimately, reduce the TCO for some of the basic floor management services and give
“…this solution gets to the heart of the conundrum of how to streamline floor operations in its many forms without increasing total cost of ownership”
customers the option to layer additional value- added services on top so they can begin to experiment in ways they never thought possible in the past. By making this solution as ‘appliance-like’ as we can make it, my prediction is that floor management and even casino management of the future will become part of a basic dependable fabric, much like the dial-tone of a phone is today, thus freeing the casinos up to focus on what they do best, world-class customer service and patron hospitality.
“The other great thing about the IGT Cloud is that it complements our casino management systems solutions today and in the future, which continue to deliver compelling casino floors and entertaining player experiences”.
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