Interactive FUTURE OF CASINO DEALING
HELEN: As I mentioned earlier, the number of players at the online table can be significantly higher than in a land-based operation. The online dealer has to be able to engage with all these play- ers so in that situation one may be able to tell the difference from the sound only.
Are the players the same for land-based and online live table gaming? Should they be treated the same by the dealer or need they adapt to a dif- ferent audience?
ANDRES:We touched on this in the question about players’ expectations. As I said before, online Live Casino and land-based casino attract a different demographic but you will always have crossover.
HELEN: This crossover is particularly evident with VIP players who want online access to their favourite casino at times when they are not able to visit the land-based venue in person.
As to whether players should be treated the same, yes, I think certain groups value familiar services that are available in traditional land-based ven- ues. That’s especially true of VIPs. Increasingly there have been developments by key licensees to meet this demand and ensure that VIP players are treated accordingly and receive the level of serv- ice they expect. So, we have invitation-only Salle Privées and also on-demand tables which can be opened within 15 minutes of the request being received to ensure these players have a seat.
Depending on the circumstances, one can also allow them access to their favourite dealer or even tailor the service in other ways. I can think of one specific example: for a significant VIP play- er on one table, their favourite game was sped up at his request by reducing the time allocated for the betting period. The cloth colour was also altered very slightly to be unique to this player and unique cards were purchased for this one table. Other players would not have necessarily appreciated these slight nuances, but it spoke vol- umes to the player in question, without the dealer saying a word.
What percentage of players have now played live online tables and in-location table games? What’s the crossover and is this something that should be encouraged further or restricted due to cannibali- sation fears?
ANDRES: We don’t measure this across the board, but licensees that operate both land-based and online services have seen incremental revenue gains from players who play both in-venue and online. I think the fear of cannibalisation is often overstated, so I can see no sense in restricting access to online Live Casino. The key for operators is having a clear online and in-venue strategy where the two channels work hand in hand.
HELEN: We don’t have industry wide figures but I can give you an insight into this area through our
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work over the past year with Grosvenor Casinos, who are part of the Rank Group. Grosvenor, the leading land-based casino brand in the UK in terms of number of venues, found that around 20% of its land-based players were playing online. However, only a small percentage of these land-based players were staying loyal to the brand when they played online. There is a good reason for this: frequently players have multiple accounts online as they sign up to whoever is offering the best incentives.
The challenge for any land-based casino is to build brand loyalty from players when they choose to play online. In this instance, money was already being spent online by a sizeable propor- tion of Grosvenor’s land-based casino players, but it was being spread around other online brands.
Grosvenor developed a clear ‘clubs-online’ strat- egy. It upgraded its branded dedicated environ- ment at our Riga studios and introduced a single rewards bonusing system so players received the same rewards whether playing in-club or online. Grosvenor also introduced Brand Ambassadors to lead its online Live Casino team in Riga. These Brand Ambassadors work with Grosvenor’s dedi- cated team of dealers, who wear the same uni- form online as the staff in Grosvenor’s land-based casinos. The Brand Ambassadors work closely with the dealers to teach them about language, tone, greetings and so forth, so that the online player experience mirrors the land-based experi- ence as closely as possible. Dealers are also briefed on events being hosted in the land-based casinos so that they can encourage online players to visit the bricks-and-mortar venues.
Most recently, Grosvenor has started to stream the live feed from their dedicated environment in Riga into one of their flagship land-based casinos in Coventry. The purpose of this is to highlight to players in-venue that a fully branded online offering is available to them. Players are remind- ed that they can continue to play at the online tables after they have left the venue and on those occasions when they are not able to visit.
Importantly, they can also play online when they are actually in the venue. They can use their own tablets and smartphones to play when they are away from the action at the tables – when they are sat the bar or in the restaurant for example. That really does emphasise that land-based and online are part of the same integrated multi- channel offering.
And because the online tables are Grosvenor- branded and because games are dealt by dealers in the same attire as the land-based dealers and act in accordance with the same brand values, the online service is very much a natural extension of the service Grosvenor players know and love. As a result, the situation is being turned around – now more and more players stay loyal to the Grosvenor brand when they choose to play online.
INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY
Does technology change the experience not just for the player, but for the dealer too?
ANDRES: Yes it does. The technology can support more, which means that the online dealer has more to consider as part of his or her role.
HELEN: Yes, technology is changing the dealer’s role and enriching players’ enjoyment of the games. Our Immersive Roulette game is a perfect example. The multi-camera set-up in the studio and auto cutting between camera shots brings players closer to the action. At the same time it means the dealer’s role moves closer to live sports commentary, as he or she has to be constantly aware of what players are seeing on-screen. And in the case of Blackjack Bet Behind, where there could be scores of players all betting in a single online live game, the dealer’s role can be a bit like that of an auctioneer constantly handling bids in a packed auction room and keeping everyone up to date with what is going on.
How have the environments changed for both
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