“It wasn’t just the recession that happened in 2007/8, there was also the product launch of the iPhone. The smartphone ushered in a new era of online games that stole a generation of players for the land-based casino industry. We lost a generation of play due to our slow application of
technology, while at the same time we’ve continued to build and expand the footprint of casinos.”
Noah Acres
but for my generation and for my kids’ generation, we demand more. Foundation delivers the type of applications to fulfil those needs.
John recently said that the casino industry has been at a technological standstill since 2003. Is this though a lack of innovation, the fault of heavy-handed regulation or conservatism on the part of operators?
I think it’s a perfect storm. As I mentioned earlier, all this has happened in the context of casino growth, which the industry considers a success - but we don’t see it that way. Net slot win peaked in 2007 when the recession happened and casinos have never gained back those dollars. Te dialogue has been the same ever since. It’s about ageing player bases and the lack of new players, but instead of blaming these factors we need to look hard at why this has happened.
It wasn’t just the recession that happened in 2007/8, there was also the product launch of the iPhone. Te smartphone ushered in a new era of online games that stole a generation of players for the land-based casino industry. We lost a generation of play due to our slow application of technology, while at the same time we’ve continued to build and expand the footprint of casinos.
Te casino sector has been a growth sector, but not at the pace of Amazon, Facebook and Google. And the common factor is that this growth is fuelled by data. Casinos have not been collecting the data and changing the experience of the players by adapting to their play.
I don’t think there’s anyone to blame specifically. I just don’t think it’s been the problem that people have been focused upon. And it’s not a problem that many have the capability to address. Te system vendors have been selling their product this whole time and so why disrupt a profitable revenue stream? Meanwhile the regulators have blocked out new entrants making it difficult to penetrate the industry.
I’ve been told that the gambling industry in the US is the second highest regulated industry in the country. Te top three include aviation, gaming and nuclear industries. I’m not sure if we’re above nuclear or aviation, but that’s pretty significant!
Can Foundation reverse the downward trend in land-based slots play?
Yes. If you consider RTP - which varies from state to state - in Nevada you must return at least 75 per cent to the player. We could theoretically take the percentage all the way back to 75 per cent with Foundation. We make the games tighter at the base game level, but we get to the 90-95 per cent level through personalised bonuses. Tis isn’t random selection based on luck, the bonus is adapting to you and your playing style and I think this will change everything for slots.
How emergent is Foundation in terms of evolving the casino-going experience?
We have created a platform in which we get to implement all of our ideas, and at the same time we’re the facilitator for others to bring fresh ideas into the mix. We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas - but if we expose the platform to everybody that wants to create and innovate, there is going to be a lot of great outcomes for operators and players.
What do you envisage are the future outcomes - bearing in mind that the usage of data by Amazon, Google and Netflix changed the everything about the delivery of goods, services and entertainment?
Right now we’re seeing multi-national media companies looking to enter the gaming space, especially on the sports betting side in the US. Companies want end-to-end relationships with players and data changes everything. Where operators have used systems to host slots and table games to fulfil the processes and procedures incumbent upon them, now they can take player data and combine it with any other service.
Gaming has also become so much more mainstream in the last couple of years. Sports betting is now legal in all these new states and we can combine with media companies, break out into new areas and and Foundation can become a major facilitator for that.
How does the quality and quantity of the data scraped by Facebook and Google compare with Foundation’s data pull?
If you look at the limited amount of SAS data the legacy systems collect on the player, everything is tied to the player ID. Outside of that, the casinos have very limited scope to link that data to a player’s outside life. Tey only know their player by their player ID. However, if we migrate that player to cashless via the App, we can gamify surveys and contact forms to gather more data and interface with Google or Facebook to gather external data. Casinos are shifting from gathering a very limited amount of data about their players that’s limited solely to their gaming activity at the casino, to being able to subscribe to all the same services that you get
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P59
through Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Spotify etc.
How holistic a picture can Foundation deliver of a player’s journey within and outside their location?
Foundation allows the operator to gather data at a granular level and combine everything into an omni-channel solution. We’re not providing the channels, it’s for the operators to decide which channels they want. Tey can interface with whoever they want to provide the best experience and to gather the best data.
Foundation provides the potential to gather all the data from every player activity. For example, we utilise Bluetooth to identify the player’s phone when we credit the slot machine. Te identification of the serial number on the mobile phone means that we can locate extra Bluetooth sensors around the property to recognise the most popular bar or restaurants of specific types of players. Foundation allows operators to use advanced tools to tailor their offerings to their players - even if they’re uncarded.
If 10 per cent of the casinos in the US install Foundation next year, what’s the potential for the solution ultimately in North America and globally?
We expect to secure a large footprint because we provide so much value and capability for the operator. It is such a light-weight solution that delivers so much. We are expecting to become the dominant systems provider in short-order. Te time-frame is three-years to grow that 10 per cent to a commanding share of the industry.
I think that for operators that want to control their data and implement omni-channel in a way that is customisable to their operations, we are the only solution. Everybody wants the App that connects the sportsbook to the iGaming offer, to the slots, restaurants and accommodation. Foundation is the only way to get everything they want.
“Right now we’re seeing multi-national media
companies looking to enter the gaming space, especially on the sports betting side in the US. Companies want end-to- end relationships with players and data changes everything. Where operators have used systems to host slots and table games to fulfil the
processes and procedures incumbent upon them, now they can take player data and combine it with any other service. ”
Noah Acres
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
