Bart Lewin thrives on mobility, and he seems to be always on the move.
The engineering and technology expert has served the gaming industry for 25 years, from numerous vantage points. He held executive roles for IGT and Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. and performed consulting engagements for Las Vegas Sands and TableMax. Lewin also co-founded marketing software company DataDesigns Inc. and remained its chief technology officer after it was acquired by Group 1 Software.
The Los Angeles native and Las Vegas resident concluded one of his most successful campaigns in 2012. As both CEO and CTO at Las Vegas-based NEWave, Lewin helped re-brand the company. NEWave more than doubled its sales and installations to historic levels, he says. It also improved software installation and training processes, while updating technology development platforms closer to industry standard.
One of the company’s newest innovations, Mobile, was named a Best Productivity-Enhancement Technology in Global Gaming Business magazine’s 11th Annual Gaming & Technology Awards.
Lewin helped elevate NEWave, and then left when his contract expired on September 1.
“My job was to build up the company and get it ready to sell over the period of 18 months,” Lewin says. “But what often happens is it becomes profitable and the new owner says, ‘Why sell it? I’ll run it myself.’ That’s understandable. The parting was amicable.
“I had always been on the technology side only. NEWave gave me a chance to run the business and take full responsibility for it. I was proud of that.”
Lewin’s newest wave entails consulting and a fresh interpretation of “mobility.” This time it means mobile applications, a lucrative treasure trove throughout gaming. The apps are an industry rage, bearing a dot-com-like industry excitement level. Their potential appears limitless.
Casino operators rush to integrate this technology into their bottom line. Apps can be used for games, promotional couponing, ticket redemption and marketing. They can also provide previously unheard-of customer service.
“Here, the mobile technology can be placed in the hands of every employee and consumer,” Lewin says. “Casinos can become more self-service; if a customer wins a jackpot, a lot of the paperwork and information for the payouts can be done right on the device, rather than with an employee.
“Now you can also bet with your buddies in the casino on the next play in a football game. I call all of this ‘disruptive’ technology. It’s disruptive because it changes the way we think about things. More mobile devices have been sold than anything in the history of mankind. It’s a ubiquitous device. You can play games on it, use it for directions in your car; all kinds of functions, knowledge and capabilities are at your fingertips.”
Companies rush just as quickly to service the casino industry, but many need help to determine their path.
In 2013, Lewin figures to help small companies perfect the mobile app they wish to sell to this fertile market. They can retain him without having to pay a chief technology officer.
