What’s new in the gaming industry? A better question might be: What’s not new?
In just a few years, revolutionary digital and mobile technologies have disrupted gaming in ways that are both promising and a little unsettling. How can operators harness these technologies to lure a new generation of customers, yet continue to support the existing infrastructure—the bricks-and-mortar operations that have flourished for generations?
Casino Technology’s Big 5 suite of systems, back in the spotlight at G2E, has become a cornerstone of many operations, offering a turn-key solution for land-based operators in the digital age, says Vice President Rossi McKee.
“The Big 5 provides the backbone of a seamless, omni-channel operation and player experience,” says McKee. “During the past 12 months, we’ve completed successfully several installations of the full set of systems, so brick-and-mortar environments and online, virtual environments can work seamlessly using a common player’s wallet, common promotions system, common jackpots and common set of games.”
Play Nice Together
With its U.S licensee, Alternative Gaming Solutions, Inc. (Alto Gaming), Casino Technology will demonstrate the next generation of the omni-channel solution.
It includes Rhino casino management, which improves management and operational processes; the Leopard online gaming platform, which lets operators and players choose among multiple games and products and integrates into a single casino lobby and wallet; the Lion money management system, which enables cash-in/cash-out transactions from physical cash to electronic money in a closed-loop environment; the Elephant remote game server, which can distribute content for video slots, bingo and roulette plus virtual sports, sports betting, and live games to all channels; and the Buffalo universal jackpot server, which links online and land-based machines to the same jackpot.
In 2015, the Big 5 “reached new levels of convergence,” McKee adds, “linking thousands of slot machines and multiple servers” in the Bulgarian company’s core markets in Europe, Eurasia and Latin America. In 2016, almost 5,000 slot machines are linked to the Rhino system in casino and gaming clubs in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
Multiple online operators across Europe are using the company’s games through the remote game server Elephant—that includes not only Casino Technology games but also a portfolio from other providers integrated via the Elephant system.
Casino Technology has also deployed its games over several social gaming platforms, with more in the offing. “This complements the Big 5 concept, allowing players to play for fun and gain rewards to be used in the real casino,” McKee notes. “The demand has to be filled with compelling content and innovative solutions, offering all players an exciting and immersive gaming experience.”
To address the rise in online and mobile players, the company will launch new games both in HTML5 and Flash, boosting its portfolio to more than 200 games for 2017. “Bearing in mind the global trends in mobile apps that influence customer behavior, we understand that user experience is king, and it needs to be constantly enriched and diversified,” says McKee. “At G2E, we will demonstrate new features and improvements on the interface and jackpot selection for online and mobile, and also improved usability, faster navigation and more fluent experience on the mobile gaming device.”
Start Your Engines
Also at G2E, Casino Technology will present slot games for online and mobile users embedded in the unique cabinet presentation of its Arch slot machine. Visit Alto Gaming Booth No. 2046 for the Hot Rod slot machine and the Gamopolis Arch video slot products, specifically tailored for North America.
Alto Gaming will showcase slot games already installed in North America Class III properties, including Wild Sunrise and Jungle Fortune, as well as other games selected from Casino Technology dedicated to the North American market. The slot titles will be certified for a number of tribal jurisdictions, allowing more positioning and placement in the coming year, says McKee.
A showpiece at G2E will be the branded Hot Rod Slot machine in the Arch cabinet, with a 42-inch horizontally positioned, curved monitor and detachable customized seat and front that resemble hot rods of the 1960s.
The product was specifically designed to fit different footprints with multiple configurations, including the full-size car-like slot machine, a compact-car configuration, and a standalone version.
Since its official launch in early 2016, the Arch slot machine has seen numerous installations with the specially developed multi-game suite Gamopolis Arch; the products will soon be available for South America, Asia and North America.
A key part of the presentation at G2E will be the progressive four-level link Eight Peacocks, which will be offered as a multi-game link with five game titles: Peacock and Dragon, Great Warlord, Five Blessings, Magic Pearl and Peacock and Clover.
The titles will be available for the North American market and for customers in Asia, including Korea, Cambodia, Macau and the Philippines.
As the gaming landscape continues to shift, games are increasingly available in virtual formats, and traditional methods are reconfigured, one thing remains the same, says McKee—“the need for compelling content and innovative solutions that offer all players an exciting and immersive gaming experience.
“As online and land-based systems converge, we need state-of-the-art solutions that allow players to access their account from any place, anywhere, while the operators have the ability to monitor and make effective business analysis of players’ behavior and casino results.
“As part of our business philosophy, we strongly appreciate client feedback. And the message to us is more than encouraging, which makes us determined to walk on the road of converging to link the gaming world.”
