internationalcasinoreview
2012 Report Software as a
Service - get used to the idea, it will be a huge feature not only in computing. IGT is bringing this cutting edge technology to the casino floor, providing truly cost- effective solutions for operators of any size.
cloudscope IGT
With regulatory regimes that often can’t keep up, the casino industry is renowned for being behind the curve when it comes to using the latest technology. However, in recent years IGT has been pushing the boundaries con- siderably in terms of net- working, integrating off- and online gaming content and offering entertaining games using stunning screen tech- nologies. Larger operators that can
afford the networking systems have benefited most, perhaps, but IGT’s newest product, IGT Cloud, allows operators of all sizes to tap into all the efficiencies of dynamic gaming floor man- agement through just a couple of discreet routers, together about the size of a shoebox.
IGT Cloud works by holding all the software and applications remotely in secure locations accessed through the internet: for the operator, however, the per- ception is that everything is right there on site. “There are just two bits of kit that casinos have to install,” said IGT’s chief tech- nology officer Chris Satchell, “one router and one WAN accelerator. The system is based on HTML 5, which is supplied from the Cloud, so that any updates happen automatically and everyone gets them at the same time. It will revolutionise how casino floors are managed and opti- mised today and in the future. This is a transformative service that will give opera- tors new opportunities to offer dynamic player experi- ence and maximise floor- wide performance.” ‘Service’ is the key word
here - or to use the jargon, Software as a Service (SaaS). This pay-as-you go modular product, gives operators access to IGT’s enormous library of games through the Floor Manager module of its sbX system, as well as with IGT’s Casinolink system. It will work immediately on IGT’s sbX-ready machines and on any video machine
20 March 2012 •ICEreport
Elvis the King, one of IGT’s stand highlights
IGT’s chief technology officer Chris Satchell with the new IGT Cloud
IGT’s Big Buck Hunter in Europe for the first time
also in demography. A really enjoyable example of that is in IGT’s Reel Edge series, based on Japanese pachisuro games: three titles new to the European market were on display, including Atari Centipede and Spin Devil. These slot, which allow players to use a joystick both to stop the wheels and to play the genuinely skill-based bonus games, are designed to appeal to a younger genera- tion - IGT identifies a 21-44 age group - who have been brought up with arcade games and home consoles. Judging by the number people who were spending a lot of time playing, especially Centipede, the company is on to a good thing. The demographics that Elvis the King will appeal to are pretty wide, perhaps, but the experience is great. “This package is so much
IGT’s Will Foster crowded out by players of Reel Edge Atari Centipede
Feet on the ground, head in the Cloud
equipped with the company’s Universal Gaming Adaptor. Importantly, it can also provide access to effi- ciency-driving programs, such as sbX Analytics, which generates detailed real-time reports about the function- ing of the gaming floor, allow- ing managers to optimise the games available in an instant. The applications available
through the Service Window module also allow the casino to provide superior service to their customers, ordering drinks, booking show tickets etc.
“It puts operators right at the cutting edge of technol- ogy,” said Satchell. As everything happens
through the Cloud, it means that the casino management can access all the dynamic functions through a mobile device, such as an iPad, releas- ing them to make sure that their customers are happy. Managers can be alerted to players, carded or uncarded, who are playing big, allowing them to be approached with instant rewards or gifts. If a group comes into the casino, managers can also have the flexibility to offer tourna- ments - players can even set
up private tournaments between themselves, on demand through the service window.
The software and the con- nection are all securely encrypted and backed up and the hardware that runs it all is more guarded that than Fort Knox.
The system is already installed in the Gala Casino in Liverpool in the UK and at Casino Évian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva in France through the Cloud Partner Programme, announced in December,
which also
involves Olympic Casinos and Codere. If there’s an over-arching theme to IGT’s strategy, it is a focus on the detail of opera- tions and the customer expe- rience. IGT Cloud was the headline product at ICE but the company is also investing a huge amount in devising games that are, in its words, ‘market attuned’. “We’ve invested a huge amount in market research initially in six countries,” said Craig Churchill, SVP of IGT International. “In a couple of those countries, we’ve really gone into what players like and don’t like in consider-
able depth, looking at maths, game dynamics and architec- ture rather than just themes. And we’ve found that it’s not just one big segment of players, but five or six, and globally we reckon there are about ten to 15 sub-seg- ments. That kind of informa- tion means we have deep knowledge about what the end-customer wants and it means we can make sure we are getting the right products to the right players. I don’t think anyone else has done anything like that before.” This research has resulted
in new platforms and con- cepts that are keenly targeted but still highly flexible. For example, the company is soon to release the Rapid Progressives platform. “It’s still fairly new,” said
IGT’s Will Foster. “It’s a key part of our localisation strat- egy and will become the workhorse for our interna- tional markets offering multi- language options and specific themes. Multilevel progressives will also be based on this platform, which is also adaptable for local pref- erences in terms of volatility and bonuses etc.” Market attunement has
resulted in a new family of games targeted at the still- growing slot segment in Asia, including titles such as Azure Dragon, Pearl Dragon and Eastern Gems, many of which appear in IGT’s stunning Bluechip Neo cabinet. “We’ve taken games from the US library that meet the Asian requirements in terms of the maths and getting them adapted in terms not only of symbols but also of language - throughout the game, not just at the surface as many manufacturers have done in the past,” said Foster. For the Latin American
markets, the company has devised new games, such as Carnaval Riches, Dia de Muertos and Huevocartoon, OnCore progressives that use heavily-themed graphics packages that celebrate favourite holidays in the region and, in the latter case, the phenomenally popular animated sensation from Mexico. For the European and South African markets it has come up with region-spe- cific titles such as the Jekyll & Hyde Video Reel. However, the idea of
market attuned games goes far beyond geography but
more different and better than previous iterations,” said Foster. “It really captures the essence of Elvis’s music and voice. And real fans can find out titbits of information about Elvis while they are playing.” With different Elvis tracks linked to different bonuses, along with a chair featuring speakers offering superb sur- round sound, it’s an immer- sive experience. Perhaps the most evident
demographic market attune- ment comes in the shape of the hugely successful Sex and the City range of slots. “It’s been great for IGT; it has performed well above average everywhere,” said Foster. “It’s such a recognised brand so perhaps that’s why, as we’ve found, it doesn’t just appeal to women but to a sig- nificant number of men as well.”
On the same lines, Big Buck
Hunter, which encourages players to get out of their seats to take a pot shot at game in the forest, should appeal more or less exclu- sively to men. “Women are loving this game too,” said Foster. “It’s something different and like the Reel Edge series it offers a lot of skill gaming. In fact we are looking to develop a version that does without the base game altogether.”
Craig Churchill, senior vice president of IGT International
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