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For just about every industry, the last two decades have brought about technological advancements that have changed the landscape forever. While the gaming industry has moved at a slower pace, there is no doubt that we’ve seen technologies that have shaken up the industry.
In this article, we’ll cover what we think are five of the biggest technologies that are changing the gaming industry in major ways.
The online experience
Online casinos are about to mark their 25th birthday and with a predicted market value of $94.4 billion by 2024, there’s no doubt this technology has changed the industry. It’s not hard to understand why online casinos have been so popular. This technology has made it possible to play countless games from the comfort of our own homes or while standing in line at the store. And for the industry, this technology opened up the floodgates for new ways to implement loyalty and reward programs to keep players playing. And the invention – and proliferation – of smartphones only served to skyrocket online casino games as people were able to play from any location, at any time. It’s not an overstatement that online casino games introduced a whole new generation of players to gambling.
Access to player data
Data collected from casino games holds invaluable information that can improve both the customer experience and the bottom line for casinos. Unfortunately, for many decades, this data has been difficult (and expensive) for casinos to access with legacy vendors, creating a stagnancy in gaming technology. That’s why we created Foundation, our game-changing technology which allows casinos to access real-time data from every slot machine to a transaction engine that can interface with any other data source, allowing a new dynamic between real-world and in-game events. Casinos can optimize the gaming experience by changing the credit meter balance on any game, for any reason, at any time. With our technology, the control is back in the hands of the casino so they can leverage the power of data to target bonuses to specific players or floor-wide, send rewards in the midst of a losing streak to ensure long-term brand loyalty, and send in-game promotions or add-ons to any display, mobile device, or sound system.
VR and augmented reality
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are hot trends that most of us have at least heard of – even if we don’t fully understand the technology. A few online casinos have adopted this technology and offer wearable capabilities with their online games. These games offer a blend of video game graphics with real-life interactions that can superimpose digital images onto objects in the real world. VR and AR have the potential to turn any room in your house into a high-rolling blackjack table or personal slot machine and to revolutionize the way we play casino games.
Smart safety systems
Crime prevention and player safety has always been a focus for casinos. Whether it’s crimes that can affect a casino’s bottom line (such as counting cards) or a player’s well-being (such as robbery after a big win), technology can play a critical role in keeping everyone safe. Casinos have long used video surveillance to keep an eye on the floor, but in recent years, that eye has been getting smarter. Advancements such as facial recognition scanners help casinos identify known criminals before they have a chance to do harm and they can even pick up license plates to prevent them from entering a casino. Some high-end tech can even help casinos put a stop to card switching and the use of counterfeit chips.
Predictive analytics
As we mentioned earlier, data can be a critical element for casinos to leverage and another dimension is the ability to predict player behavior. This technology can help create new games tailored to existing customers and help casinos craft effective strategies for bringing in new customers. At a time when the casino industry’s primary customers are aging out, this is imperative in understanding how to attract a new generation of players.
There is more to come
These five technologies are just the tip of the iceberg and we believe that even more game-changing evolutions are coming. At Acres, one of our goals is to reinvigorate the industry with the innovation and ideas needed to serve the player of today and tomorrow. That’s why we launched the Foundation App Store to foster an environment for any developer to provide applications for any slot machine or table game to keep changing – and improving – the casino industry.
Visit https://acreslive.wpengine.com/ to learn more about how we’re changing the face of the casino industry.
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