74 / 84
74
// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // November/December 2016
caesars trying to
attract younger
gamblers with
skill-based games
Trying to counteract a declining trend
in slot-machine betting, Caesars En-
tertainment Corp. is launching a new
generation of devices in its casinos that
resemble the mobile games people play
on their smart phones.
Betting on slot machines decreased
to $291 billion in 2014 from a peak
of $355 billion in 2007, accord-
ing to the Association of Gaming
Equipment Manufacturers. A slow
economy is partially responsible for
the decline, but casino operators also
insist that young adults—the coveted
millennial players—don’t engage
with slots with the same affinity as
their parents and grandparents.
The new style of games reward players
based on a combination of a cus-
tomer’s skill and luck, an important
evolution in pay-outs that required
revisions in traditional casino regula-
tions. Caesars plans to install six new
devices, enough for 25 players, in
its Harrah’s resort near San Diego in
2016 and as many as 36 machines in
its Las Vegas properties next year.
Casinos are hopeful that the new
machines will not be easily con-
quered by highly skilled players.
Some game designers create series
of small wins rather than one big
jackpot; others make their games
progressively more difficult as the
players achieve higher scores.
The games constitute a way for
casinos to compete against simple,
addictive games like Candy Crush
that have proliferated on smart
phones.
“Our world has shifted,”
said
Melissa Price, Caesars’ senior vice
president of gaming.
“There are a lot
of entertainment opportunities that
don’t always exist at the casino.”
igt and think&go to
showcase world’s first
lottery application on
cashless payment screen
at naspl and wls
Utilizing Ingenico Group’s Think&Go
patented technology, IGT will demon-
strate how contactless technology can
make payments seamless for lottery
players. Using innovative self-service
kiosk technology, players collect and
pay for lottery tickets by simply waving
a NFC-enabled payment card or device
at the IGT Connected Screen. The
integration of Ingenico’s secure pay-
ment technology into connected screens
enables merchants to interact with
their consumers in creative ways, while
enabling frictionless purchases virtually
anywhere via contactless payment card
or NFC-enabled mobile wallets.
“This
is yet another example of IGT working
together with innovative companies. We’re
excited to collaborate with Ingenico Group
and Think&Go to debut the Connected
Screen at our NASPL andWLS confer-
ences in Atlanta and Singapore,”
said
Marco Tasso, IGT Senior Vice President
of Product Marketing, Lottery.
n.c. education lottery’s
new brand signals new
era—updated logo rolls
out with new technology,
enhanced experiences
It’s about more than a make-over. The
brand evolution coincides with up-
grades to state-of-the-industry technol-
ogy that delivers enhanced consumer
experiences in stores and online.
the kentucky lottery
corp. board hires a lou-
isville-based, executive-
search firm, the oliver
group, to help find a new
chief executive officer,
following the recent
death of the agency’s
long-time staff chief,
arch gleason.
instant win gaming com-
pletes first rgs integra-
tion onto a us lottery
with michigan lottery
The first Remote Game Server
(RGS) integration onto a US lottery
opens up a pipeline of innovative,
fresh content for US lotteries to
complement their existing products.
IWG has been a service provider
and supplier of content to lotteries
for over 10 years, producing and de-
livering more than 300 high quality
instant win games on desktop and
mobile, as well as providing valuable
strategic and marketing support. It
has the ability to deliver top sell-
ing, engaging content in multiple
regulated jurisdictions from an RGS
network that covers North America,
Canada and Europe.
Rhydian Fisher, CEO at IWG, said:
“This really does open up some unique
content for US lottery players. There is
huge demand for instant win content in
addition to the traditional lottery prod-
ucts and we’re passionate about deliver-
ing the very best instant win games that
entertain and engage players.”
Jason Lisiecki, Digital Products
Director at the Michigan Lottery,
added:
“We are excited about offering
our players the new and exciting games
provided by IWG. Our integration via
an RGS means that we have quick ac-
cess to the entire library of IWG games.
Their products will be a great comple-
ment to our existing online games port-
folio and we expect them to be popular
with players.”
IWG has provided content to the UK
lottery for more than 10 years and has
entire portfolios live in lotteries across
Europe, Canada and the USA.
atlantic lotto to launch
lottery ticket vending
machines