G2E Vegas 2019 is now in its third day at the Sands Expo and still buzzing, even though most of the celeb appearances and reveals are now behind us. Thousands of gambling industry professionals are here to learn and find new ways to build their businesses, while enjoying all the extracurricular activities Las Vegas has to offer.
As our loyal readers already know, we at CalvinAyre.com are firm believers in blockchain technology – especially Bitcoin SV technology – and clearly see the benefits for the gambling industry. However, if and how to utilize blockchain technology remains a grey area for the majority of gambling professionals and they have yet to learn about the innovative ways in which they can use it.
Here at G2E we spoke with BitBoss, the creator of “Bridge technology”, a simple, agnostic and reasonably priced hardware device that can be installed in a slot machine, allowing casinos to seamlessly route crypto currency or credits on and off the machine into a mobile based wallet.
The Bridge technology also enables casinos to collect customer data, therefore introducing new and innovative ways to market to their customers.
“So that’s really why we developed it, because we think there’s a huge divide right now between mobile app adoption and the players”, BitBoss’s CEO and Co-founder Matt Dickson told CalvinAyre.com.
“We think that the casinos do need an app that has utility and because we can replace TITO (ticket in, ticket out) ticketing, just like TITO replaced coins, we think that the mobile app will eventually replace TITO”, he said.
“But instead of having it in an inanimate ticket, a TITO ticket, now you have a wallet-based solution, a mobile based solution and you can connect with your players in a much easier fashion and help to move them online as well”, Dickson added.
Unikrn, an example of a company that does understand the power of blockchain, sits rights at the intersection of eSports, blockchain and regulated real money gambling, with CEO Rahul Sood at the helm.
CalvinAyre.com spoke with Sood about Unikrn’s crypto wallet and how it provides customers with a way to use crypto other than simply trading and holding. We also discussed Unikrn’s latest innovations in eSports and sports betting.
“We also added virtual betting, so basically we take historical matches and we put them through an RNG, a random number generator, and we let people bet 24/7 on historical matches, it’s a virtual betting game that we created on multiple titles”, Sood shared.
“And then we let people watch their favorite streamer, if you have a favorite streamer, a streamer that streams on Twitch or Mixer, you can come to the Unikrn platform, you may see the streamer on the platform and you can bet live on their stream while they are streaming on outcomes of the game”, he added.
As one of Nevada’s experts in the space, UNLV’s Robert Rippee delivered a fascinating presentation on why casinos can and must develop a strategy for engaging millennials, otherwise they will be left behind.
Rippee also provided examples of companies and events that are doing a good job in engaging the younger generation and how gambling companies can determine what changes need to be made to their casino floors and products in order to appeal to the sector.
“My first tip is to study the generation. Not make assumptions. And certainly not study it as a baby boomer studying a millennial”, Rippee advised.
“I need insight from them. I need to see the world through the lens of their eye. And you do that by interacting with them, by researching, but looking at things that are powerful and popular with them and then understanding why”, Rippee said.
“Why are music festivals so powerful with young people? What is the attraction of them? What do they get out of it in terms of hedonic benefits, economic benefits, that appeals to them, to keep coming back over and over again?”, he added.
“Or the paradigm of eSports. Why is this such a big phenomenon? So understanding what it is about game play and interaction and online social interaction is the key for any operator to begin”, he said.
An example of a company that is leading the way in engaging the younger generation on the casino floor is GameCo, a game developer focused on the intersection of the video game and real money gambling space.
“We did just start our Nevada field trial, its such a huge accomplishment for GameCo, as a start-up in the regulated gambling industry. We have games out now at Caesars Link Property, MGM Grand, Park MGM and Atlantis Casino Resorts up in Reno”, GameCo’s Co-Founder and CEO Blaine Graboyes shared with CalvinAyre.com.
“And we have two games that are out, one is called ‘Nothin but Net 2’and the other is called ‘All-Star Hoops’, both basketball themed games but with different game play. They are both video game gambling games. So it is not a slot machine in any way. You’re playing a real video game for real money on the casino floor”, he said.
“And both of them are highly skill-based as well, so skill players are going to make more money than regular players on the floor, but importantly, the house still has the advantage”, Graboyes added.