Our blog & Case Studies

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Technical support is critical to success in the ever-evolving landscape of business. Merely solving technical issues, however, is a missed opportunity. Every interaction is an opportunity to build a lasting and positive relationship with your customers. It is also an opportunity to become proactive to positively impact the customer experience. Let’s dive into why customer success is the cornerstone of any successful technical support team.

I have been an AI developer, integrator and tutor for over 15 years. Several years were spent working with various Federal Agencies implementing AI, and commercial providers of AI services. Since entering the gaming space, particularly the brick-and-mortar segment, l had yet to experience the magnitude of vendor AI misrepresentation that is present and growing in the gaming space. This is not true of all gaming space vendors, and seems concentrated in the analytical services sector. This is troublesome. At a minimum, it is unethical, but worse, it may bring harm to unwary resort casino operators and their guests.

To remain competitive in an era of unprecedented technological change, every business must adapt and embrace innovation. Unlike many other industries, the resort casino business has thrived without having to rely on technology advancements.

Although there are some enlightened properties out there testing and using some form of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), it is time for the resort casino business to recognize, understand and embrace the immense potential of AI/ML to enhance revenues and optimize operations. 

At VizExplorer, we are dedicated to educating the casino gaming industry about the potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML). Our goal is to raise awareness about AI/ML, address questions regarding its adoption, and outline how this technology can be leveraged to ultimately increase profits. Another goal is to clear the air of misinformation being peddled by various parties in this industry.

What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)? A basic definition of AI/ML is that it is the application of mathematics and software that creates and enables systems to learn for themselves directly from data and/or experience. These algorithms receive, process and output data, which can be used directly for decision making or as input by another AI/ML algorithm.

December 23, 2021 Las Vegas, NV – 2021 is almost over and it has been an extraordinary twelve months. We began the year still in the throes of COVID with record case levels, but there was hope on the horizon as vaccines were released to the public just a couple of weeks before we rang in the new year. We end the year with COVID headlining the news again, but with life having returned almost to normal for many of us.

Gaming revenues surged. Gaming stocks surged then retreated. Cashless solutions and iGaming continue to gain traction. Sports betting continued to grab headlines and is now legal in 26 states plus Washington, DC. We got back to in-person conferences with NIGA in July and continued through G2E in October and SBC in December.

At the start of this case study series, we introduced you to a Pacific Northwest-based casino that was looking to streamline and automate the process of analyzing slot performance and player preference data to make game change decisions that would optimize their revenue potential on the casino floor.

After choosing VizExplorer’s Slot Recommendation Engine (SRE) to drive efficiencies with the analysis process and increase floor performance, the casino had a successful first slot project. The 12-unit change yielded an average project lift of +91%, and the aggregated one-month total net lift provided an ROI that covered the monthly cost of SRE 17x over.

In the first post of this case study series, ‘Recommendations to Reality: Using Automated Analysis to Drive Slot Performance,’ we covered how one Pacific Northwest-based casino was looking for a new way to make more informed game change decisions. To enhance the effectiveness of the analysis process and drive better floor performance, the casino’s data analytics team decided to leverage VizExplorer’s Slot Recommendation Engine (SRE). And, after confirming that SRE worked as promised, the casino was ready to put SRE to the test and take advantage of the game change recommendations it provided.

So Much Data, So Little Time

With more than 1,500 slot machines, one Pacific Northwest-based casino makes hundreds of game changes each year to optimize the casino floor. However, even with a strong data analytics team and technology solutions to help with data extraction, reporting and visualization, running the analyses to inform the game change decisions is time-consuming and resource-intensive. 

In the new COVID-19 Social Distancing world there will be several decisions that need to be made when it comes to Slot Floor Layouts. How do we choose what games to leave up for play and what games to shut down? How do we optimize our existing floor space while adhering to social distancing guidelines? The good news is Slot Players have been self-social distancing for years and that gives us clues as to what may work best going forward. In this article we discuss options for effectively utilizing the physical space in your slot layouts to maximize player experience, comfort, and the feeling of safety.

As we gear up to reopen the doors, how do we strategically target players based on what we believe will be the new normal? What does social distancing look like in our casino? How does this affect the outlets and amenities? These are just a few questions that everyone is asking. We live in a world that is driven by data and these answers are within the Player Development Teams grasp. How can they leverage data to answer these questions in relation to our VIPs? There are 3 main areas Player Development teams can focus on in preparation for the new normal.

Date Parting Marketing Efforts

Continuing in our Reopening Strategy Series, we take a look at our options for direct marketing to Players. The primary goal of marketing is to change customer behavior. Doing so will be key as we will likely have some limitation on the number of Players we can have in our Casino at any given point in time. With that understanding we look to ensure we have the best Players there at the best times.

As we look toward reopening and developing a strategy that complies with the inevitable requirement of social distancing, you can leverage data driven insights to ensure that you have the right games for the right customers when you reopen your doors. In the short term, you will almost certainly have limited game options, the question is how do you best determine what games to disable and what games to leave in service?

As we all visualize what we need to do to ramp back up operations there are still a lot more questions than answers. The upcoming series of communications is meant to be a thought-provoking guide of possible strategic initiatives and how to use data more effectively in your reopening strategy and decision making. There will be several follow up articles and best practice sessions that will dive into more detail on specific topics but the 2 main points of focus will be:

Wanting to make better decisions based 

Unleashing the power of VizExplorer’s Slot Recommendation Engine (SRE), a Pacific Northwest-based casino optimized its casino floor through recommended game changes that saved the casino time and money while increasing gaming revenue.

Wanting to make better decisions based on all the available data, the casino looked for an automated solutionto analyze slot performance and player data and provide recommendations to identify new revenuegenerating opportunities on the casino floor.

Engaging with VizExplorer and leveraging its Player Development solutions, a midwestern tribal casino optimized its Player Development (PD) in a highly competitive market to generate a significant growth in VIP revenue.

The casino needed an automated CRM solution that enhanced internal processes and provided actionable insights to drive incremental revenue.