The gaming companies to observe in 2015

In business as in sports, it’s the front-runners that have a tendency to garner all of the attention.

For the North American gaming product marketplace, where slot machines stay the alpha devices, a large number of time and a spotlight is dedicated to gaming machine suppliers, especially in a year that has not just seen a plethora of recent concepts and technology but additionally an unprecedented amount of merger activity a number of the segment’s largest movers and shakers.

Lost on this shuffle is the progress made by many emerging gaming suppliers who've either introduced or improved cutting-edge products and technologies that experience the prospective to radically change an operator’s business practices and final analysis. Here’s a rundown of a few of the nascent gaming companies that made a touch over the last year and bear watching in 2015, organized by product category.

ANALYTICS

In an increasingly competitive gaming marketplace, operators are constantly seeking how you can both attract new customers and get more revenue from existing clientele. To perform these tasks, casinos are increasingly turning to analytics providers with systems that may parse Big Data into actionable information and actions that help overall profitability.

One such analytics provider that has made news recently is Duetto, a San Francisco-based firm that delivers dynamic, intelligent revenue strategy solutions to the world’s leading hotels, letting them maximize profits through superior, actionable data to higher manage pricing, revenue and business mix decisions.

Duetto has established a toehold within the casino industry with its recently introduced GameChanger solution, a comprehensive revenue strategy application designed by industry veterans that meets the original needs of casino resorts. Delivering unparalleled flexibility and control, GameChanger ensures casino hotels always select and retain their most profitable customers, accounting for dynamic demand, occupancy and segment volumes, independently assessed by each individual customer segment, room type, offer or discount. Ultimately, GameChanger is designed to offer casino hotels having the ability to price all room types, channels and dates independent of 1 another—a great tool for hotels and resorts with a broad range of rooms and rates.

GameChanger evidently impressed Konami Gaming, which integrated the answer into its SYNKROS gaming enterprise management system earlier this year. Recent product placements include Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which installed GameChanger last month.

“We are excited to work with Duetto to leverage the wealthy customer data provided by GameChanger, which incorporates gaming in addition to non-gaming spend,” said Jared Saft, vice chairman hotel sales & marketing for Westgate. “Our resort has numerous room types and a novel mixture of customers, and GameChanger offers us the facility to worth by customer segment and on the room type level, bringing us some great benefits of ‘open pricing.’”

Another analytics-oriented company causing a stir of late is eConnect, a Las Vegas-based software company within the Big Data industry which mixes financial transactions and behavioral analysis with visual verification. That is accomplished by synchronizing transactional data from point-of-sale (POS), casino systems and other disparate data sources with digital video surveillance, producing true business intelligence and advanced knowledge to assist business operators improve profitability.

eConnect’s forte is its ability to detect both internal and external fraud, in keeping with company literature. eConnect will associate a property’s surveillance video with POS data within the cloud and build exception-based triggers to alert the management team when suspicious transactions are occurring. Operators even have access to reports and behavioral intelligence if you want to show which employees must be spoken to, retrained or terminated.

Recent additions to the eConnect portfolio give it capabilities beyond fraud protection. For example, the eCounter is a brand new people analytics system. It operates through the use of standard cameras to spot changes within video to inform operators what number of people are in line and the way long they’ve been waiting.  The technology can also be operated in stand-alone mode or at the side of the POS Connect system to enhance revenue, customer support and optimize labor. Meanwhile, the Pace of Play add-on allows casino operators to enhance revenue and table performance on nearly all table games. Again, using existing cameras, the system will conduct table game analysis in real-time, predicting and analyzing video data so gaming operators could make important business decision after they matter most.

“The software systems we unveiled at G2E will immediately increase casino and business profits through their ability to improve pace of play and those counting,” said Chris Swanger, vice chairman of commercial development for eConnect. “Business owners who depend on customer support see the profit applications are enormous.”

The ability to crunch data from a variety of consumer touchpoints is core to a variety of analytics systems, however the ability to try this in a streamlined fashion is among the reasons Cupertino, Calif.-based Opticityis creating a name for itself within the casino world. Opticity provides its “Marketing-Ready Data” on to managers, eliminating the will for expensive business intelligence programs, or SQL queries and Excel heroics. It joins player tracking, hotel, POS and kiosk data together, and enables self-service reporting and information analysis.

Designed specifically for casinos, Opticity offers an inexpensive alternative to the information warehouse offerings of bigger casino software vendors, consistent with company press materials. The platform, developed by a team of leading experts in all facets of information science and business intelligence, is robust, accurate and highly secure. It has also proven well-liked by Biloxi, Miss.-based Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel, which selected Opticity’s data warehouse and customer relationship management service earlier this year. Having already achieved strong growth in recent years, Treasure Bay is asking to Opticity to realize a competitive advantage so that they can position the valuables for continued success in an increasingly competitive market.

“When we saw Opticity we knew immediately it was what we’ve been missing,” said Ryan Meister, director of promoting for Treasure Bay.  “It combines data from several systems making a complete view of our marketing efforts. It gives us the answers we have to make decisions in line with facts and cumulative player data.”

CASH HANDLING

The continuing evolution of both Internet and mobile technologies has forced gaming properties to become more flexible relating to marketing and communicating with customers. These advancements have also forced properties to enhance the best way they accept and handle monetary transactions, as casino patrons press for the power to wager and settle accounts electronically through computers and iPhones.

Fortunately for casino operators, financial companies equivalent to Vantiv Gaming Solutionsare offering services to assist ease this cash handling transition. A 40-year veteran within the payments industry, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Vantiv offers comprehensive, scalable and customizable cash processing solutions that run on a single, proprietary platform and are built to improve the total customer experience beyond just traditional services such to incorporate iGaming, mobile gaming, cashless gaming, prepaid and alternative payments acceptance. Indeed, Vantiv claims to be the primary payments processor to enable a legal online transaction in U.S. gaming history; and feature the experience and expertise had to help gaming operators navigate the challenges of this market.

Over the past few years, Vantiv has taken steps to reinforce these cutting-edge payment channels, by acquiring companies and businesses similar to Litle & Co., a Lowell, Mass.-based payment processor focusing on eCommerce and card-not-present transactions, and partnering with firms akin to AT&T to provide an innovative suite of mobile products including Vantiv Mobile Accept and Vantiv Mobile Checkout—products so we can deliver highly secure, integrated and speedy on-the-spot mobile transactions to businesses of all sizes.

Another payment service and technology company trying to break big into the gaming space is Atlanta, Ga.-basedFirst Data. The company, which made its bones providing secure and innovative payment technology and services to greater than six million merchants and monetary institutions across the world, from small businesses to the world’s largest corporations, launched its PayLucky Solution package for legalized online and offline gambling and gaming earlier this year. In keeping with company literature, PayLucky Solutions offer an innovative package of comprehensive payment services, multi function place and all from one source. Proven solutions include check, debit and credit processing with emphasis on protecting operators by qualifying players and guaranteeing players’ funds through third-party validation and analysis on individual spending habits.

“PayLucky takes the complexity out of managing multiple providers and creates a streamlined experience for the united states.. gambling market with built-in risk management protections for all parties,” said Jonathon O’Connor, general manager, online gambling and alternative markets for First Data at PayLucky Solution’s launch last July.

DiTRONICS, a Las Vegas-based supplier of player-centric funding and cash access solutions, may be addressing current casino needs with innovative new products. The company, which offers an integrated suite of money access products for casino operators who require multi-channel funding solutions for land-based, mobile and online gaming, has caught the attention of casino operators with its Transaction Rewards concept. In step with press materials, the Transaction Rewards personalized cash access program is a “first of its kind” solution that integrates DiTRONICS Cash Access applications directly with the casino’s loyalty program. The patent-pending features of Transaction Rewards allows operators to personalize cash access transactions and extend player’s club rewards by providing player-centric check cashing limits, automatic discounted transaction fees, redemption of club points and/or comp dollars to buy-down fees along side the awarding of points and comp dollars for completing various transactions.

Transaction Rewards found a house earlier this year on the Chinook Winds Casino Resort, Lincoln City, Ore. “We’re happy to partner with DiTRONICS to further enhance our guest experience,” said Eric Smileuske, director of selling for Chinook Winds Casino Resort in a prepared statement. “DiTRONICS’ new Transaction Rewards allows our guests to soundly access their funds and we will reward them much more during those processes. We adore it and our customers will too.”

GAMES & SYSTEMS

Slot machines and table games haven't been resistant to the continued drumbeat of technological evolution. Bally Technologies, International Game Technology (IGT), Aristocrat Technologies, Konami Gaming, Aruze Gaming, Multimedia Games, GTECH, Ainsworth Game Technology, WMS and a number of alternative well-known, long-time casino game and system providers are constantly upgrading product lines to maintain pace with technological trends. However, there are lots of smaller, relatively new casino game, peripheral and systems suppliers which are also upgrading services for the casinos of today and tomorrow.

Leap Forward Gaming (LFG) is one such company. The Reno, Nev.-based firm focuses on the innovation, development, design, manufacture and operation of the SaffariNet multimedia ecosystem for land-based wagering markets. In step with company press materials, SaffariNet promises to revolutionize how gaming devices, peripherals, wide-area progressives, player-tracking systems, mobile devices and server-based systems communicate wirelessly and have interaction across casino floors.

A key to the SaffariNet package is Patron Display Interface (PDI), a scalable, low-cost, turn-key picture-in-picture solution that works seamlessly with all brands and generations of gaming machines and systems to develop, dynamically manage and present content to players. PDI offers targeted marketing and bonusing campaigns, progressives and seamlessly integrates with multiple player tracking and CRM systems. As a part of the patented SaffariNet ecosystem, PDI agnostically provides operators with high flexibility, and agile content production and implementation utilizing the newest web-based technologies.

Among the casinos utilizing SaffariNet is Las Vegas-based MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, which tapped into the system in 2013. “We are very happy with the strength, flexibility and agility of the SaffariNet ecosystem technology and the truth that MGM Grand is the primary Las Vegas casino to make use of this game-changing system,” said Tom Mikulich, senior vp of industrial development for MGM Resorts International when SaffariNet was installed on the MGM Grand. “MGM Resorts International properties have always embraced leading-edge technology that gives our players with added-value and improves operational efficiencies. We believe that the SaffariNet picture-in-picture solution has great promise, because it allows us to seamlessly customize real-time marketing campaigns without impacting existing machines and systems, all while minimizing operational interruption.”

Leap Forward Gaming’s growth plan isn't limited to the united states.. market. Earlier this year, LFG inked a take care of eBET Limited to distribute, sell, market and support SaffariNet within the Australian gaming market.

Table games have also seen an uptick in revenue generating and value saving new products. For example, Galaxy Gaming, the Las Vegas-based developer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative proprietary table games, state-of-the-art electronic wagering platforms and enhanced bonusing systems to land-based, riverboat, cruise ships and online casinos worldwide, recently introduced SpectrumVision, a brand new electronic security device designed to detect illegally marked cards and other fraudulent schemes. In keeping with company press materials, one prominent gaming regulatory agency has already used SpectrumVision’s leading-edge technology to help within the prosecution of a cheating suspect, and it's anticipated that the product might be time-honored not just by gaming regulators, but by casinos and poker rooms worldwide as a device to fight the increasing incidencesof unlawful card marking, not visible to the naked eye.

“Each of our products builds upon our capacity for creativity and our commitment to the cutting edge,” said Dean Barnett, sales manager for Galaxy Gaming. “The launch of SpectrumVision is not just a game-changer for Galaxy Gaming, but it surely can transform game security for the way forward for all of the industry.”

The company, which currently boasts an installed base of over 4,000 gaming tables located in over 500 casinos, also continues to develop traditional table games, debuting seven new premium table games at this year’s G2E. Galaxy Gaming also announced expansion into the French, South African and Czech Republic casino markets this year.

The past year was also very successful for Visualimits, the Henderson, Nev.-based pioneer and producer of intelligent table game signage. The company’s primary product is the VL-Focus, a singular two-sided 10.1-inch LCD display that includes customer-oriented content at the front screen, and a collection of table game management and analytics options at the back screen that faces the operator. In keeping with company literature, VL-Focus makes sense enough to detect every hand played at card games, adjust limits to entice more game play, protect tables in addition to communicate important marketing messages to players and pit staff.  The product also offers an extra revenue stream within the type of mutually agreeable third party advertisements that may run between games or when the table is idle.

The customer-facing features include the facility to focus on market and set limit increases, limit drops and custom rules where allowed; show sports ticker and regular TV programing, publically post game closing and no smoking/reserve notices, and a relocation function that may direct players to an active table game if the sport they're currently at is ready to near. The back screen that faces the table game operator can include functions reminiscent of dealer tap in, table statistics, pre-shift notices, surveillance and the power to playback the latest games to settle customer disputes, dining and drink requests, incident reporting, rating systems monitor and dealer check-in and check-out.

Operators too can chose to put in an analytics package as a way to examine data parsed by game type, shift, headcount, dealer and a number of different factors and categories. The analytics package also has the aptitude to generate customer reports.

ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

Of course, technology may be having a profound impact at the non-gaming aspects of the casino resort experience besides. Not surprisingly, numerous new solution suppliers have come to the fore to assist gaming properties take care of these challenges.

One such obstacle is the necessity to secure online channels from those seeking to swindle casino customers. Portland, Ore.-based iovation aims to help, with products that protect online businesses and their end users against fraud and abuse through a mix of advanced device identification, shared device reputation and real-time risk evaluation. In keeping with company literature, greater than 3,000 fraud managers representing global retail, financial services, insurance, social network, gaming and other companies leverage iovation’s database of two billion Internet devices and the relationships between them to figure out the extent of risk related to online transactions. The company’s device reputation database is the world’s largest, used to offer protection to greater than 10 million transactions and forestall a typical of 200,000 fraudulent activities every day.

One iovation product that has resonated with casino operators is Reputation Manager 360. Typically, identifying the device used to commit online fraud is a good solution to root out the crime—and one who iovation has offered its clients for years. What Reputation Manager 360 now offers within the fight against fraud is device reputation, a brand new layer of defense that builds upon device identification. It's the only solution available on the market today that takes an in-depth have a look at not just the device but in addition its history when used online, making a reputation score.

Reputation Manager 360 has won numerous technology awards and is continually being improved upon by the corporate. Recently, the system was given the power to simply accept compound business rules, allowing operators to create sophisticated rule combinations to evolve which fraud indicators they give the impression of being for, permitting them to adjust at a moment’s notice to a dynamic fraud environment. The corporate also introduced new features akin to mobile emulation detection, new device identification, a Tor detection service, and further rules for Real IP, and TrustScore—a service that highlights trustworthy customers.

Meanwhile, within the land-based realm, operators are gravitating toward devices and services that may improve customer relationship building and tracking within the resort enterprise; a space Playersoft Technologies, the Raymond, Calif.-based provider of technology products and software proven to grow player satisfaction has lived in for years. One of the vital company’s most successful and popular product lines is Mobile Enrollment, a system that scans driver’s licenses and state-issued identification from the united states.. and Canada, allowing casino staff to sign up new guests into the player club from anywhere at the casino floor using a specialized Apple iPod Touch. In keeping with company literature, Mobile Enrollment allows the casino the very best avenue to sign up new members which equates to larger player retention and more profitability for the resort operator. The system also features an offline mode allowing staff to achieve out to players at offsite events adding even greater reach and furthering the player’s experience to create a good impression of the extent of service that the casino is willing to provide.

Rocky Gap Casino Resort and Margaritaville Bossier City are two recently-opened properties that utilize Mobile Enrollment. Aristocrat Technologies also agreed so as to add Mobile Enrollment to the newest iteration of its Oasis 360 casino management system.

“We are happy with the performance of the Playersoft devices,” said Barry Regula, senior vp and general manager of Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City on the time of the Mobile Enrollment installation in late 2013. “These hand-held devices have made assisting our casino guests less complicated. The velocity during which we can process a request has allowed us to cut back transaction times, therefore putting the guest into action quicker. We glance forward to continuing to capitalize from the good thing about this product.”

In addition to finding more how one can drive revenue from existing customers, gaming resorts also are in search of how you can cut operational costs within the facility. Electricity and effort management is one such area, and Atlanta, Ga.-based Innovoltoffers a possible solution. The company’s Intelligent Electronics Management (IEM) platform combines patented protection technology with comprehensive monitoring and analytics software to assist companies safeguard and optimize the performance, productivity, and usable lifetime of the electronics that power today’s digital world. Throughout the remediation of power disturbances and a cloud-based dashboard and management console, customers achieve improved equipment uptime, lower repair costs and increased revenue.

As the primary company to supply complete power protection and asset management software, Innovolt solves a bunch of unique problems that almost all businesses and consumers don't seem to be conscious about but are procuring through shortened electronics lifespan and decreased product reliability, in keeping with company press materials. Innovolt solutions help customers of each size guard expensive and sensitive technology, while giving businesses the tools they should predict, measure, and maximize the performance of assets around the distributed enterprise.

Another company trying to help gaming operators derive more savings from electricity and electronics is SurgeX, a Knightdale, N.C.-based manufacturer of AC power conditioning and surge elimination products, offering a whole line of AC power solutions for protection, power conditioning, and control of sensitive electrical and electronic equipment designed to fit every application. This year, the corporate unveiled its Axess Manager and Axess Manager Mobile, new desktop and mobile apps designed to let users monitor power conditions and control power functions of multiple installations from a single location. The brand new apps automatically discover devices on a network and will manage them remotely through an intuitive user interface on a desktop PC or mobile device.

eGAMING

The recent legalization of online wagering in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware has resulted in an explosion of latest and emerging businesses offering technology and services designed to ease the brick-and-mortar gaming resort transition to a web-based world. Some companies and products to notice include:

• Founded in 2012, Reno, Nev.-based Spin Gamesdesigns and develops premium and customised gaming content and smart solution technology for the online, interactive and land-based markets. At the technology front, the corporate has generated interest with its Robust Online Client (ROC), a remote gaming server (RGS) and a for-wager game content delivery system designed to streamline the delivery of for-wager gaming content for the interactive market. In step with company literature, ROC is a content delivery system built for today’s interactive gaming markets using the most recent state-of-the-art technology, featuring a development console that supports the facility to make use of HTML5 game engines. Offering a broad range of game content, the ROC delivers content on multiple platforms including IOS and Android in addition to desktop applications, and have been approved to be used in New Jersey.

Spin Games could also be creating a big play to become a number one provider of video game content. At G2E this year, the corporate exhibited over 30 new interactive slot titles made from 40 to 100 lines, 243 how you can win, multi-level progressives and new IP protected concepts, all playable on mobile devices and multiple platforms. Spin Games also debuted new video game technologies comparable to Multi-Player Interactive Gaming (MIG) and 3D Gaming Technology (ML3). An industry first, the MIG utilizes Kinect technology in addition to proprietary Spin technology that permits players to make use of their very own mobile devices to play community-based games for wager or social gaming.  Spin’s ML3, Multi-Layered 3D, offers players a depth of field illusion at the screen in real time, enhancing their gaming experience.  That is the primary HTML5 3D slot game technology that may be used within a browser with no need to put in a distinct viewer or program.

“We are delighted to showcase our new technologies at this year’s G2E, along side a broad range of recent and exciting HTML5 products that I FEEL will again surprise the industry,” said Kent Young CEO of Spin Games. “This is another key year for us as now we have made a footprint within the interactive market and became a key player in HTML5 development and interactive gaming technology space.”

• Los Angeles, Calif.-based CAMS is a multi-tenant Software as a Service (SaaS) solution powered by Verifi, Inc., offering gambling operators the power to gather and manage player information, agree to regulatory policies, manage player account limits, allow players to self-exclude, in addition to manage geolocation, payouts and taxation all within a single, centralized white-label platform customizable for every site. VGambling an Antigua-based developer of real money wagering in second-generation social online game experiences, recently turned to CAMS to supply global electronic payment and risk management solutions.

• GameAccount Network, a London-based developer and supplier of enterprise-level B2B gaming software and online gaming content, launched its Simulated Gaming this year, an innovative Internet gaming service specifically designed for land-based U.S. casinos to launch ahead of prospective real-money Internet gaming regulation. Simulated Gaming offers a gaming-as-entertainment consumer website enabled with unique monetization features and a compelling portfolio of over 100 casino slot, table and skill-based games including poker, backgammon, gin rummy, poker dice and blackjack tournaments. Bensalem, Pa.-based Parx casino debuted Simulated Gaming this past July. “GameAccount has demonstrated its regulated gaming capability in New Jersey and the merits of Simulated Gaming when integrated with a casino management system,” said John Dixon, CTO of Greenwood Entertainment & Racing, the owners of Parx Casino. “By deploying their system on-property Parx Casino can have the chance to launch Simulated Gaming nationwide before year’s end and be prepared within the event regulation of real-money Internet gaming emerges within the state of Pennsylvania.”

• Novamatic Group subsidiary Greentube, a number one platform and game developer for Internet-connected devices, unveiled Greentube Pro, a turn-key, private-label social casino marketing platform, this year. Designed to improve player retention and boost new player acquisition for land-based casinos, Greentube Pro integrates proven loyalty strategies with the mass appeal of online and mobile play right into a custom branded experience, in keeping with company literature. The platform is fully customizable, allowing land-based casinos to make a choice from Novomatic’s vast library of respected games. Players experience the casinos brand anywhere they're and on any Internet-enabled device they like. Greentube Pro was designed to have interaction with players once they leave the casino floor. Players are offered incentives to earn reward points by playing games on their computers, tablets and smartphones. They may be able to then exchange points for varied rewards including complimentary meals, hotel stays, tickets to events and more.

• New York, N.Y.-based High 5 Games continues to reinforce is VAULT remote game server, originally launched last year in New Jersey as a part of Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s offerings within the state, and currently expanding to additional N.J. casinos within the near future. H5G is currently within the means of getting licensed in Europe to roll out VAULT products in European regulated markets by the top of the year. VAULT takes classic H5G content and gives it exclusively for real-money online wagering.

• Gamblit Gaming is a Glendale, Calif.-based technology provider of real-money gaming in video games, enabling a variety of game genres to deal with gambling experiences in online and on-site deployments worldwide. Gamblit’s platform provides all essential regulated technology, customer operations, and licenses; freeing up game developers, publishers, and casino operators to concentrate on making the absolute best game experience for his or her players. This past year, Gamblit received GLI certification for its new Internet wagering platform, random number generator and primary game to be used within the Uk. The corporate also was approved for a license to distribute and manufacture gaming devices by the Nevada Gaming Commission.

• PLAYSTUDIOS, the Burlingame, Calif.-based developer of engaging casual games for mobile and social platforms, scored a large hit with its free-to-play application, myVEGAS, which mixes the most efficient elements of popular social games with established gambling mechanics. Players enjoy an ever-growing number of slot and table games, and the chance to earn an unprecedented number of valuable, real-world rewards from leading hospitality, entertainment, and leisure brands. Currently, myVEGAS reward partners include MGM Resorts International, Wolfgang Puck, Cirque du Soleil, House of Blues, Sugar Factory and the Las Vegas Monorail, and the corporate is calling to expand its reward packages beyond Las Vegas and Nevada. PLAYSTUDIOS also recently partnered with Konami Gaming, an international leader in casino gaming and systems, establishing PLAYSTUDIO’s myVEGAS as a social and mobile channel for several Konami game titles.

 • OpenWageris a San Francisco-based B2B social gaming developer and provider that delivers unparalleled branded casino-style entertainment to enjoy anywhere, anytime. Founded in 2013, the corporate develops, publishes and operates customizable social casino products for entertainment giants all over the world. Recently, USA TODAYused an OpenWager 3D Bingo game app because the launch product for its entry into casual games market. 

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