Introduction

Nick Ippolito introduces himself as the moderator and welcomes the panelists to the stage who are (from right to left): Dan Cherry of Bally’s Corporation, Ari Mizrachi of Tangam Systems, Matt Lucchetti of Light & Wonder, Joe Friedman of Interblock Gaming and Todd Cravens formerly of Galaxy Gaming. ‍

Is Brick & Mortar in Trouble?

According to Nick, yes, brick and mortar casinos are in trouble as iGaming is the future. Just as many industries have shifted to online and apps like Amazon, Uber, Netflix, so will gaming. Everyone wants to do things on their phones. The only edge brick and mortar has is the in-person experience, which cannot be replicated online, especially with certain games like roulette and craps. However, over time, the in-person experience has gone down due to the economics of staffing (lower dealer salaries, less training).

Incentivizing Online & Apps

Casinos are incentivizing hosts to push customers to online gambling and their apps. For brick and mortar to compete, they need to innovate the in-person experience and offer engaging products and not just rely on metrics but understand the entertainment value for customers.

Are Ratings Better Online?

Dan Cherry stated that operations generally wait for someone else to innovate and create a solution to their problems rather than investing into creating/collaborating with suppliers to come up with a solution.

Gambling online, players can receive offers like free bets right away but in brick and mortar, someone can come in, play and not even be acknowledged, let alone, receive any comps.

Ari stated that the challenge isn’t data collection but doing something valuable with it.

‍Q&A - Table Games are Here to Stay

A veteran casino consultant stated during the Q&A that table games and brick and mortar casinos are here to stay as people want to go out and experience the fun of in-person gambling. The high rollers and people with money to spend also have egos and want people to see them spending money gambling and winning.

Q&A - Engaging with Influencers

Casinos need to start engaging with influencers in order to attract the younger demographic. It might be online promotion via social media, but it’ll intrigue and attract people to come to the actual casino.

The in-person experience also needs to be improved. There can’t be old tables with cigarette burn holes or ripped furniture. 

Q&A - US Online Experience Isn't Great

When comparing the US online live gambling experience to the EU, there is such a huge difference. The dealers online in the US aren’t paid well and aren’t delivering an A+ experience. In the EU, dealers are paid and trained well and deliver an engaging experience.

Q&A  - Younger Demographic & Online Persona

The younger demographic is about promoting a great/positive image online and social media. They don’t want to show losing money so they can select what is seen and what isn’t.

Q&A - Skillful Dealing is Part of the Experience

Being a dealer is a skill. There are those who are good at it and work to improve and there are those where it’s just a job and don’t put in the effort. The focus of their roles should be customer service, which isn’t always the case.

Q&A - Influencers - Are They Trustworthy?

Influencers are there to influence an audience, but they are being paid and bankrolled to show these online games and apps. It’s not always what it seems and can’t be blindly trusted to show something they claim is great.

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