What benefits will these plans bring to your players?

ALC: Simply put – an overall better player experience. We’re able to look at what our players want and expect from us, and go above and beyond to deliver a great experience each and every time they choose to play one of our games.

3D technology and surround sound will likely be the status quo for video lottery terminals in the very near future. Players want to play together with their friends, or purchase a Lotto MAX ticket from a single point of gaming interaction with us. It’s these new ideas that will appeal to casual players, and allow us to bring a level of responsible gambling features directly through the hardware that we have never seen before.

SLVQ: All the games will offer better video displays, better graphics and better animation.  The overall game experience will be enhanced by new features (bonus games, new animations, new gameplay, etc.), and the maximum prize is slated to be increased to $1,000 from $500. Other specific enhancements include the addition of new denomination options with an increased number of lines, new dynamic play boards to improve the gameplay, and a design change that will place the payment table on the top screen, giving the player a better understanding of the game and its outcomes. 

As always, responsible functionalities will continue to be present and will include that which oversee the pre-determined period of play time, maximum amount of inserted money, information about responsible gaming, clock display, and other responsible gaming functions. 

What are your VLT players looking for in terms of technology and the types of games offered? How are you addressing this?

ALC: Our players want new, fun games. They want the latest and greatest. They want options, and they want one stop shopping for all their lottery and gaming options. Moving forward, we’ll be working with suppliers to meet and exceed these expectations.

SLVQ: While some players look for novelty and more excitement, others will be pleased to continue  playing their favourite games which will have a refreshed look. By bringing back the most appreciated games with a facelift, we're trying to make sure that our loyal players won't be too destabilized.

The opportunity to provide players with more up to date machines, games and game play will undoubtedly please players by providing them an experience which is more in line with today's standard and their expectations. For instance, younger players who disliked the look and feel of the older games will have the opportunity to discover game themes that are different from the "Bars", "Sevens" and "Bells" classics. In addition, the new machines' ergonomic look and feel will also be appreciated while the two screens (play screen and top screen) will increase the entertainment, information and marketing value.

Where do you see VLTs fitting into your organization's overall strategy in the near future?

ALC: We want to be best in class when it comes to managing an overall portfolio of gaming products, of which an enhanced video lottery program is but one. We want to enhance the player experience by providing great games, strong responsible gambling features, and an opportunity to have access to a variety of games. It’s a key part of our strategy going forward.

SLVQ: The new central system and machines will allow us to maintain our role while better understanding our market. With more data on game usage, we will know which games are played at what day and time and give us the possibility of easily downloading information and games, either to the entire province or to specific establishments, we will be able to adapt our gaming offer to our different players segments (e.g the young Saturday night crowd, Tuesday's hockey night crowd, etc.).