In the quest for operators and suppliers to establish an omnichannel advantage in gaming, what truly makes the difference to players in Canada and beyond?
That was the big question up for debate on a panel at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto, when leaders from operators Loto-Québec and BetMGM and suppliers Bede Gaming and American Gaming Systems (AGS) discussed what they’ve seen in the past year, as well as what they expect in years to come.
The consensus from panelists and moderator Tony Plaskow of Pixiu Gaming was that the gap between traditional land-based operations and online casino gaming is closing.
“Five years ago, the land-based business felt the iGaming industry was a threat to their industry,” noted Loto-Québec’s Senior Director of Product Management and Innovation, Francois Hardy. “More and more, they realized that the cross-channel experience for the customer is so important.”
In the last year alone, Loto-Québec has launched a slate of new products including a cross-platform mystery jackpot with Light & Wonder, hybrid dealer games with Inspired Entertainment and an upgraded real-time interactive streaming offering from Casino de Montréal with awager. It’s about not only innovation but connection between physical and virtual.
“With our growth in the iGaming business and the bank of customers we have on the land-based business, it’s just natural to leverage one another more and more,” Hardy added. “I think we’re getting better at it, and we’re just at the start of it.”
Progress through trial and error
Loto-Quebec’s new offerings are a microcosm of what seems to be a growing trend in gaming in Canada and beyond.
“I was here a year ago listening to the omnichannel panel, and the main topic was that nobody was doing much,” said AGS’s Scott Baker. That is changing, he suggested, largely via trial and error on both the supplier’s and the operator’s end. And there’s an element of competition breeding innovation, as one supplier’s work ensures others “keep pushing forward with omnichannel, instead of it continuously being this afterthought.”
His company, for example, launched an omnichannel product in 30 Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) casinos and online with Play Alberta. AGS and AGLC ran promotional campaigns concurrently across both online and retail channels that also focused on bringing extra value to players in the form of online and retail giveaways, WestJet airline vouchers, loyalty bonuses and more.
“They liked that there were multiple aspects to it, and it kept them coming back for the two weeks the promotion was alive,” he recalled. “We got a lot of good raw data from that. It’s really about adding that engagement and value to keep that player coming back to your casino and coming back online.”
Innovation and connection
That idea of connection with players is key, added Bede Gaming CEO Colin Cole-Johnson.
“If you look at the research around younger players, I think the digital products of today are a bit slower and maybe a bit more lonely in the experience,” he ventured. “If you can build that connection, it’s going to really appeal to that younger audience.”
Hardy told attendees that Loto-Quebec’s customer database is roughly split into thirds: land-based only, online only and another third that is cross-channel. Bringing those cohorts together is not only great for player engagement, he said, but it’s also where the money is. “We see that the combined player has about 15 to 20% better value than a single channel.”
How you do that, of course, is the multi-million-dollar question. Once again, lasting connection is the name of the game.
“Once a customer has tried a game at least three times, they’re going to keep on playing that product,” Hardy added. “By having a good launch with good activities and pre-play, you create the environment where that customer will have that first, second, and third try. And eventually they’re going to cross from one channel to another.”
A case study: BetMGM
In both Canada and the U.S., BetMGM is one operator that has helped to lead the way by increasingly tying its digital presence to its co-parent MGM Resorts’ physical properties.
BetMGM Canada’s Marketing Operations Manager, Paul Adams, cited the company’s loyalty program as its omnichannel “crown jewel,” as well as the single wallet feature in Nevada which allows gamblers to use their retail funds and share their loyalty points across BetMGM mobile markets throughout the U.S.
“The more you have to offer that is cross-promotional, and the more players are engaged, the higher the average value for the player,” said Adams. “Having the ability to earn loyalty points online or in-person and use them for digital bonuses or on-site experiences was a huge win [for MGM]. It’s really important to create a 360-degree player experience.”
AGS’s Baker agreed that creating an all-in-one loyalty program that not only rewards players for their use of a platform but does so via multiple channels can be a big advantage. “It’s something so simple but it seems to hold the most weight right now,” he added. “I think in 10 years we’ll have a fully integrated system between online and iCasino loyalty programs.”
And, just as it can drive retail casino players to start using an operator’s online platforms, it can have a similar effect in the other direction if in-person experiences are tied into rewards for digital play.
“A lot of the younger demographic play online and are very well-versed in the product, but have never stepped foot in a casino,” noted Adams. “For BetMGM, that’s a great opportunity.”
Where are we heading next?
As for how the meaning of “omnichannel” might evolve in years to come, both the operators and the suppliers had some predictions to offer.
Certain things will be commonplace, suggested Adams, citing digital wallets as one example. AI will undoubtedly have its say, from tailoring offers to players to giving more accurate game suggestions, all the way through to data collection. How companies use that data will be a key point, agreed the panelists.
“The data points are really important,” added Cole-Johnson, “as is engaging that with AI automation so you can reach that customer wherever they are in your brand’s experience.”
While Hardy posited that certain product lines such as traditional table games still need to get up to speed with modern technology, Cole-Johnson contested that he doesn’t expect to see a great deal of innovation in popular table games and slots. Instead, he pointed to suppliers working with operators such as BetMGM to turn things like TV game shows into games could be a winning strategy.
Could things even start to swing the other way, wherein a popular digital game is ported over to a land-based casino?
“That’s something that at AGS, we’ve definitely talked about,” said Cole-Johnson. “It’s definitely not out of the realm of suppliers in general, and I could see that being more of a norm in the future.”
Finally, Adams wished for a world in which different jurisdictions find more harmony in allowing operators and suppliers to roll out new innovations.
“Something holding back these tech integrations is that we can do it in one state or province, but we can’t do it anywhere else,” he lamented. “You have to deal with all these bodies. So that would be a beautiful thing, if something was just streamlined as far as it could possibly go.”
