Even before the term ‘Internet of Things’ was coined in 1999, the idea of connecting machines through the Internet already existed in the early 1980s. In fact, one of the earliest known IoT-ish devices was a Coca-Cola vending machine at Carnegie Mellon University. Some students rigged the machine with sensors and connected it to the university’s network so that they could get a report of how many sodas were left and whether they were cold.
Interesting, right? Back then, this whole idea of making normal physical stuff communicate via sensors and the internet truly seemed crazy. Well, that’s no surprise because even the internet itself was still new at the time. Fast forward to now, and IoT has become part of our everyday life. Think of how you tell Alexa or Siri to play your favourite music.
Or how your smart watch tracks your daily steps, sleeping patterns, etc, and sends you a report, reminders and health insights to your phone. The entertainment industry has also jumped on this technology, such that we now have smart casinos. In fact, let us look at how that is going, especially in terms of player experiences.
What are smart casinos?
Whether you are into smart casino innovations or just looking to play real money casino games at LuckyKoala or any other casino, you cannot ignore that gaming is getting more exciting by the day because of tech. In case you are wondering, smart casinos are modern casinos that have incorporated technologies like IoT, AI and so on, to improve their operations.
So basically, on top of the slot machines, green felt tables, flipping cards and clinking chips, there is quite some tech behind the scenes just to take your gaming experience to the next level. And honestly, tech tends to make things better, don’t you think?
Improved personalisation
Of course, for personalization to hit home, it has to be more than just guessing what your customers might like, and actually getting it right based on real, up-to-date data. Many smart casinos are already a step ahead in this by using AI, machine learning and data analytics to monitor and understand player behaviour. And if you didn’t know yet, AI-driven customer personalization can increase player retention by up to 30% and boost revenue per player by a whole 25%.
So, how are they doing it? Firstly, there is smart player tracking, whereby when you come in to play, you log in to the casino’s tracking system using a player card. This allows the system to record your activities as you move through slot machines and table games. With this data, the casino is able to analyze your playing behaviour, your preferences and even your spending patterns.
Based on the results of the analysis, the casino can offer you personalized recommendations and perks that suit you best. Sometimes the tracking system is even linked to your loyalty account, so you automatically earn rewards based on your playing habits.
Interestingly, with the data they acquire, the casino can even predict your future behaviour and customize things like their marketing and game selections to fit you better. This personalized approach tends to make things more interesting for you, and just like that, one more game turns into five.
Improved security
Several smart casinos have found ways to make their security systems smart by using advanced tech in order to offer a safer gaming environment. That way, you can enjoy your playing time more, without having to worry about your security.
They are increasingly using AI-powered surveillance to analyze video footage and identify any suspicious behaviour and potential threats. The cameras are quite advanced to effectively monitor players’ interactions, checking for any irregularities and flagging any persons of interest.
With good facial recognition technology, the security system can quickly identify self-excluded individuals. In fact, several casinos using this technology have managed to successfully identify and stop over 85% of self-excluded individuals attempting re-entry. Interestingly, that number didn’t even hit 25% about 10 years ago, when detection mostly relied on IDs and security memory.
The use of RFID technology in casino chips is also a smart move that significantly helps reduce fraud risks. By embedding RFID chips on each chip, the house is able to monitor their movements and track their location and quantity in real time.
This way, there is little to no room for counterfeiting or stealing any of them. The chips also help the casino monitor player behaviour and what is happening on the gaming tables in real time, thus killing two birds with one stone – boosting personalization and security.
Better payment systems
Amid upgrading everything else, smart casinos are also upgrading how you pay. Many of them have introduced RFID-enabled player cards that allow you to conveniently and securely transact. Basically, the cards enable contactless payments by letting you load money that you can use across different games digitally. Now you don’t have to walk into a casino with physical cash or coins to play.
This is a super-efficient way considering that the world is actually turning to digital payment to the extent that, as of 2024, 85% of point-of-sale (POS) transactions worldwide were cashless. The use of the RFID cards has not only made wagering transactions faster but has also made it possible for casinos to track player behaviour and spending.
That helps them keep you in check, in case they notice a problem, and keeps your loyalty perks up to date. With such seamlessness and convenience in transactions, casinos can keep their players returning.
It is clear that tech and IoT are truly making the casino experience smoother, smarter and more personal. With all these innovations, the future of the casino industry looks really bright.
