Posted on 25 June 2012
The gambling industry is expanding overseas into new markets and gaming companies are taking a close look at online and social gaming as a way to boost revenues. Las Vegas has diversified and is now more than a gambling destination. Many casino companies are betting that internet bingo, virtual slots and games that resemble Zynga?s Facebook game Farmville will be the key to increased profits for gaming companies. Although most of the social games do not offer real money prizes casino executives hope that social games will whet the appetite of players for the real thing and familiarize them with various casino brands.
Gambling companies hope to use Facebook games to ease players into internet gambling for real money. During the past year several casino companies have either purchased or partnered with an internet game developer. Many in the industry feel that Facebook will be a valuable player acquisition tool in the very near future. The numbers are staggering. Facebook has over 900 million users worldwide and if a small percentage of users are converted to internet gaming the numbers will be unprecedented. Rob Bone, senior vice president of WMS Gaming stated ?Operators are coming together saying, ?Here is this transformational opportunity; let?s collaborate.?
Earlier in the year Caesar?s Entertainment purchased Israel based Playtika the developer of the popular Facebook game Slotomania. MGM has partnered with Playstudios to launch a Facebook application titled myVegas. MyVegas will be launched this summer and will allow people to play slots or blackjack. MGM and Boyd Gaming have invested in Bwin Party Digital Entertainment which creates social gaming and poker applications. Last fall Fertitta Interactive purchased San Francisco based Cyber Arts. The acquisition has enabled Fertitta Interactive to develop Ultimate Poker. The game was launched on June 22nd. The company also owns an internet bingo game.
The reasoning behind the mergers and partnerships is simple; if gaming companies can acquire players online they can then lure them to land based casinos. Andy Choy, president and chief executive of the Rivera in Las Vegas, stated ?At some point, part of that audience is going to say, ?I want to play for real. They may say, ?I?ve won all these virtual prizes. How about some cash?? In May the Rivera partnered with Bingo Blitz, a popular internet bingo platform on Facebook. Choy hopes the partnership will raise the Rivera?s brand profile. Choy said ?Hopefully, there?s some cross over between people who play the game at home and vacationers who are planning to come here. The hope is they will have a positive view of the Riviera from playing the game online.?
woolly mammoth belize resorts nikki minaj grammy performance shel silverstein niki minaj grammy performance grammys 2012 ll cool j
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.