Tech-savvy
Tech-savvy
Bally's new technology focus kicks off with co-development of cash access products
Las Vegas-based Bally Technologies recently partnered with Cash Systems Inc. and Scotch Twist LLC to develop products that can accept conventional credit and debit cards, electronic check cashing and other cash sources at the gaming device.
Bally and Cash Systems will jointly market and sell the access systems, initially for exclusive use with Bally's hardware interface and accounting systems, and will allocate the fees to the joint venture.
"Bally is the industry leader in gaming systems and this joint venture with Cash Systems is an attractive future addition to our solution framework," Richard Haddrill, chief executive officer of Bally Technologies said recently in a statement. "This next stage of cashless will provide both patron convenience and operator efficiency."
Casino Journal recently spoke with Bally Senior Vice President of Marketing Marcus Prater about his company's other game and technology initiatives.
Bally recently changed its company name from Bally Gaming & Systems to Bally Technologies to reflect the company's focus on technological innovations. Can you explain why this decision was made for the benefit of our readers?
As we divested the non-core assets under Alliance Gaming Corporation, and as our product strategies came into focus, it became clear that an evolution to the Bally Technologies name was the way to go. First of all, the Bally brand has nearly 75 years or equity and from my perspective in the marketing department, this was an easy decision. And as we've developed some new, leading-edge technologies over the last couple of years, it became a perfect match of the Bally brand and our renewed focus on innovation.
Bally has also been a player in downloadable and server-based gaming. What can you offer your customers on that front?
We've been doing server-based gaming in non-traditional markets for years, so we have the expertise and the customer feedback to put together a plan that we think will help drive the direction the traditional markets are heading. We've been doing this in markets like Washington, Florida, Oklahoma, even Austria, and as this evolves, we think our customers, the casino operators, along with the regulators, will help shape the specific technologies and timing. We have a plan and we're executing it in a smart, focused way so that it benefits our customers.
As a manufacturer, has it been easier to develop new, innovative technology now that there seem to be universal standards and protocols in place?
I think it's getting better in terms of standards and protocols. I know our ALPHA OS platform, standardized for both video slots and reel-spinners, simplifies our own development efforts and increases our speed to market, and I think the entire industry will benefit from the effort of groups such as the Gaming Standards Association.
What technology innovations can we expect from Bally in the near future? What is the company working on or looking into from a systems or technology standpoint?
As the No. 1 gaming systems provider, it only makes sense to continue to bring together our gaming and systems products. You'll see that with our systems gaming technology on the iVIEW display on the machine. And you'll see that as server-based gaming grows closer to becoming a reality. In general, Bally has never been in a better position to create innovative new products, and it's safe to say our team has some pretty impressive stuff in development.
-Darby Harris
Bally's new technology focus kicks off with co-development of cash access products
Las Vegas-based Bally Technologies recently partnered with Cash Systems Inc. and Scotch Twist LLC to develop products that can accept conventional credit and debit cards, electronic check cashing and other cash sources at the gaming device.
Bally and Cash Systems will jointly market and sell the access systems, initially for exclusive use with Bally's hardware interface and accounting systems, and will allocate the fees to the joint venture.
"Bally is the industry leader in gaming systems and this joint venture with Cash Systems is an attractive future addition to our solution framework," Richard Haddrill, chief executive officer of Bally Technologies said recently in a statement. "This next stage of cashless will provide both patron convenience and operator efficiency."
Casino Journal recently spoke with Bally Senior Vice President of Marketing Marcus Prater about his company's other game and technology initiatives.
Bally recently changed its company name from Bally Gaming & Systems to Bally Technologies to reflect the company's focus on technological innovations. Can you explain why this decision was made for the benefit of our readers?
As we divested the non-core assets under Alliance Gaming Corporation, and as our product strategies came into focus, it became clear that an evolution to the Bally Technologies name was the way to go. First of all, the Bally brand has nearly 75 years or equity and from my perspective in the marketing department, this was an easy decision. And as we've developed some new, leading-edge technologies over the last couple of years, it became a perfect match of the Bally brand and our renewed focus on innovation.
Bally has also been a player in downloadable and server-based gaming. What can you offer your customers on that front?
We've been doing server-based gaming in non-traditional markets for years, so we have the expertise and the customer feedback to put together a plan that we think will help drive the direction the traditional markets are heading. We've been doing this in markets like Washington, Florida, Oklahoma, even Austria, and as this evolves, we think our customers, the casino operators, along with the regulators, will help shape the specific technologies and timing. We have a plan and we're executing it in a smart, focused way so that it benefits our customers.
As a manufacturer, has it been easier to develop new, innovative technology now that there seem to be universal standards and protocols in place?
I think it's getting better in terms of standards and protocols. I know our ALPHA OS platform, standardized for both video slots and reel-spinners, simplifies our own development efforts and increases our speed to market, and I think the entire industry will benefit from the effort of groups such as the Gaming Standards Association.
What technology innovations can we expect from Bally in the near future? What is the company working on or looking into from a systems or technology standpoint?
As the No. 1 gaming systems provider, it only makes sense to continue to bring together our gaming and systems products. You'll see that with our systems gaming technology on the iVIEW display on the machine. And you'll see that as server-based gaming grows closer to becoming a reality. In general, Bally has never been in a better position to create innovative new products, and it's safe to say our team has some pretty impressive stuff in development.
-Darby Harris
