Bally Technologies acquires CoolSign
November 17, 2008
Bally Technologies has
acquired Planar Systems Inc.’s CoolSign digital signage business for the gaming
industry, including software, networked digital displays, and content services.
CoolSign
is a strategic addition to Bally’s Networked Floor of the Future technology
systems. The acquisition extends Bally’s technology offerings to include
marketing and media communications to the player in the form of CoolSign
networked or standalone digital displays, available in a multitude of sizes,
that allow casinos to quickly and effectively communicate gaming and non-gaming
messages to customers.
In
particular, CoolSign networked displays will integrate with Bally’s iVIEW™
Display Manager™, an intelligent controller that allows casinos to
present system content or marketing messages on the main game screen, the top
game display, and overhead displays with picture-in-picture capability. iVIEW
Display Manager recently won first place in the “Best Consumer Technology”
category of the 2009 Gaming & Technology awards.
Planar’s
CoolSign digital signage software and display solutions have been chosen by
more than 160 casinos around the world. Based in Beaverton, Ore.,
Planar has over two decades of experience providing scalable, robust specialty
display solutions for every size customer. Under this agreement, Planar retains
the ownership of the Coolsign business and products for all fields of use other
than the gaming industry.
“The addition of CoolSign to our portfolio of games,
systems, and networked gaming solutions advances Bally’s strategy to offer an
array of high-performing products for the entire casino floor,” said Richard M.
Haddrill, Bally’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have worked with CoolSign for
over five years as a customer and manufacturing partner. CoolSign’s proven
solutions and well-respected brand complement our business and extend our ability
to deliver cutting-edge marketing solutions to our customers.”
“Our customers have consistently asked to have one tool
for creating media that can be displayed anywhere in their businesses,” said
Bruce Rowe, Bally’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business
Development. “This product has an elegant user interface and content
creation tool that will allow media to quickly and efficiently be displayed on
a large variety of traditional displays and most important, via Bally’s iVIEW
Display Manager at the point of play. This product will create the capability
to link customized marketing and promotional messages throughout the casino
enterprise in a way envisioned, but never done before.”
“The CoolSign product portfolio and gaming capabilities
are a natural fit for Bally’s strategic direction,” said Brad Gleeson, Vice
President of Business Development for Planar. “With CoolSign’s
long-standing success in the gaming vertical market, Bally and Planar have
numerous customers in common, so Bally’s acquisition of the gaming portion of
Planar’s Coolsign business is of tremendous strategic benefit to both
companies, our mutual customers, and the gaming industry.”
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
