Gulfstream Park is improving operations, marketing, analysis, and decision-making by using Gaming Analytics, the most innovative AI platform for casinos.
Gulfstream Park features horse racing and slots. The slot area is somewhat unique in design, split between two floors. Due to the pandemic, the casino floor’s layout changed for social distancing and a more spacious experience. The slot area features approximately 600 machines.
The Problem
Lisa Siples, Director of Slots at Gulfstream, was challenged with deciding where to best position slot to maximize play – this led to countless hours of analyzing data, utilizing Tableau and Excel, and studying reports. The process was labor-intensive; it meant physically moving machines around, analyzing machine performance, and some guesswork – it was a constant cycle of trial and error. Sometimes, the necessary information proved elusive or took days or weeks to uncover.
The Solution
Ms. Siples was determined to find a better way – a more efficient solution for analyzing data and uncovering the best information possible – a solution that was less tenuous and less burdensome than sifting through data and relying on Tableau.
A colleague suggested Gaming Analytics – as a means to analyze data quickly and precisely, resulting in increased profits and a more efficient slot floor.
After vetting multiple casino AI products, Ms. Siples selected Gaming Analytics.
Benefits of Casino AI → expectations exceeded
A year after partnering with Gaming Analytics for AI, benefits have exceeded all expectations, including improved slot floor design, greater efficiency, and reports that take seconds instead of days or weeks.
Additional benefits were unintended and extended beyond the slot floor; these include improved employee relationships and more targeted marketing campaigns with greater ROI.
Listed below, the outcomes of implementing Gaming Analytics and the benefits of casino AI.
🔘 Optimizing the slot floor with ideal machine placement
Due to the unique design of Gulfstream’s slot area — split between two floors — Ms. Siples was challenged with knowing which machines perform best on which floor. This led to manually moving machines and testing locations; the process was part guesswork and part data analysis. The data analysis was depended on running the right report, which sometimes took days.
Gaming Analytics optimizes slot floor design by:
- Identifying best machine by a vendor.
- Determining which machines perform best, broken down by player behavior and exact location.
- Improving machine section.
- Expediting machine performance review, leading to faster and more impactful floor changes.
- Saving labor and saving time by eliminating guesswork and unnecessary moving of machines.
The efficiencies resulting from the Gaming Analytics platform have boosted casino profits.
🔘 ROI → the bottom line
The slots budget has improved as a result of Gaming Analytics. With the savings, funds can be reallocated to improve the guest experience and employee training.
Where are the savings?
→ Game conversion budget:
Before Gaming Analytics, Ms. Siples spent 100% of her budget, resulting in approximately 60% of the expected ROI. With Gaming Analytics, she spends only 40% of the budget and achieves 80% of the expected ROI.
→ Payroll savings
Less time moving machines = less manual labor needed. The savings, 2500 person-hours annually.
Previous to Gaming Analytics, a Data Analyst was needed to run reports.
With payroll savings, the budget has been reallocated to incorporate specialized staff training, make employee incentives/merit rewards more robust, and invest in tools to increase efficiency on the slot floor.
Some might assume if AI replaces the need for hands-on labor, it results in job losses. This has not been the case; instead, the Slot Technician’s role has shifted.
🔘 The Slot Technician’s Role – redefined – for the better
Ms. Siples says by incorporating Gaming Analytics, the Slot Technicians’ morale is higher, leading to greater job satisfaction and a greater sense of purpose.
AI has replaced the tedious task of constantly moving machines around. By removing tedious physical labor, it allows for analytical and soft skills to be developed.
With less time spent moving machines, slot technicians have more time to perform preventative maintenance, engage in guest relations, train on new products, and support floor staff. With more time for preventative maintenance, there is less machine downtime due to malfunction. With more time for guest relations, casino guests feel appreciation — resulting in happier customers.
🔘 Instant Reports: Convenient & Accurate
With Gaming Analytics, reports have never been easier. Almost instantaneously, Ms. Siples can get detailed and accurate information, leading to better decisions. Her most searched queries are:
- Variance report
- Owned vs. Leased
- Fair Share Analysis (various metrics
- Revenue breakdown by bank
➡️ Access to information
Reports are cloud-based, which means easy access to information during executive meetings. This leads to more efficient decision-making, without delays. Data is stored securely and encrypted.
The information from the reports is shared with vendors. This transparency gives the vendor a basis for how and why decisions are made on the Gulfstream slot floor. Ms. Siples reports this objectivity and transparency are best for vendor relations.
🔘 Improved Relations: with staff and upper-management
Before Gaming Analytics, Ms. Siples spent much of her day analyzing data and exploring ways to make the slot floor more profitable. The task of analyzing data has been replaced with AI. Plus, with AI the reports are more accurate than manual data analysis, and the results take just seconds. With less time stuck behind a computer and analyzing data, Ms. Siples reports further benefits:
- Ms. Siples reports improved employee relations, the result of less time behind the computer and more time on the floor to focus on team building and leadership. No longer is she “selling an idea” on where to position a machine based on a hunch. Her staff appreciates the precision AI provides when guiding the next machine move.
- Executive Reporting: Gaming Analytics allows for executive reporting that is instant, detailed, easily accessible, and accurate. This leads to making business decisions with greater confidence and without the guesswork before Gaming Analytics.
Key takeaways
🔷 Before Gaming Analytics, decision-making required countless hours of analyzing data, utilizing Tableau and Excel, studying reports, and physically moving machines around, analyzing performance, and some guesswork – it was a constant cycle of trial and error. Sometimes, the necessary information proved elusive or took days or weeks to uncover.
🔷 With Gaming Analytics, benefits include improved slot floor design, greater efficiency, reports that take seconds instead of days or weeks, improved employee relationships, and more targeted marketing campaigns resulting in greater ROI.
🔷 The Gaming Analytics AI-platform results in payroll savings, These savings are reallocated into specialized staff training, more robust employee incentives/merit rewards, and investment in additional tools to increase slot floor efficiency.