Land-based casino operators in the Philippines face challenges like internal data silos and the need for a consolidated view of the customer as they look to enter the online gaming space, industry executives said at the IAG Academy Summit in Manila.
IAG Summit Highlights Need for Unified Casino Customer Data
The discussion took place on September 15, in a session dedicated to the growing relationship between brick-and-mortar casinos and digital gaming. Panelists included David Croft from Tangam Systems, Syntrii CEO Laurent Fresnel, and Angel Manufacturing Singapore Director Bryan Jenkins.
The IAG Academy Summit, which is part of the larger IAG EXPO program, is being held at Newport World Resorts on September 15 to 16. Some of the key themes of the event are player data and the convergence of land-based and online gaming.
Many casino groups still operate their online operations separately from their physical properties, said Fresnel. This can result in valuable customer information being scattered across different departments and technology systems, as reported by Complete iGaming.
Operators need to combine data from online gambling with data from casino floors, hotels, restaurants and retail operations, he said. Such integration would allow companies to understand individual customers better and to avoid different parts of the same company targeting the same person with similar promotions.
The data could also pave the way for more personalized marketing. Operators can look at past behavior to see patterns and then change offers to suit when and where customers are most likely to engage.
This is especially true in the Philippines where competition among gaming and entertainment firms is heating up. The panel said operators may use information from multiple channels to deliver a more seamless experience for customers moving between physical venues and digital platforms.
Smart-Table Technology Boosts Data Collection at Physical Casinos
Smart-table technology is also changing the amount of information that is available from traditional casino games. Jenkins noted that modern systems can track detailed data on table activity, including bets, turnover, and game results. The technology can also link that information to individual players and provide data across multiple tables.
That gives land-based casinos a level of table-game information that was much harder to get in the past. The utility of such systems, Croft stressed, depends on the quality and accuracy of the data and the ways operators process that data.
The panelists also discussed the advantage integrated resort operators enjoy over online-only operators. Casinos on land can combine digital gaming with hotels, restaurants, entertainment and gaming floors, creating opportunities that internet operators cannot fully replicate. The executives said the long-term goal should be to make movement between online and physical gaming more seamless.
The discussion comes amid continued growth in the Philippine gaming market. Kaban Hotel and Casino Boracay is set to open its doors on September 16 and is eyeing its grand opening in October. The property will have a hotel of 88 rooms and a gaming floor of 21,500-square feet licensed by PAGCOR. The opening follows the country’s 2021 decision to lift a moratorium on new casino construction.
As more Philippine gaming properties expand their digital offerings, the ability to link customer information across channels could become more important for operators trying to understand and keep hold of their players.