‘Techorating’ the WinStar World Casino

Egads wins the 2014 Integration Award in the casino category for their work at the WinStar World Casino and Resort.

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Apart from the Crestron control equipment, a Traxon e:cue server handles Philips lighting that covers the ceiling, domes, floor medallions and more.

“All of this technology provides numerous unique ways to engage the players, enhance their gaming experience and extend their playing time,” says Alpha Video’s Jerry Gale.

He describes some of the action that comprises the whole “immersive” and “game-within-a-game” experience that helps to elevate WinStar’s status and allure in a state where Indian gaming is cited as its second biggest revenue producer and as of March numbered 99 casinos owned by 30 tribes (WinStar, the largest, is owned by Chickasaw Nation).

“For example, a slot machine player is randomly selected to participate in a virtual car race. The player then selects a race car to cheer on to victory. The race is shown on both 360-degree video walls and on the video monitors on the slot machines. After the race is completed, the winning player is spotlighted on the video walls and monitors, lighting and sound highlight the celebration and the results are immediately tweeted and posted to WinStar’s social media accounts.”

WinStar even has a #casino360 hashtag that players can follow, and first names and last initials of these games as well as the many tiered slot jackpots are celebrated.

Additionally, WinStar reserves the experience for its Club Passport members so it can track the gaming trends and increased revenue, according to Gale.

He says close communication among all of the technology companies involved was necessitated by the project, and that the resulting interfaces of the CastNET software — whose capabilities he says were stretched by the integration demands — needed to be approved by the Oklahoma gaming commission.

“The traditional role of a digital signage administrator who schedules content does not exist,” explains Gale. “CastNET monitors the alerts and signals from the Bally’s software and Gaming Support system and then automatically broadcasts jackpot celebration content to the video walls and monitors. It triggers the audio system and the Egads lighting and automation systems to activate different programs as part of the celebration.”

And together, Egads and CastNET delivered a win-win for WinStar and its gamers.

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