VGT, the Class II game subsidiary of slot-maker Aristocrat Technologies, announced that Cherokee Nation Entertainment (CNE) has agreed to place VGT games at its nine casinos located across northeast Oklahoma.
The company’s parent company also announced a new deal in Oklahoma with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Gaming Operation, under which the Creek Nation’s 12 casinos will add the Aristocrat Oasis 360 casino management system along with Class II and Class III machines.
Under the CNE contract, VGT is supplying Class II games, including new VGT Class II products such as Easy Money Jackpot wide-area progressive, the Red Spin Gambler video series, and the upcoming Client 6 high-entertainment games.
The agreement continues a partnership between Cherokee Nation and VGT that dates back to 2002.
“At VGT, we are committed to the success of our tribal gaming customers, and we are thrilled to announce this contract, the latest milestone in a long-term relationship between our two organizations,” said VGT Sales Executive Vice President James Starr. “We have a strong portfolio of field-proven games that players enjoy, and we are continually developing new products, which is further spurred by our relationship with the design teams at Aristocrat.”
CNE operates Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa; eight Cherokee Casinos, including a horse racing track; three hotels; three golf courses; and other retail operations. The tribal enterprise employs 4,000 people.
“We’ve worked with VGT for more than a decade and look forward to growing our partnership,” said Mark Fulton, chief operating officer of CNE. “As the region’s entertainment leader, we bring our guests the best entertainment experience in the market, and that means bringing them the latest, most enjoyable games in the industry.”
In the Creek Nation deal, Aristocrat will install Oasis 360 to replace existing competitor systems at all Creek Nation casino locations, including the new Margaritaville Tulsa, which is scheduled to open later this year.
Aristocrat will install its Oasis 360 system solutions suite, including the Oasis HALo suite of products. Additionally, all 12 properties will convert to the Aristocrat one-card solution, allowing Creek players to enjoy all the benefits of their play at any of the Creek casinos.
Pat Crofts, CEO of Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos, said, “We have enjoyed a strong working relationship with VGT for many years, and we are very much looking forward to benefiting from the combined forces of Aristocrat and VGT, bringing leading games to our players to further enhance their guest experience with us.”
“As a successful multi-site operator, we have been envisioning linking all of our properties under a one-card solution for some time,” added Andy Langston, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos COO. “We are excited about the potential Oasis 360 brings to us, enabling us to complete that goal and best serve our guests at each and every property they visit.”
“This agreement clearly demonstrates the complementary capabilities of Aristocrat and VGT,” said VGT Sales Executive Vice President James Starr. “Working together, we are able to provide Creek Nation Casinos a comprehensive, highly efficient solution that includes both Class II and Class III hardware, software and services. It’s wonderful to significantly increase the value we can jointly offer our customers.”
“We have worked very hard to create an ideal environment for our operator partners,” said Kelly Shaw, Aristocrat’s vice president of North American game and system sales. “Whether they operate in the Class II or Class III space, they can obtain the game content and systems solutions that will spur their business forward. We are proud to offer our clients an incredibly deep and broad portfolio of products, thanks to the combined forces of Aristocrat and VGT.”
As part of the systems contract, Aristocrat will install:
• Oasis 360 at 12 locations and on nearly 6,000 games;
• Oasis HALo, the premier customer loyalty solution in the industry;
• Oasis OneLink, Aristocrat’s leading solution for progressive management and enterprise media management;
• Mobile Concierge, Aristocrat’s mobile application that keeps players in touch with their favorite Creek casino and up-to-date with all of their player club activities;
• Drinks on Tap, Aristocrat’s solution that empowers patrons to order beverages directly at the game;
• the Oasis Bonusing suite of products;
• Professional Services, under which Aristocrat will assist Creek Nation in designing, implementing and launching Oasis 360 products to ensure a successful installation at all properties;
• nVision, the Aristocrat business intelligence solution that helps casinos analyze and visualize data to improve operations and player satisfaction; and,
• nLive, Aristocrat’s premier player portal and online play-for-fun gaming platform access.
Beyond the major systems deal, Creek will maintain a combination of VGT/Aristocrat games for the next five years at all 12 properties. The tribe will add VGT’s new entertainment games centered around a wealth theme as well as its high-denom video product in late spring/early summer.
VGT will be exhibiting jointly with parent company Aristocrat at the upcoming Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention, which takes place March 13-16 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Aristocrat and VGT will be in booth 1347.
