New features tap into millennial interests
Here’s the lowdown on millennial consumers, aka Generation Y, adults born after the year 2000. David Chang, chief marketing officer of Gamblit Gaming LLC, a technology provider for online and interactive digital entertainment, told attendees at the 2014 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas that millennials differ from other generations in that they typically have shorter attention spans; are reliant on social media; prefer to multi-task; and want continuous stimulation and connection.
“Fundamentally, a millennial is someone who lives socially,” said Chang.
Bally Technologies has created a gaming feature that taps into this demographic, according to GGR Asia. When slot players hit the jackpot, they now can capture the moment via a camera in the slot cabinet, and then send a video of the actual win to their social-media friends, said Bryan Kelly, senior VP of technology at the Bally Innovation Lab.
“People love to brag about their wins,” said Kelly. “So when they win on our bonus games, we screen-capture that and ask the patron if they want to be able to post that out to the social media sites.”
Chang reminded attendees that there are 77 million millennials in the U.S., or a quarter of the population. “That means they are bigger than the Baby Boomer generation that seems to be the core gaming demographic today,” said Chang. “They are already commanding an estimated $1.3 trillion annual in direct purchasing power. I think you would be wise to start looking at this demographic and paying attention.”
But Jamie Odell, CEO of slot manufacturing firm Aristocrat Leisure of Australia, said certain pastimes such as casino gaming might be things that people naturally grow into, without whole industries being reconfigured to capture them while they’re younger.
“The liquor industry has spent years and years trying to get 20-year-olds to drink wine,” he said. “And eventually the industry worked out they all do. But not till they’re 30.”
