Richard Schwartz, president of Rush Street Interactive, told attendees to the National Indian Gaming Association that tribes are increasingly receptive to social gaming at their casinos.
They have lagged behind commercial casino that have been quick to embrace social gaming. However as the potential rewards become more concrete they are warming to the idea, he said.
Social games also provide tribes with an entrée into online gaming should it become legalized in their states. Rush Street Interactive provides social gaming platforms to casinos.
Schwartz declared “Social gaming and online gambling can be categorized as the most effective marketing tools our industry has seen in a long time.” Social gaming gives casinos a chance to continue to interact with patrons even after they leave the property as well as make new friends who might not have visited the casino.
Schwartz said, “Very rarely can you reach an audience that hasn’t been to your property before, connect with them in a low-risk environment, and incentivize them to visit and you are also able to engage lapsed players that haven’t been to the property in a while.”
He added, “What we have seen is that a land-based player who signs up for the social platform visits the property more than 20 percent more often. I am not aware of any other tools that provide the same type of return.”
Duane Chapman, general manager of the Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Wisconsin, seconded Schwartz’s observations. He noted that the resort extended its brand awareness and increased its database. “You are introducing yourself as a brand, to new people in a different market,” he said. “You are introducing them to your property. That is important.”
He encouraged other gaming tribes to enter social gaming, which research shows reaches a market that is 10 years younger than the audience that visits brick and mortar casinos.
