‘Next Big Thing:’ Hard Rock AC Debuts ‘Live Slots’

In what’s being plugged as the “next big thing” in online gaming, Hard Rock Atlantic City has launched “Live Slots,” a lineup of physical slot machines that can be controlled and played remotely on the casino’s iGaming site.

‘Next Big Thing:’ Hard Rock AC Debuts ‘Live Slots’

No one can deny that online gaming has revived the Atlantic City casino industry. However, the online casino product in New Jersey has left some players unfulfilled, since there’s no way to duplicate many of their favorite games online.

For instance, mechanical reel-spinners. Reels can be duplicated in video on a PC, smartphone or tablet; that authentic, physical reel-spinning vibe cannot. Even in the case of video slots, the fact that some major manufacturers—notably Aristocrat—have not yet successfully moved their games online has kept may fans of their games away from the internet casinos.

Last week, Hard Rock Atlantic City unveiled an attraction meant to address those concerns, and, in general, to inject some innovation into an iGaming genre which, other than initiating streaming of live table games, has seen few technological breakthroughs since it was launched in New Jersey two years ago.

They call the new attraction “Live Slots,” and last week, the curtain rose on a curious room containing 12 physical slot machines, with a rig of cameras and microphones in front to record every play. They have been active for two months while the system was being tested, the room cordoned off by a wooden wall, curious passersby glimpsing them through carnival-style peepholes.

Partnering with the software firm Softweave, Ltd., Hard Rock has set up those physical slots to be operated remotely on a smartphone, tablet or PC. From their couch or armchair, players can touch a spin button on their mobile device to operate the physical slot machines, buying credits, spinning reels and cashing out as if in an actual casino—except the winnings go into the player’s online casino account.

The specific games are what is unavailable online—mechanical reel-spinners from IGT and some of the most popular video slots from Aristocrat. More games and more variety will be added in the coming months.

“We are excited to introduce an entirely new way to play floor favorites without being there,” said Kresimir Spajic, the senior vice president of online gaming and sports betting for Hard Rock International, who has been guiding the Live Slots project for the operator. “With Live Slots, you can control real, physical slot machines located at Hard Rock Atlantic City from anywhere in New Jersey using your PC, Mac, tablet or mobile device. It is a first-of-its-kind experience unavailable anywhere else on the planet.”

The first six Live Slots games are now available to play at the operator’s online gaming site hardrockcasino.com. Mechanical reel-spinners include IGT’s Triple Red Hot 7s, Hotter Than Blazes and 3X4X5X Double Times Pay. Video slots include Aristocrat’s mega-hits Buffalo, Wild Lepre’coins and Bonanza Megaways.

The introduction of Live Slots is the result of intensive testing and ongoing development, Spajic told GGB News after the launch event.

“For two months, we’ve been doing behind-the-scenes testing,” he explained, noting that the system has been up and running for 100 Hard Rock player’s club members for two months, during which time the system has been perfected.

“We’ve had multiple iterations and improvements on the product, and our first results were really amazing,” Spajic said. “We are launching it first to our whole database, and then after two or three weeks—after we do another survey and another focus group to see if there are any further improvements needed—we are planning a huge (marketing) campaign in the state of New Jersey.”

He noted that the Hard Rock team has been working closely with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement as the Live Slots system has been developed, singling out DGE Executive Director David Rebuck and Maryann Spiniello Sheehan of the attorney general’s office as “extremely supportive” of the effort, “because they also want innovation.”

“Without the DGE, we certainly wouldn’t be here today,” commented Hard Rock Atlantic City President Joe Lupo at the media launch. “These slots have been behind this window for the last couple of months because we wanted to do a lot of testing to make sure we were ready. Today is a culmination of not only years, but a lot of months working with the DGE, and as of today, we’re going to really start ramping this up. As we see more demand, we’ll add more supply as well.”

“Players will be able to enjoy slot machines from our partners IGT and Aristocrat, from the comfort of their own home,” noted Lee Terfloth, vice president of online gaming product for Hard Rock Atlantic City. “Slot players will bet and spin Live Slots at hardrockcasino.com, using cutting-edge technology developed by our partners at Softweave, Ltd. This software has been designed exclusively for players to play and win at the most popular land-based slots which are not available in the online world today.

“On hardrockcasino.com, customers will see a row of real slot machines, exactly the same as they would see here at Hard Rock Atlantic City. This true-life experience means that customers can find their lucky machine and win big.”

Our vision is to become the world’s leading picks-and-clicks gaming company,” said Spajic. “We want to create a unified experience for our customers across all our properties, meaning brick-and-mortar and online. Our mission is to provide world-class entertainment, authentic experiences and trusted service for all.”

“Live Slots is going to bring new audiences to the online casino by extending the real floor machine experience directly to the Hard Rock (online casino),” commented Roy Greenbaum, co-founder and CEO of Softweave, Ltd. “Our cutting-edge technology will enable hardrockcasino.com to extend the real gaming experience from the casino floor directly to the players’ fingertips.”

Greenbaum added that Softweave and Hard Rock are working to bring new features to the Live Slots setup, to go with an expected progression of new games to be added to the Live Slots room.

“We are talking about bringing the interaction of the player to the next level, recreating a full and seamless experience for the player, with elements the new machines are bringing,” Greenbaum said. “The wider screens, the touch screen, more gamification elements. There are many, many more things to come, all accessible to the player through his mobile, tablet or computer.”

Spajic recalled that when Greenbaum first approached him with the idea for Live Slots, he thought the software developer was “not completely normal,” but soon realized that the concept would inject needed innovation into the iGaming space. “I realized that this industry is lacking innovation,” he said. “If you look especially on the digital side, since live dealer, there hasn’t been a big innovation in the industry. We embraced this as a groundbreaking innovation. We really feel this is the next big thing after live dealer, and we believe this will create some differentiation for the industry in general, for New Jersey, and for Hard Rock Atlantic City.”

Articles by Author: Frank Legato

Frank Legato is editor of Global Gaming Business magazine. He has been writing on gaming topics since 1984, when he launched and served as editor of Casino Gaming magazine. Legato, a nationally recognized expert on slot machines, has served as editor and reporter for a variety of gaming publications, including Public Gaming, IGWB, Casino Journal, Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Atlantic City Insider. He has an B.A. in journalism and an M.A. in communications from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of the humor book How To Win Millions Playing Slot Machines... Or Lose Trying, and a coffee table book on Atlantic City, Atlantic City: In Living Color.