Tribal nations are not novices when it comes to knowing the value of a customer-centric experience in the world of gaming. Technological advances continue to broaden the Indian gaming entertainment experience by weaving modern digital and electronic glitz and glimmer into players’ experience.
Indian country has some of the most exemplary resort and casino facilities in the country. Our facilities offer top notch entertainment, luxurious accommodations and state-of-the-art gaming. Whenever I walk into one of our tribal gaming establishments, I know that I can count on seeing cutting-edge, diverse and inspiring machines on the floor.
Our facilities conduct business with some of the most innovative and creative equipment manufacturers in the industry. We are happy to have some of these same manufacturers as associate members of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA). Indian tribes partner with leaders in game manufacturing technology to ensure that their establishments are world-class.
Tribes needed to become innovators and create a unique environment to stay competitive. In an effort to compete with the type of games offered at commercial casinos, tribes drove the creation of electronic bingo machines that looked and played similar to a traditional slot machine. Slot machines and other electronic games first appeared in tribal facilities in 1990. The introduction of these games was necessary to broaden the customer experience and compete in the fast-growing gaming industry. There are now 347,485 machines in the 460 Indian gaming facilities across the country. You can always find the most recent games from the top manufacturers showcased at our tribal casinos. We are glad to have the top manufacturers be a part of our upcoming 2014 trade show in San Diego.
Indian gaming has been at the forefront of gaming technology for many years. In the early ‘90s, tribes joined together to form the first multi-jurisdictional progressive jackpot. This prize crossed tribal, state and federal lines to provide a wide-area progressive system. No one had ever seen that before in a gaming establishment. This is just one of many examples of tribes pushing innovation in the gaming world.
Technology has made it easier and more convenient, and it is one of the best ways to stay competitive in this ever-changing market. We can say without a doubt that tribes have been there from the beginning to accept every wave of new technology.
The modern casino is a high-tech environment striving to create a broad entertainment experience for the customer. There are no more levers to pull or coins spilling out of a machine after someone wins. Tribes continue to be leaders in technological innovation. Tribes were the first to link players together with servers and entertaining displays to enhance the games and make them more fun. Tribes were also leaders in making casinos cashless, an innovation that has swept the gaming world. Technology is not only found in the slot machines on the casino floor. Today, you will find that every part of casino operations has been improved with the use of modern technology, including table games, casino cage operations, digital marketing and security. From a business perspective, technology systems have been used to improve customer service and streamline operations throughout Indian-owned gaming and resort establishments. Advances in technology helped tribes meet unique legal requirements such as central system games that were introduced in a few of our regions. Tribes have driven the creation of cutting-edge technology to aid in the play of Class II bingo. Tribes were early users of ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) systems on their casino games, and they made strides in improving safety and security features that enhanced the integrity of gaming systems.
Innovative technologies provide networks and security assessments, designing a “highway” of communication networks from casinos to hotels and from staff to guests all over Indian country. As we know, technology is constantly updating itself, and our enterprises have made a commitment to keeping up to date with the most practical, innovative and smart technological advancements. Technology has even made its way into the gaming device evaluation and certification process, ensuring regulatory requirements are being met.
From the first installation of gaming technology in a tribal gaming facility to the multi-jurisdictional jackpots that monitor gaming operations on a phone application, no one had any idea that Indian gaming would become what it is today. Due to the resources that tribes have invested in developing Native American professionals to manage and operate our gaming operations, Indian gaming has become a world-renowned economic machine that is keeping pace with the most recent technological advances in the industry.