What Are Casino Beacons and How Do They Fully Work?
Introduction: What Are Casino Beacons and How Do They Work?
Going back to medieval times, a beacon was a device used to warn of encroaching enemies by the use of lighting fires in hilltops so that they could be seen for miles around. In the same way, a lighthouse is also a beacon, this time warning sea vessels of the proximity of rocks. But, these days, beacons refer to electronic devices that are a means of communication. Their increased popularity in all walks of life is having a huge influence on the marketing of casinos.
The iBeacon and Eddystone
Thanks to Apple and the introduction of their iBeacon, the whole concept of proximity marketing was born. This is a method of using Bluetooth as a means of serving as a tiny geo-locator to create a personal beacon. So, if for example, you enter a supermarket, the iBeacon tracking app on your phone gets triggered. This allows the business to collect huge amounts of data about you. When you last shopped there, what you brought, your average spend, time taken in the store, it’s all useful information for marketing departments and advertisers.
They can also trigger messages, for example, you’ll receive a personal special offer when you first enter the store. When a network of these devices has been set up, your every move, thanks to your phone, is being tracked and analyzed. Scary stuff! A few years later, and Google was on the case. They introduced Google’s own beacon, Eddystone, which takes its name from the famous Eddystone Lighthouse in the UK. You can see their version of a beacon in action, every time you fire up Google maps.
Because so many service providers are using iBeacon and Eddystone across their devices, it’s almost impossible to escape from them. In fact, they come pre-loaded into every smart device on the marketplace, including all devices running both iOS and Android. These beacons are not actually sending any messages anywhere. They just provide the GPS coordinates of your whereabouts at any given time. They act as a marker. Any tethered devices within your beacon proximity pick up your signal. This allows businesses to send targeted offers via your mobile device.
Casino Beacons: Marketing Uses
Having a unique personal identifier is a god-send for any marketing company. So just think about what casino beacons can do for a casino business. It allows access to behavioral data in great detail, and for the first time, consumers’ actions can be seen in real-time. This gives all businesses the possibility of establishing an even greater personal relationship with their customers and would-be customers. When a customer enters any casinos to win the jackpot, all their previous buying data can be utilized to make them customized offers directly to their phones. Though we already have GPS, beacons are much better suited to smaller spaces, which makes them a great tool for casinos.
Casino Beacons
Just like stores, casinos have been using beacons for some time, as a means of tracking their customers. In particular, the casinos are interested in a player’s betting and spending habits. Not only can they see the games the customer plays, but also see how he places wagers. Based on previous behavior, the casino can offer bonuses, VIP cards, coupons, and any other offers which they have determined by studying the data from previous visits.
For example, thanks to casino beacons, VIP players can now be greeted by name, offered their preferred drink, and all the other benefits, tailor-made to reward spending and/or loyalty. A new customer, who’s not in the system, will be instantly identified, and their data will be collected and stored. It’s all very 1984! If you’re going to be playing online, then we suggest Flickr, as they offer a huge number of games, as well as a nice welcome bonus.
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One of the main selling points of this system for casinos is that it can provide data such as the amount of time spent playing a particular jackpot game. And not just about the specific game, but also the spending, and even more importantly, how the customer bets. Table games can then be tweaked to ensure the biggest spend from every customer. These beacons are installed all over the casino. This means that the management can follow the customer, from when he first enters the front door, to the moment he exits at the end of an evening gambling.
Casino Beacons For Special Offers
By using casino beacons and examining the playing patterns, a casino can determine the best time to make certain offers. For example, if they know that a player goes for dinner at a certain time, they can send some restaurant offers his way, just as he’s playing the last hand. This works well with all the facilities that a large casino resort would have on hand for the entertainment of the guests. Before, you might receive an impersonal email voucher in the mail. Now, as you’re walking by the casino, you’ll suddenly receive a 2 for 1 drinks offer. That’s a way of temping him inside with the help of casino beacons. It’s so much more direct.
The casino can position casino beacons in any part of the building, whether on the games floor or in the VIP rooms. Using the app on their phone allows players to order drinks without looking for a cocktail waitress as they’re trying to play. Unfortunately, it’s not going to increase your jackpot winning chances.
In the same manner that a customer can be greeted with a special offer when he first enters the casinos, so it can also work when he’s leaving. By analyzing his player data, it should be possible to make him an offer that he can’t refuse the next time he comes in. This is a great tool for a casino to keep hold of a customer. Many businesses are just as concerned with encouraging a repeat customer, as getting them in the first place. And because everything is linked, the casino knows whether to order an Uber or a taxi, simply based on the player’s previous behavior.
Casino Hotel and Resort Beacons
According to the latest lottery news, beacons are especially useful in the larger casinos which are part of a hotel or resort complex. In many ways, it allows the hotel front desk to be almost paperless, as data is transmitted the second the customer enters the building. Form filling with a casino host becomes a thing of the past. A customer’s phone can now act as their room key, opening the door as they approach. Any special offers with regard to room service or from the restaurant can also be transmitted straight to the customer’s portable phone. In much larger resorts, then the customer can be directed to all sorts of activities.
In some ways, these casino beacons could be said to streamline the relationship between the casino and the customer. By providing a constantly updated report on what the customer is doing and where he is in the casino, the management can send custom bonuses, offers, and rewards to encourage the player to either play more at the gaming tables or spend in the casino’s other facilities. By using casino beacons and collecting data on every aspect of the customer’s experience, the general idea is that the casino can then be a better provider of services for the customer.
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Here a Beacon, There a Beacon…Everywhere a Beacon
With casino beacons being such a powerful tool, and with it still being in its relative infancy, expect to see greater use of these casino beacons soon. Though there will undoubtedly be some concerns about privacy, when big business wants something, a way will be found. Of course, it goes without saying that the use of beacons for emergency services will be a huge boon. Critical information about a victim’s whereabouts can prove essential for a successful outcome in a rescue.
Though casino beacons are not yet widespread, they will soon be a fact of life. To take it all to its logical conclusion, with so much information now stored on our mobile phones, expect to see laws that require you to have your phone on you at all times. Now stand to attention Citizen Winston Smith!
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