| | October 201819CIOReviewTHE BUSINESS OF CASINOS IN THE TECH ERABy Monica Bohm, Vice President, Digital & Enterprise Services, BCLCTechnology is changing so rapidly that it can be overwhelming to follow at times. The consumer market is as competitive as ever, with new and improved products and services available quicker than it takes to turn on a screen. The pressure is on­not just for brands but also whole industries­to push past the noise and to attract consumers. The casino industry is no exception.Technology has brought ample change to the casino industry over the years. Advances to slot machines, payment options and enhancements to security hardware and software are just a few of the things that come to mind. But one of the bigger technological trends in the casino industry has been the emergence of online casino gaming.BCLC has offered casino-style games through PlayNow.com since 2010. It is the fastest growing portfolio in our online gaming business and participation rates have increased with adoption of digital technologies and the proliferation of mobile. Earlier this year, we launched Live Casino, an offering where our customers have the ability to play table games online using real-time interactions with a live dealer through a video-streaming link. Players can communicate with the live dealer via a real time chat function. After seeing the success of Live Casino in Europe and other international jurisdictions, we knew there was player demand for live casino games in British Columbia. BCLC is the only provider of regulated, legal online gambling in British Columbia and Live Casino is the first product of its kind offered in a regulated Canadian market. Live Casino offers blackjack, baccarat, and roulette because these table games are popular in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos. The response from our players has been great, with particularly strong participation levels on mobile.Technically speaking, the software, integrations and network required to support a real time offering like Live Casino are state of the art. Other unique, technology-enabled casino experiences are expanding between brick-and-mortar and online casinos. For example, we are now offering slot games that share jackpots across many facilities and our online products. To be considered a top player in the industry, it is essential that we keep our players top of mind. One of our goals is to give players a more seamless and integrated experience so they can enjoy our games and use our services from multiple access points. We believe this focus will assist us to keep pace in a rapidly changing digital world. As rapid digital transformation continues, we are improving how we leverage data and evolving our marketing capabilities and technical skills across many job functions in the organization. It is not always easy to keep up with the changes in our market, but investing in people and choosing best partners in technology and gaming are helping BCLC stay ahead of the curve. One of the bigger technological trends in the casino industry has been the emergence of online casino gamingMonica Bohm
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