KIOSKS Case Study - sports betting kiosks for casinos
24 Hour sports bets via the casino kiosk announced for Dutch Caribbean (including St. Maarten). This is following the sucessfull launch of 12 units in other casinos on other islands there. Picture of the unit is included.
LAS VEGAS, USA: ISI Maritime/Islands (ISI) officials have announced it will soon introduce its new sports betting kiosks (the iSports Stand) to casinos throughout the Dutch Caribbean, including St. Maarten. The announcement follows the successful launch of 12 of the new iSports Stands on the gaming floors of five casinos in Curacao and Aruba.
iSports Stand
Acting as a stand-alone sports book, the iSports Stand provides the same services as a casino sports book, including placing sports bets, and can be open virtually 24 hours a day. The kiosks offer bettors a faster, more convenient method to place sports bets.
The Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino was one of the first to offer the iSports Stand, which began accepting bets on February 3, just in time for Super Bowl XLI.
“We are pleased to offer our guests a convenient, easy way to place a sports bet,” said Brian Stedeford, general manager of the Stellaris Casino. “The iSports Stands were a huge hit with our customers during Super Bowl weekend. Offering sports betting before and during the game drew people to the Stellaris and kept them here, which enhanced our business in other areas of property like the restaurants, lounges and other casino games.”
In Curacao, the Casino Awasa in the Otrobanda Hotel was one of the first to offer the iSports Stand.
“We have already seen a large increase in business as a result of the iSports Stand,” said Martin Eustatia, manager of the Otrobanda Hotel. “I have had a lot of requests for sports betting over the years and have always had to send people somewhere else to make their bets. Now the Otrobanda is able to offer this service, without remodeling or hiring additional employees.”
The iSports Stands are also in operation at the Curacao Casino in the Hilton Curacao and will soon be offered at additional properties on the island. The iSports Stands at the Alhambra Casino and the Casablanca Casino in the Westin Aruba Resort are expected to be fully operational in time for the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. ISI is expected to have 12 iSports Stands operating in the Dutch Caribbean by the second quarter of 2007.
The kiosk is similar to using an ATM at a bank instead of dealing with a teller. In addition, the iSports Stand allows bettors to check weather during events, obtain advice from a professional sports handicapper, book show tickets and make golf reservations. In the near future, horse racing is expected to be offered through the kiosks. ISI co-developed the iSports Stand with AWI Manufacturing. Both corporations are headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev.
“Typically only one or two casino properties on each island have been able to offer sports wagering, leaving the other properties at a severe disadvantage,” said Ernest Matthews, president of ISI Maritime/Islands. “The iSports Stand brings a new opportunity to many of the casino properties in the Caribbean, allowing them to be more competitive, while increasing their profits."
The iSports Stand offers another industry first – advertising on the casino floor for companies and products outside of the casino. Through the iSports Stand, local and national businesses can advertise on the kiosk’s side panels, on the upper video monitor and through banner ads on the kiosk screen. When touched, the screen changes to a Web-based application allowing the bettor to obtain an advertiser-generated coupon for a service such as a limo ride, a free beverage or a free handicapper pick of a football game.
“This is a unique opportunity for advertisers,” said Angie Ek, general manager of ISI Maritime/Islands. “Never before were advertisers allowed to convey their message to the thousands of casino patrons until now. Casino guests are a captured audience who are loyal to casino products and entertainment. Being able to reach them on the casino floor makes the iSports Stand a unique and desirable advertising vehicle to all sorts of businesses.”
“It’s also a win for the casinos since they keep a portion of the advertising revenue from the sale of space on the touch screen as well as a video monitor at the top of the machine,” said Bo Loefstok-Schillemans of Dragonfly Media, the exclusive sales partner to ISI in the Caribbean. “The advertising can pay for the machine in a few months.”
Posted by staff at March 16, 2007 07:08 AM