The Benefits of Digital Signage for Casinos

Casinos are all about excess and the “wow” factor, so it is not surprising that many casinos are taking advantage of a technology that seems perfectly suited to this task: digital signage.

There are countless ways that casinos can employ digital signage with benefits, such as improving the customer experience, improving employee communications, driving sales, increasing dwell time, and setting the atmosphere with visually dazzling displays.

In this article, we will go over the basics of digital signage, answering the question: “what is digital signage?” and then moving on to a brief description of the types of software and hardware required to integrate a digital signage system into a casino establishment. As you will see, the functionality of digital signage and aims casinos are perfectly suited to each other.

What is Digital Signage?

Digital signage refers to the use of digital displays, such as televisions, LED walls, and tablets, in conjunction with a digital signage solution, such as a digital signage media player, to display content on those screens.

One of the best things about digital signage is that the type of content that you can display is highly dynamic. Some examples of the type of content that you can display with digital signage are images, text, videos, social media feeds, animations, apps, digital menu boards, wayfinding content, interactive displays, and much more.

Just the sheer amount of versatility of this technology should start the wheels turning in your mind. Digital signage can be used for marketing, entertainment, dissemination of important information, and much else.

What is Needed for Integrating a Digital Signage System?

The first step in integrating digital signage into your business is to purchase digital signage displays. These can include televisions, LED displays, tablets, smartphones, and even billboards. Different digital signage displays can be put the use for different purposes, and you will often want to have multiple types of digital screens to best fit your needs.

The next step is to get a digital signage solution. Digital signage solutions are generally divided into two types: cloud-based digital signage and hardware-based digital signage solutions. You will want to choose between the two depending on your needs.

Cloud-based digital signage solutions mean that you will use an off-base server to do tasks like digital signage content management, content creation, and content display through internet and wifi connectivity. With cloud-based digital signage solutions, companies offering this type of service will typically charge a monthly or yearly fee for use of their servers and software.

With hardware-based digital signage solutions, you will do everything on base. You will typically get a digital signage media player, along with the digital signage software and templates needed for content management, content creation, playlist curation, and display through HDMI cords or USB connections connected to your digital screens.

Many businesses prefer hardware-based digital signage solutions because you will usually only need to pay an upfront cost. One of the best options, however, is the digital signage solution offered by Loop TV because you get a high-quality hardware-based digital signage solution!

Another accessory that you will most likely want for your digital signage system is a wall mount for your digital display. Mounting your digital screens to the wall makes sure that your content is easily visible to customers. Moreover, mounted digital signage saves valuable floor space, and typically, looks more professional than digital signage screens on the floor.

Once you have these three pieces, you should be ready to get your digital signage system all set up.

The Benefits of Casino Digital Signage

1. Improve Casino Wayfinding

Perhaps one of the biggest issues guests face when it comes to their visit is knowing exactly where they are going. Things can change at the drop of a hat in the gaming industry and it’s important to provide guests with a means to easily navigate between games or amenities.

Digital wayfinding signage is one-way casino signage informs people quickly. It can automatically update in real-time if event, game or amenity locations have changed. In some cases, that updated information can also be sent to a guest’s smartphone.

Most importantly, however, digital wayfinding solutions can demonstrate pathways that people can take—a functionality that extends through multi-floor and multi-building properties.

2. Cut Operational Costs

Casinos were one of the first industries to jump on the digital signage bandwagon. The move was a natural one for the industry because their venues are frequently updated with new events and specials, such as live performances, lunch buffet deals and the addition of new game tables. The cost of having to frequently swap out paper banners and posters meant spending a small fortune on this facet of the business alone. With the adoption of digital signage, updates are instant and automatic.

3. Interactive Kiosks

There is simply no replacement for a live staff member manning the guest service station. However, an interactive digital kiosk makes for a great supplement for those who do not wish to stand in line or when staffers are stretched thin during peak hours.

Furthermore, kiosks can also provide secondary functions, such as dispensing show tickets or enabling customers to make dinner reservations. One of the reasons casinos tend to be so successful is because they cut no corners when it comes to their ad and promotional presentations.

Businesses of all stripes can model their own marketing endeavors after casinos to replicate a similar degree of success

4. Provide Clear Information

There is so much information that people need to know about when they enter a casino. For example, many people might not know how to play many of the games.

Such a problem can be easily fixed with well-placed interactive digital signage: a digital sign may have a list of games and a guest can click on the games and then get an informational blurb or video explaining the rules of the game.

Something like this could make the casino experience far better for many people who have not gambled much before. Moreover, this would benefit the casino, because a person with knowledge of how to play a game is much more likely to play games than someone who doesn’t know the rules.

This kind of information proliferation could get many more people involved in the casino games since there are many who, lacking the requisite knowledge, simply watch and don’t put their money on the line.

Another example of useful information conveyed with digital signage would be casino rules. Casinos are surely an escape from reality, but even the reality of the casino has its own rules and regulations, and it is important that guests know what these rules are so that they don’t run into any trouble.

There are countless examples of different types of useful information that could be easily conveyed with a digital sign. This makes the work of the staff easier and allows the guest to fully enjoy themselves.

5. Drive On-Site Spending

Targeted advertising is a surefire way to increase revenue, and there’s no better way to deliver that information than through digital signage advertising screens.

Outside of restaurants, digital menu boards can display different specials and prices depending on the time of day. Jackpot celebrations can encourage people to game longer, and tournament promotions drive sales. Casino digital signage has proven time and again to increase revenue in almost every aspect.

6. Increase Guest Engagement

Video walls are an incredible way to brighten up the casino floor and differentiate the space. They can also improve customer loyalty by creating a unique brand experience. Interactive displays, like touch screens and casino loyalty kiosks, can further increase guest engagement, which drives repeat visits.

Another way to increase engagement is to employ social media walls where people can see real-time posts that people have tagged the casino in. People at the casino are often looking their best, so they take a lot of pictures, and casinos are tagged regularly in guest posts.

When people see that others are making posts about the casino, they will be more likely to make a post themselves, and there will be excited to see their post appear right in front of them on the social media wall.

7. Keep Guests Informed About Events

There is often so much going on at a casino, that people can be totally unaware that some event that they would otherwise be interested in is about to take place in another room or section of the casino. Digital signage, with its eye-catching displays, is the perfect way to quickly inform guests about the happenings going on at the casino.

8. Digital Menu Boards

One thing that casinos are known for is food. The buffet has become a staple of many casinos, but there are usually a variety of dining options. These restaurants can use digital menu boards with mouthwatering images or videos to entice customers to spend their money on food.

This is a far more effective method than static signs, especially in a place like a casino where there is frenetic activity everywhere, and a static sign would likely go unnoticed.

9. Giant LED Displays for Sports Betting

There are many people who come to a casino, not for the traditional casino games, but for sports betting. Casinos can employ digital signage to display huge screens of the important game or match that everyone is betting on, creating a totally immersive environment and the dream for the dedicated sports fan and gambling enthusiast.

10. Improve Employee Communications

Another benefit of using digital signage in casinos is the convenience it allows for communicating with staff. The following are just a few ways in which digital casino signage technology is being used for the back of the house:

• Displaying info about upcoming events
• Announcing anniversaries and birthdays
• Employee recognition programs
• Emergency messaging
• Displaying real-time KPIs to motivate staff
• Promoting training opportunities

11. Attract Visitors with Outdoor Digital Signage

Branding begins long before guests ever set foot on the property. Casinos can use outdoor digital signage to entice potential guests who are driving or walking by. Signage can showcase pertinent information such as room rates, visiting artists, big games or daily specials at the restaurant.

12. Change Messaging According to Day/Time

This strategy serves up different messages to consumers depending on their needs at varying times of the day. As many casinos operate multiple facilities around the clock they are masters of day/time parting on digital signage.

The same sign may promote the breakfast buffet in the morning, a Texas Hold ‘em Tournament in the afternoon, fine dining in the evening, and the featured show at night. Take advantage of digital signage’s flexibility to provide tailored messaging to your consumers at different times of the day.

13. Betting Kiosks

Videowalls are common in race and sports books, where they can show not only odds, scores, and other data, but also live-action games in full-color and high-definition.

But smaller betting kiosks can benefit from casino digital signage as well. These smaller wagering stations often include elevated video monitors or LED displays and an arrayed panel behind the counter for displaying odds and scores.

Additional information can be shown on columns to either side of the counter. While less expensive to install and operate than full-service, books with videowalls and betting kiosks draw plenty of action with their high visibility, multiple sight lines, and prominent images.

A Technology Made for Casinos

As you have seen throughout this article, there are a plethora of benefits that a casino can get from integrating digital signage into their establishment. In fact, many casinos were the first to hop on the trend, and some of the world’s best casinos have worked digital signage into a veritable art form.

Digital signage can improve many facets of a casino, and these benefits can be felt between guests, employees, and those who are watching their bottom line. It seems safe to say that employing digital signage is a pretty safe bet for any casino.