If you’ve ever stared at three dashboards, five spreadsheets, and a kiosk report while whispering, “Take me back to 1989,” you’ll appreciate the panel that I hosted at this summer’s Casino Marketing & Technology Conference – Casino Management Systems Maximizing Investment and Integration.
I pulled together three heavy hitters — Vicki Griffin, VP, Program Strategy, Everi; Ted Keenan, VP Product, Aristocrat; and Jon Wolfe, President of Global Systems and Services, Light & Wonder — to get painfully honest about integration, mobile, data overload, AI, and how marketers can actually use these multimillion-dollar systems without a secret SQL wizard living under the cage.
I’ve spent more than two decades running operations and marketing, and my happy place is turning “we bought it” into “we used it and it paid for itself — twice.” Here’s what mattered.
The One-Sentence Truth
Integration isn’t technology first — it’s outcomes and people first, then tech. Jon nailed it: “Customer experience is not technology… you’ve got to understand what everybody’s got to get out of it.” Translation: map the journey, align stakeholders, then plug in boxes.
Five Key Takeaways (you can act on… like, now)
1) Build a real ecosystem — one source of truth
“I want all of my data flowing into one place so I’m not pulling 15 dashboards.” – Vicki Griffin, Everi
We’re close to a single, trusted view that blends slots, tables, hotel, POS, online, and sports. “Close” doesn’t mean passive — get opinionated about your data model and what decisions it must power (segments to move, trips to drive, margins to hit). Push vendors to be agnostic and integrate cleanly.
What to do this quarter
- Define three cross-system questions you can’t answer today (e.g., “Which iGaming players will respond to an on-floor tournament invite on Thursdays?”).
- Hand those use cases (not a list of fields) to your vendors. Make them respond in UX and outcomes, not schemas.
2) Mobile is the control room
“The way to reach players today is through mobile, especially as land-based converges with iGaming.” – Ted Keenan, Aristocrat
Mobile is how you influence behavior pre-trip, on-floor, and post-trip. It’s also where adoption dies if the experience is clunky.
Your adoption litmus test
- If connecting at the slot requires “open app → find connect → hold phone just so → pray,” players will revert to plastic. Demand cardless 2.0: faster, fewer taps, and more rewarding than a card.
3) Cardless is real — and getting frictionless
“We’ve delivered cardless via NFC at slots and tables and are piloting facial recognition — no card, no phone.” – Jon Wolfe, Light & Wonder
Every vendor has some version; the difference is friction. Your job: pilot where the experience is snappiest, market the benefit (speed + perks), and measure repeat usage, not downloads.
Operator move
- Make “cardless repeaters” a tracked segment with specific offers you cannot get with plastic. Incentivize the behavior you want.
4) AI is the speed upgrade, not the pilot
“The magic bullet is AI — using it to make integrations faster and reduce dependence on that one SQL guy.” – Ted Keenan
AI helps stitch systems, surface patterns, and shorten test-learn cycles from months to days. It should predict and propose — not make final comp decisions for you. You stay the pilot.
Practical start
- Pick one gnarly, cross-system workflow (e.g., campaign audience updates by daypart) and ask your vendor to prototype an AI-assisted version that a marketer — not a developer — can operate.
5) Change management makes or breaks it
“We may get the technology right, but we don’t introduce people to it the right way—and it fails there.” – Jon Wolfe
Your SQL unicorn can’t scale your business. Processes and tools must. Jon’s challenge to all vendors (and I second it): stop shipping tools and start shipping trustworthy conclusions operators can act on.
Operator checklist
- Do an “Art of the Possible” workshop with all stakeholders (IT, Marketing, Slots, F&B, Hotel, Hosts).
- Walk the customer journey and decide which touchpoints must feed your single source of truth now, which can wait, and what “good” looks like at each point.
Three Quotes I’ll Be Repeating All Year
- “Describe the user experience, not the data joins.” – Ted Keenan
• “Your solutions are tapping out because they’re personality-driven. They need to be process-driven.” – Jon Wolfe
• “We spend a lot on products—let’s make sure we get the complete return.” – Vicki Griffin
The “Three Wishes” Lightning Round (and what to ask for)
From Ted (Aristocrat)
- Perfect API management with one-click import/export of real-time streams.
- Pro-services on tap — teams that forecast, instrument, and document the lift.
- A legit test lab so promotions don’t “stage-collapse” on go-live.
From Vicki (Everi)
- Real-time campaign intelligence by segment so you can move needles mid-flight.
- One login, one view across CMS + loyalty + promo + payments.
- Self-service analytics (drag, drop, done) for the non-DBA marketer.
From Jon (Light & Wonder)
- An elevated experience at every touchpoint, especially the slot — your most important POS.
- Customer-influenced roadmaps — you should see your ideas reflected back quickly.
- Curated user workspaces — log in once, get the specific pieces you need from multiple modules.
What Vendors Owe Operators (Yes, I said it on stage)
- Fewer “toolkits,” more decision-ready outputs.
- Malleable platforms that adapt to your property without bespoke forks.
- Faster integration cycles — use AI to make weeks feel like minutes.
- Training that fits humans who have three hats and five fires before lunch.
What we owe them: clear outcomes, stakeholder alignment, and courage. Be coachable.
The Cardless Question Everyone Asked
A veteran in the audience begged, “Please let me see fully cardless before I retire.” Short answer: it’s happening — NFC at slots and tables now, facial recognition in pilot. The adoption barrier isn’t tech — it’s friction and change. Your rollout plan must market the benefit (speed + rewards), not the mechanism.
My Closing Ask (from one operator to another)
Before you buy another bolt-on, answer these three questions:
1) What business outcome will this prove in 90 days?
2) Whose workflow will get simpler tomorrow morning? (Name the person.)
3) How will we test it before guests see it? (Lab, pilot, rollback plan.)
If your vendor can’t answer you, keep shopping. Thanks to Vicki, Ted, and Jon for stepping out from behind the curtain and into the arena with us. See you at G2E bring your questions and your outcome targets.
About the Moderator
Chris Archunde has been a casino operator for 20+ years across the U.S. and Caribbean, specializing in executive-level marketing and operations. As a Raving Partner, she leads strategic operations & marketing performance projects, negotiates enterprise-wide tech contracts, and is relentless about turning systems into provable ROI for tribal and commercial properties. Approachable? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Soft on vendors who don’t deliver outcomes? Not a chance.
Interested in strategic marketing planning, loyalty club revamps, or systems integration? Raving works with clients to develop custom training programs, audits, and more! Check out our website here.
