Put Your Best Games to Work

      As we look toward reopening and developing a strategy that complies with the inevitable requirement of social distancing, you can leverage data driven insights to ensure that you have the right games for the right customers when you reopen your doors. In the short term, you will almost certainly have limited game options, the question is how do you best determine what games to disable and what games to leave in service?

      One approach would be to just shut down every other machine on the floor. While this may meet safety requirements, it will limit your revenue potential. We believe the best method requires analyzing in advance which games to put to work and which to leave disabled. Start by assessing at a theme group or peer group level. Consider analyzing based on theme, in conjunction with denomination, cabinet type, section and/or even bank level. Also, focus on key metrics such as occupancy, theo win per day and player preference.

      This goal is to come up with the optimum game count for limited availability scenarios based on its grouped performance, as well as compared to other grouped games. A common question will likely be, “Do we need to enable all units with this game theme?” These questions can be answered when game attributes are grouped in this fashion while focusing on key data fields.

      One of the most important data points is occupancy. Consolidation of play onto fewer units to drive a more even occupancy percentage across theme is the end goal. With the right approach, we can achieve the right mix to optimize return on the units that are enabled.

      Theo win per day is also an important metric. Theo win per hour should also be a great indicator. These metrics provide historical perspective on how games have theoretically performed as well how they were priced. 

      The last, and arguably the most important metric to ensure the right games are turned on/off for the players is preference. Player preference can be defined based on the percent of wallet contributed to a theme or group of games from rated players. Link your rated data with slot accounting data, to find the preference play numbers. You can then find  either the average preference player count (total preference players/game theme count) and/or preference percentage of theme revenue. These are valuable insights. This knowledge allows you to understand themes of low preference as well as those of high preference. Then put it all together and measure its preference relative to occupancy, theo win per day, theo win per hour and game count.

      Balance is the key word. Balance the game count with the demand and performance while being cognizant of what players prefer. 

More Details & Best Practices: Low Performance Themes

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