FL: In the United States, the combination of the Internet and gaming is in its infancy — what does GameLogic hope to contribute to this new space?
JT: We are making the Web the most efficient marketing vehicle for a casino — ever. GameLogic was founded by the creators of Internet games portal, Gamesville, who leveraged wildly popular game content to successfully market to millions of players on the Web. Fortunately, that included several products that can be used now by American casinos. GameLogic has a similar value proposition — leverage the popularity of Internet games and then monetize the resulting online traffic directly into incremental casino visits.
FL: Why is GameLogic uniquely positioned to be able to accomplish this?
JT: Our team brings together a unique combination of Internet games design and casino gaming operations. Our interactive game design experience dates back to 1995; our senior management was part of the core team that built and created Gamesville, the world's first and biggest Internet games service. In addition, we have more than 50 years of gaming industry expertise; our senior management developed and operated 11-plus gaming operations in six countries for one of the world's largest gaming companies.
FL: Why is it now the time for casino managers to pay attention to GameLogic and Internet games?
JT: With casino markets becoming increasingly competitive, now is the time for casinos to seek new efficient ways to attract players and transition them, along with their existing players, to become loyal and more frequent customers. More and more Americans experience brands — and brand — on the Internet. Research shows that many buyers make their primary buying decisions based upon Web presence — before they even experience the core brand — in this case, the actual casino. Any casino manager or marketing executive who wants to efficiently grow on-property traffic is using the Web to help — and we're a big part of their best available solution right now.
FL: What are the benefits of having casino customers [or potential customers] being able to play games online?
JT: Casino players are by definition gamblers, and they like the experience of having the opportunity to win. And, in order to win, sometimes they have to lose [whether they're losing money or even just with a points-based leader board]. What we've created is a way for regulated casinos to provide gaming-like experiences when the players are away from the casino. It's the first time that U.S. casinos have the opportunity to extend their brand in this way. We are big believers in the power of the Internet — particularly the viral and direct marketing aspects — to get existing casino players to visit the property more often and to introduce casinos to new players who've never visited before.
FL: Does GameLogic appropriately work with bricks-and-mortar casinos in a regulatory compliant manner?
JT: That's correct. We provide our PlayAway system with its Fun Play, Bonus Play and Money Play modules to regulated casinos. In the last year or so, we have implemented 15 casinos in eight different jurisdictions throughout the United States.
FL: What steps do casinos have to go through in order to set up free online play sites — either through GameLogic or on their own? What do they need to know?
JT: It's relatively easy for the casino. They provide us some of their creative assets — logo, etc. — and we create for them a Fun Play site that is branded for them. They put a button on their Web site's homepage and basically link it to the games site that we create for them, with all the marketing benefits built-in. It's very straightforward and easy from a casino's perspective.