In the cruise ship gaming circles, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Iverson Gaming is a tried-and-true supplier; instantly recognizable as a global leader in onboard gaming management systems, which were installed on over 100 cruise ships across the globe.

The company is making inroads into other gaming markets however, and its products are installed in small-to-medium sized land-based casinos in jurisdictions akin to South Dakota and South Korea. Iverson could also be developing a variety of cutting-edge products, including its virtualATM solution that appears to exchange ticket-based payment systems.

Millard H. Reeves, vice president, new product development for Iverson recently took a while to talk about the corporate and its business plans for the near future with Casino Journal Editor Paul Doocey. Below are some excerpts from that conversation:

How did Iverson Gaming Systems come about?

Reeves: In 1997 we were developers of software for the newly announced IBM Pc. We were contracted to develop software to trace slot machine activity for a casino. Seeing the chance to offer this service for the casino industry, we founded Iverson Gaming Systems in 1998. We specialized in systems for casinos in keeping with cruise ships and feature been working on this area since that time.

What are the company’s business strategies regarding its primary products and markets?

Reeves: Our primary philosophy is and has always been to know the wishes of our customers and convert those needs into solutions.  We've been within the forefront in providing account-based gaming solutions (transferring funds from a casino account off and on of the slot machine credit meter). Our strengths are in designing automated data communication for slot accounting and player tracking systems. Along side this, we offer the tools that enable the casino to research data collected/generated by the system. This gives functionality from basic slot accounting (accountability of funds) to drilling down into the effectiveness of promotions to analysis of player activity in keeping with game availability in addition to overall security monitoring and reporting.

How did Iverson originally get entangled with cruise ship gaming?

Reeves: Our original involvement with cruise ships was driven by our willingness to customise and unique ability to milk powerline data communication technology. This allowed us to put in a whole slot and player tracking system with no need to run new communication lines. This gave us an immense advantage over system providers that were dependent upon running CAT5 cable during ships’ once every three-to-five year dry-dock upgrade cycle.  In fact today we support powerline in addition to standard CAT5 communications.

How big is Iverson now when it comes to customer base and products sold?

Reeves: We're a small company that over the past 15 years has, for essentially the most part, targeting serving the cruise ship market.  We're installed on over 100 ships for Carnival Corporation.  This includes well-known brands equivalent to Carnival Cruise lines, Holland America, Princes, Costa and Aida.

How strong is Iverson on this segment now?

Reeves: Being an organization all in favour of customer service, we've always been willing to customise our solutions to satisfy changing market needs for our cruise line customers. This has allowed us to be the hands down leader within the cruise line casino market.

How is the corporate growing cruise ship casino business going forward?

Reeves: Our goal within the cruise ship market need to be to grow horizontally. There are opportunities being created by the guests’ increased need for the provision of onboard technology. Because the wish to increase the supply of technology is driven by guests, the cruise lines have challenged us to create improved guest satisfaction through innovative products designed to supply increased availability of online information, services and entertainment. I THINK much of this may be driven by providing mobile apps and opportunities for guests and staff to speak with one another as they might while on land.

Is Iverson seeking to expand beyond cruise ships and into land-based gaming environments?

Reeves: Absolutely!

How will the corporate go about doing that?

Reeves: Besides having a great proven system, we're actively developing integrations for our system if you want to provide functionality for land-based operators.  Again, lots of these functions will take care of expanding functionality and communication by utilizing mobile devices.

How did the virtualATM product turn up for Iverson?

Reeves: I MIGHT must say that it was a natural evolution of our a few years of expertise with shipboard account-based gaming with increased prevalence of mobile devices in our everyday lives (especially when contemplating mobile payments and online banking).

What niche does virtualATM fulfill within a gaming operation?

Reeves: The virtualATM permits the ease and functionality expected by today’s players.  It becomes the most obvious replacement for ticket-based systems with the additional benefit of increased accountability and controls.

Are there any new products or systems at the planning stage that you'd just like the mention?

Reeves: We're in discussions with some potential partners for some very exciting opportunities related to our virtualATM product.

What are Iverson’s plans for the impending G2E show?

Reeves: We plan to continue to introduce the concept that of the virtualATM to operators and regulators on the lookout for alternatives to ticket-based gaming.  On the same time, we will be able to reintroduce our Mobile Gaming system with a focal point towards serving operators within the day cruiser, pull-tab and Caribbean markets.

Read More... [Source: Gaming Industry News]