Industry News
Gamesys builds on “transformative” year with 360º customer experience focus
Following a landmark 2019, Lee Fenton, the CEO of the newly formed Gamesys Group, reveals how a recent integration of Zendesk’s customer service and engagement platform is providing the groundwork for Gamesys’s ventures/brands.
With over 1,300 employees across 16 group offices worldwide Gamesys puts a lot of emphasis on ensuring the best customer service across all your brands, how has your recent transformation via Zendesk enhanced your focus on customers?
Zendesk has set the foundation for our 360º view of the player initiatives for 2020. Being able to look at our players in different contexts while all within one unified system, gives us the ability to provide a personalised experience for our players based on their preferences and needs. Our players may prefer to engage with us on social channels, receive a call-back or search for the answer to their issue without ever engaging with our advisors. Zendesk has allowed us to introduce these options and enhance our existing channels increasing our teams’ capacity.
Zendesk has also provided us with an invaluable insight into what our players expect from our customer experience team. This enables us to personalise our player’s experience even further as we roll-out the next phases of our customer care platform. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that we provide the best experience, via the right channel, within a safe and responsible environment.
Gamesys’ customer service transformation required collaboration across multiple teams to get buy-in and transform their service centres, what’s the key to keeping everyone on message?
To understand the magnitude of collaboration that was needed to enact this change, 21 teams actively contributed to the successful selection and 82-day roll-out of Zendesk. The success of the initial rollout came down to personal investment, a willingness to engage and constructively work through competing priorities and a commitment to improving both the experience and toolsets for our players and advisors.
Not many companies have to provide market-leading customer experience to a global player community, what are your top priorities in terms of anticipating your customers’ needs?
Our top priority for 2020 in the customer experience space is to provide the best entertainment to our players within a safe and responsible environment. This relationship demonstrates our commitment to understand and care for our players and enables us to provide the most enjoyable customer experience.
Zendesk provides a unified view of the player, multiple avenues to reach out to our community and contributes intelligence which we use to refine our predictive models which identify users who may potentially be at risk.
As regulations evolve, it is vital that we continue to demonstrate our commitment to compliance. Zendesk provides us with tools for rigid GDPR compliance, auditing and reporting for KYC and AML.
How do you measure the impact of the customer experience with your customers, are you predominantly focused on retention and spend or is there more to it?
We want to build long-term sustainable relationships with players. We measure the impact of their experience through their engagement with our brands throughout their lifetime rather than spend.
We are always looking to invest in our players and their experience, and this gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace. We are in the entertainment business which is at the heart of the reason why players visit our sites. Our focus is providing enjoyment whilst empowering them with the tools to control their play. By providing a frictionless customer experience, we enhance the value of the brand which helps in our goals of creating a sustainable responsible business and organically drives brand awareness and retention.
Bingo players and operators are unique compared to other sectors of the gaming community. Where do you see the key differences in providing customer service to this sector than say land-based casinos or slots customers?
For our online Bingo-led brands, we have a vibrant social community who enjoy engaging with other members and our Chat Hosts. Our community is often the first to provide us with constructive feedback on our games and engage with us if there are any issues on the site that may need attention. This community feel is not unique to our Bingo players and can be equally applied to other segments of our poker and casino communities. At Gamesys, we have found that brand, player demographics, and a player’s persona influence the type of customer experience one would most prefer to receive — whether that be via phone, email, chat, or even self-service.
As an award-winning, leading global operator, what does Gamesys’ vision look like in the next decade and what part do your service centres play in this?
We continue to invest in the Gamesys Group multi-brand strategy and we recently launched a new site with Scientific Games which is dedicated to one of the UK’s most popular slots, Rainbow Riches.
We will also continue to develop our existing ventures while expanding into new markets. As we know from entering new markets such as Germany, Sweden, and Japan, each market comes with unique challenges, opportunities and regulatory compliance requirements. Our advisors and the player experience we provide will continue to adapt and remain flexible so that we can respond continually to meet our player’s expectations.
Bruce Smith Enterprise
The Cordish Companies, Bruce Smith Enterprise and Live! Casino Virginia Celebrate Opening of Central Virginia’s First Full-Scale Casino
The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise celebrated the highly-anticipated grand opening of Live! Casino Virginia, the region’s first full-scale casino. The opening of the temporary gaming facility marks an important milestone in bringing new jobs, economic development, and tourism to the region while construction advances on the permanent resort destination next door.
Located just 25 miles south of Richmond and only 45 miles north of the North Carolina border, Live! Casino Virginia is conveniently off I-95 at Exit 48B. Live! Casino Virginia delivers a full-scale gaming experience 24 hours a day, seven days a week, featuring 75,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 900 state-of-the-art slot machines and over 30 live-action table games. Guests also can enjoy a signature bar and quick-service restaurant, with more than 1000 free parking spaces for added convenience. Combined with the signature excitement and superior hospitality only Live! can provide, the casino promises an unmatched entertainment experience for locals and out-of-town guests.
“We are proud to introduce an unparalleled entertainment experience to this market – the area’s first full-scale casino, offering the pulse-pounding excitement of Vegas-style slots, dynamic table games, and the unmistakable energy that defines the Live! Brand. Live Casino Virginia is a game-changing development, positioned to be a catalyst for entertainment, hospitality, and sustained economic growth throughout the region for decades to come,” said Jon Cordish, Principal of The Cordish Companies.
The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise were joined by Virginia Lottery Board Chairman Ferhan Hamid; Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones; Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham and members of Petersburg City Council; Pro Football legend Joe Theismann; and many community and business leaders from around the region to celebrate the opening.
“For far too long, this area has been a place people passed through rather than stopped to explore; today, that changes. Live! Casino Virginia will stand as a destination in its own right, and as someone deeply committed to this region and its people, I’m proud to help create opportunities that strengthen, inspire, and invest in the community for generations ahead,” said Bruce Smith, founder of Bruce Smith Enterprise.
“The influence Live! Casino Virginia is already having on Petersburg cannot be overstated. From the temporary casino to the future permanent resort, this project is poised to redefine the Tri-Cities and help shape the long-term trajectory of our region. This moment marks the beginning of a powerful new era,” said Mayor Samuel Parham, City of Petersburg, VA.
During the grand opening celebration, $15,050,000 was presented to the City of Petersburg and local charities in support of city initiatives, community programs and nonprofit organizations. The $15 million donation to the City is part of a broader commitment by The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise, which includes additional scheduled contributions. Through the establishment of a Community Advisory Board, a portion of these funds will be designated to support city initiatives including services for the elderly, childcare, affordable housing, parks and recreation facilities, support for education, healthcare, and housing and workforce development for disadvantaged populations, ensuring a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. On January 20, the property’s Charity Test Day generated $50,000 in proceeds, which were split evenly between two local organizations – Feed More and the John Randolph Foundation – providing $25,000 to each.
Additionally, the Virginia State University Foundation is the recipient of the inaugural “Live! Change Maker” program, a charitable initiative that allows guests to donate remaining change from their winnings to a local nonprofit through its cash-out kiosks. Funds collected through the program through March 31, 2026, will directly support the Virginia State University Foundation’s mission to advance educational opportunities, student success, and institutional excellence at Virginia State University. Live! Casino Virginia’s program is part of the casino’s ongoing community engagement and corporate social responsibility efforts, designed to make giving back simple and impactful for guests. Last year, Live! Casinos across the country distributed millions of dollars to local charities through the initiative. Each quarter, a new local nonprofit will be selected as a recipient of the program.
The post The Cordish Companies, Bruce Smith Enterprise and Live! Casino Virginia Celebrate Opening of Central Virginia’s First Full-Scale Casino appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Online casino engagement is breaking down faster than operators anticipated, according to new research by CasinoRank. The analysis tracked player behaviour across 847 slot, crash and live dealer titles over 18 months and shows that while players are logging into casinos more frequently, their willingness to stay and engage is declining. Session frequency rose 23% year over year, while median session duration fell 18%, pointing to a shift towards shorter, faster interactions rather than sustained play.
The research draws on aggregated session data from 40 operators across Europe, Latin America and Asia between Q2 2024 and December 2025. Across markets, a consistent pattern emerged: platforms that introduced additional layers between app open and first gameplay experienced higher early-session abandonment, even when traffic increased. Personalisation layers, lobby restructuring, promotional overlays and navigation changes that delayed the first meaningful interaction were repeatedly linked to players exiting before placing a bet.
Key patterns:
• Players opening casino apps more often but exiting earlier
• Higher abandonment when friction appears before first gameplay
• Steeper retention declines as response times reach double-digit seconds
• A growing share of session losses occurring before gameplay begins.
The findings suggest the window to earn engagement has collapsed to seconds. Mobile-first behaviour has reduced tolerance for slow loading, unclear navigation or delayed gameplay. Retention declines steadily as response times increase, with the sharpest drop once delays extend into double-digit seconds.
Game performance data reflects the same shift. Titles built around immediately understandable mechanics consistently maintain top-ranking visibility longer than feature-heavy games with layered bonus structures or complex progression systems. As engagement windows shorten, complexity is increasingly perceived as friction rather than innovation.
Dylan Thomas, credibility lead at CasinoRank, said the findings point to a structural change rather than a temporary fluctuation. “Engagement is not falling. It is fracturing. Players are returning more often, but committing less time per visit,” Thomas said.
“Platforms now have seconds, not minutes, to earn the first meaningful action.”
The post CasinoRank Data Reveals an Attention Crisis in Online Casino Gaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
MGM Resorts International has reached a significant milestone in its renewable energy strategy, now powering up to 100% of its daytime electricity needs on the Las Vegas Strip with solar energy. The achievement was made possible after the Company began receiving 115 MW of solar energy and 400 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery storage in December of 2025 from the recently completed Escape Solar and Storage Project, located in Lincoln County, Nevada.
By combining power from the newly activated Escape Solar and Storage Project with the Company’s 100-megawatt (MW) Mega Solar Array, MGM Resorts has more than doubled its access to renewable energy. In addition, the battery system from Escape Solar allows MGM Resorts to store solar energy generated during peak production hours and use it during evenings and other lower-production periods.
“With this new project coming online, we are accelerating progress toward our goal of using 100% renewable electricity domestically by 2030. Together with our Mega Solar Array, the new Escape Solar and Storage Project reflects our focus on scalable, impactful clean-energy solutions. It also demonstrates that our industry can operate more sustainably while delivering long-term cost stability, strengthening our business and supporting a more resilient energy future,” said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts.
MGM resorts announced a 25-year power purchase agreement with Escape Solar LLC in September of 2024 to amplify the Company’s renewable energy capabilities and extend production to cover up to 100% of its Las Vegas properties’ total daytime needs.
As an operator of large-scale resorts, MGM Resorts remains focused on expanding renewable energy use to lower long-term energy costs and mitigate exposure to energy price volatility. Since 2016, the Company has significantly reduced carbon emissions through investments in renewable energy projects, including:
• 323,000-panel Mega Solar Array providing 100 MW to MGM Resorts locations in Las Vegas
• 26,000 solar panels atop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center providing 8.3 MW to that property
• 100-kW rooftop solar array to help power T-Mobile Arena
• 3456 solar panels atop the parking garage at MGM Springfield in Massachusetts.
The post MGM Resorts Powers Up to 100% of Daytime Las Vegas Strip Electricity with Solar appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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