HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: Tell me how you got your start in the hospitality industry.
RICH: I actually began my career as a police officer. I then served in the military and was injured in the first Gulf War, which ended my traditional law enforcement career. I moved to crime prevention analysis, where I became intrigued with using computer programs to solve crime. That’s what took me down the avenue of technology. I went back to college and got my undergraduate and graduate degrees and took a job as a database engineer at Hewlett-Packard. After a few years, I joined Acres Gaming where I helped develop a smart card product that was deployed to South Africa and is still used today. In 2011, I joined Umpqua Indian Development Corporation, where I oversee corporate information technology strategy for all of their for-profit businesses.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: Technology is changing so rapidly, especially in the gaming industry. What do you see as your biggest technology challenges?
RICH: The biggest technology challenge is technology security. Everything changes so quickly that many of the software development companies are sharing libraries in their software toolkits. So, when there’s exploitation in that tool kit, it affects a lot of products all at once. We have the speed of development, but things may not be as tested as they should be.
Another challenge is iGaming and the infrastructure needed to protect both operations and guests. We have to be able to embrace responsible gaming and prohibit underage gambling. And then there’s the ongoing challenge of how to effectively use technology to meet guest expectations. Kiosks have been around for years for hotel-check-in, for example, but they aren’t very successful here. Guests still want to talk to a real person. We have to evolve, of course, but we can’t forget about the guest experience and making sure guests feel warm and welcome on property.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: Where do you get your ideas?
RICH: I get a lot of ideas from my team members and vendor partners. I also go to a lot of tradeshows to look at what I call ‘skunkworks projects’–the gaming companies’ special setups that show their next possible generation of technology. And although most of it never comes to fruition, it gets me thinking about the ways I can keep infrastructure ahead of new technology.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: What has been one of your most successful technology implementations?
RICH: In 2015, we went wireless on the gaming floor. We had to run cables to each slot machine for data, and it took about 18 months to implement. But the savings in time and money have been enormous. I’m aware of only two casinos in the nation that are wireless.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: A focus in gaming today is the ‘hybrid journey’—the blending of gaming and non-gaming guest experiences. How do you achieve that?
RICH: First and foremost, we show value in our loyalty card program. There are discounts and exclusive offers when guests check in or dine with us. Our vendor partners have done an excellent job of interfacing major products so that we can achieve this goal. We also interface to our gas station. Depending on how much guests play, they get discounts at the pump, sometimes as much as $1.50 per gallon. There is intrinsic value in our loyalty program so that guests are encouraged to embrace more experiences while on property. Also, studies show that younger patrons tend to make decisions about casino visits based as much on non-gaming amenities like shows, bars and restaurants as on gambling. So, it’s important to be mindful of that and make sure to expand our experiential and entertainment-focused offerings.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: Discuss the importance of AI to your technology strategy.
RICH: AI was actually coined in the 1950s. Simple AI includes things like large data analytics, which we’ve had for years. The more common AI is normal AI, like ChatGPT, which generates information for you. We’re on the cusp of that journey. A big challenge, of course, is guardrails, especially when it comes to the guest experience. We want a human being to evaluate messages before they go out to make sure they are on brand and on target. Then there’s super AI, and we’re not even there yet. There’s a new chip from Nvidia that does trillions of transactions per second instead of billions. We’re always looking at AI and how to put it into operations, but at the same time we have a responsibility to make sure we protect guest data and don’t inadvertently expose it.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: What technologies excite you the most?
RICH: Some of the facial recognition technology is really exciting to me. Imagine walking into your favorite sports bar and getting your favorite drink without even asking for it. Or being recognized the minute you walk onto the casino floor. This isn’t going to happen tomorrow or next year, but it’s in the future.
HOSPITALITY UPGRADE: What’s your next big IT project?
RICH: I’m spending most of my time on a progressive meter reading project. The gist is that an auditor can process all of the progressive meters without having to go to the floor. It will save hours. I've installed it in our lab at the casino, and I plan to install it in on our first slot machine in early October. I want to have it live before G2E. After it’s tested and certified, we’ll have it for sale.
