Full House and Konami Expand Use of Synkros
Full House Resorts and Konami Gaming Inc. reached a mutually beneficial agreement last month concerning the use of Konomi’s Synkros casino management system. This software solution will be used by Full House Resorts at both their Bronco Billy’s and Rising Star casinos. These resorts are located at Cripple Creek, Colorado and Rising Sun, Indiana respectfully.
Konami has reached an agreement with Full House Resorts
This will be the third property from Full House Resorts to start using Synkros after adopting it at Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis over 10 years ago. Full House is confident in the new casino management system and seems eager to expand its usage. The company already made it clear that they value Synkros for its functions related to regional marketing. As Full House is focused on small- and mid-size casinos, this regional aspect is very beneficial to them.
Apparently happy with how Konomi’s system worked for Silver Slipper Casino, Daniel R. Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Full House Resorts had this to say about the partnership, “Konami has been an excellent business partner. We were an early adopter of the Konami system at the Silver Slipper and it has worked very well for us for more than ten years. Konami has proven to deliver great reliability, along with an expansive marketing tool kit that will allow us to compete more effectively in our regional markets. We are excited to bring a new level of excitement to our Colorado and Indiana players this fall.”
The positive feelings seem to be mutual. From Jay Bertsch, Vice President of global systems sales at Konami Gaming, “As Full House Resorts continues to provide consistent value and growth to their shareholders, we have the incredible opportunity to demonstrate the value of Synkros at two additional Full House Resorts properties. For more than a decade, Konami has worked closely with Silver Slipper Casino Hotel in Mississippi, and we are absolutely committed to extending that spirit of strong partnership, collaboration, and reliability to Full House Resorts’ broader casino portfolio.”
They May Not Be the Biggest in Town
Starting as a property investment company in 1987, Full House Resorts soon began to specialize in small casino properties. The company received investment from major business personalities such as Lee Iacocca and Allen Paulson. Despite this, however, the company had a somewhat-tumultuous start.
Silver Slipper Casino’s eponymous piece of footwear
They do seem to be on better terms now, however. Expanding from their base in Las Vegas, Full House Resorts now operates five casino locations including the three already listed, and two others in Nevada. This is not all. Over its history, Full House has also sold casinos in New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon, South Dakota, and Delaware. Many of these casinos have been through deals with Native American Nations.
Unlike companies with a strong national brand, Full House prefers to keep each casino’s distinct, unique feel. Bronco Billy, for instance, markets itself as maintaining the legacy of the town’s old-west, gold-rush days. In contrast, the Silver Slipper Casino goes for a southern vibe. All of these resorts are mid-level at best, but Full House understands that. As they say on their website, “We don’t aim to be the biggest—just the place that our guests want to visit again and again.”
Bronco Billy’s Casino hosts more than 800 slots and table games. These gaming opportunities stand alongside a new luxury hotel, pool and entertainment spaces. This doesn’t include the recently announced expansion.
Indian’s Rising Star Casino is about the same size. Over its 300 acres of property, it presents its guests with 294 rooms, 900 casino slots, 24 table games as well as a golf course, RV park and a free ferry service across the river to Kentucky. Both of these sites will benefit from the partnership.
From Games to Game Management
Konomi Gaming Inc. began as jukebox rental and repair shop in 1969 in Osaka, Japan. It has since grown to be a household name in both casino gaming and mainstream video games. Some of its most popular hits include Concerto, Fortune Cup and Beat Square. However, it has gone through a difficult last few years. Despite ending development on console video games in favor of the mobile market, they have been unable to keep up with the advances in mobile gaming. They have underperformed the last two quarters, and their stock has dropped more than 10 points in a year on the AGEM index. This is troubling indeed given that the revenue for the gaming industry, in general, has seen a huge increase.
That is why Synkros is playing a more important role in the company. The Synkros casino management seems to be a steady, desirable product, which is good for the company given many less profitable projects as of late. This does come as quite a change of direction for the company. They are moving from game development and production to administrative software design. Partnerships like this one with Full House might be the way out for this well-known but embattled gaming manufacturer.
