Where To Go When You Don't Know Casino Enterprise Management, Saverio Scheri - This article provides advice from some of the leading experts in the gaming industry including WhiteSand's Managing Director, Saverio Scheri. Click here to download a copy.

Partners in Progress WhiteSand Consulting -WhiteSand's most recent publication, Partners in Progress, highlights our extensive work with Tribal casinos across the US. Click here to download a copy.

The Future of Casino Technology Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -There have been dramatic changes to the landscape of the gaming market within the last two years.  There are just a few major gaming corporations controlling many of the casinos in Las Vegas and other jurisdictions in the US, and around the world.    More...

Technology Investments in Asia Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -International investment in the Macau gaming market is quite significant today and will continue to be in the near future as well.  But Macau is just one of the markets that will be offering US style casinos and games.  More...

Succession Planning for IT Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -Being asked to create a succession plan is always an unsettling request, regardless of your position at work.  In the IT department, it takes on an even more impending doom scenario because it is one of the few areas that really require more of a transition than other departments.    More...

Prioritizing Technology Projects Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -Unlike any other department in a casino resort, the Information Technology department processes more requests for special projects than any other.  Some may be short and easy, like the printing of a report, while others can be lengthy and expensive, like a new system.  More...

Justifying Large-Scale Technology Projects Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -Determining the return on investment for technology or information system projects is a standard requirement of managing IT departments.  Like any other department in a casino hotel, it is important to be able to both qualify and quantify the spending for special projects.    More...

Gaming Technology in Macau Casino Journal, Saverio R. Scheri -The future of the gaming market in Macau is the closest thing to a sure bet you will ever see.  The revenue potential is nothing short of extraordinary – already exhibited by the first quarter results of Sands Macau.  More...

Marketing and Execution: The Difference between Tactics and Strategy Casino Enterprise Management, July 2006, Saverio R. Scheri -Marketing was quite different in early Las Vegas than it is today. Casino hosts new most of their players by name and handled their every need personally. The customer file for a casino was probably kept on index cards and only used for invitations to special events and New Year's Eve parties. More...

Web-based Player Services - Next Step in Relationship Management, Casino Journal, March 2006, Benjamin Ettinger -Nearly all of us use the Internet on a daily basis. Email, searching eBay for that perfect gift, reading the news, or just ‘surfing’; the Internet has become an integral part of our everyday lives. In addition, many industries have embraced the Internet, exploiting its reach, ease of use and twenty-four hour availability to increase profits and more fully develop relationships with their current customers and potential patrons. More...

Wire-more or Wireless? (Your Complete Guide to Wireless Technologies), Casino Enterprise Management, September 2005, Saverio R. Scheri - Times have certainly changed, and they have changed quickly. I remember just a short time ago when I needed to plug something in to my computer in order to access the Internet. And in order to print anything, I most certainly needed some sort of cable connected to some sort of device, whether it be a printer or a router. More...

How to Use Your Data More Effectively, Casino Enterprise Management, July 2005, Saverio R. Scheri - It seems that people, not just the folks in IT, spend their careers compiling, sorting, massaging, filtering and printing data. The amount of time people spend "analyzing" data is very expensive to a casino's operating expenses. But if you look a little closer, you may quickly realize that this "analysis" is not analysis at all, but preparation. More...

Where have all the Gaming Technology Professionals gone?, Casino Journal, March 2005, Saverio R. Scheri - Casinos require very specialized work forces, from dealers to slot mechanics. And as we all know, the technology in a casino also requires some unique knowledge. Unlike most other industries that have slow growth rates, this rapid expansion created vast opportunities for gaming professionals in unlikely locales. More...

The Impact of the Mega-Mergers on Gaming Technology, Casino Journal, November 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - Soon, there will be just a handful of corporations owning a lot of casinos, changing the landscape of the gaming industry yet again. More...

Could Technology Have Saved Donald Trump's Casino Empire?, Casino Journal, October 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - When he opened the $1 billion Trump Taj Mahal in 1990, it was the first casino that needed to win $1 million a day just to break even. A feat no one but Trump could pull off. And he did - for a while. But then things began to falter. More...

The Crystal Ball of Predictive Analytics Casino Journal, August 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - The practice of predicting the future is not just a fairy-tale subplot, but the business of marketing and financial analysts in every industry. They just don't call it predicting the future. They call it forecasting or projecting or even estimating, all the words that give them some wiggle-room just in cast they're "projections" are off. More...

The Quest for Perfection: The Flawless Slot System Casino Journal, May 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - In an industry that has been relying on slot systems for over twenty years, you would expect these systems to be mature, sophisticated, well-supported applications full of user-friendly features. Yet with installations in hundreds of casinos with thousands of slot machines, these systems remain an imperfect solution. In an industry that has been relying on slot systems for over twenty years, you would expect these systems to be mature, sophisticated, well-supported applications full of user-friendly features. Yet with installations in hundreds of casinos with thousands of slot machines, these systems remain an imperfect solution. More...

The Care and Feeding of your Expensive New Software Solution Casino Journal, March 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - You've spent the last six months making vendors jump through hoops (sometimes while on fire), justified the cost to everyone in the company, negotiated a rock-bottom price and have finally pulled the trigger (excuse the pun) on a new software solution. You've dotted every i and crossed every t, you had your staff attend the training. What could be the problem? More...

Technology Spending for 2004 Casino Journal, February 2004, Saverio R. Scheri - While most companies have had their IT budgets contract over the last few years, many will actually be spending more this year on hardware, software, training and implementation. The question is: Will your casino hotel be spending more or less on technology this year? More importantly: Is you casino hotel spending what it should be on technology? While most companies have had their IT budgets contract over the last few years, many will actually be spending more this year on hardware, software, training and implementation. The question is: Will your casino hotel be spending more or less on technology this year? More importantly: Is you casino hotel spending what it should be on technology? More...

Information Security - Protecting Your Most Vital Asset Casino Journal, December 2003, Saverio R. Scheri - The gaming industry spends an enormous amount of time and money safeguarding its assets and customers. By and large, they do a very good job. But in today's world of these technological threats, it has become increasingly more difficult to accomplish this effectively. More...

Data Integration: Is there an effective solution? Casino Journal, November 2003, Saverio R. Scheri - Data Integration, or the act of combining information from different computer systems, has become part of our daily vernacular. As technology continues to permeate almost every aspect of our lives, casino resorts are affected too. More...

Technology and the Business Model: A Shotgun Wedding Casino Journal, October 2003, Saverio R. Scheri - In the past, new technology development has been driven by business; a new product idea created the initiative to create new technology. Some years ago, we underwent a "paradigm shift" where technology started to drive business. The Internet, wireless technology, server-based applications, and so on, enabled business to do things they never dreamt was possible. More...

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