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May/June 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL //
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line of products and influenced the popular Macintosh. Wozniak
spoke to EMPOWER attendees for nearly two hours about his
history with Apple, his thoughts about the importance of innova-
tion and disruptive technologies, and his current role as Chief
Scientist at Fusion-io.
EMPOWER 2016 provided lotteries and casino operators with
world-class professional development, hands-on product demon-
strations, fast-paced workshops, direct access to Scientific Games’
product experts and invaluable networking events.
Attendees chose from more than 40 interactive breakout ses-
sions and how-to workshops, featuring Improving Player Loyalty,
Capitalizing on Crossover Brands, Meaningful Innovation Driven
by Player Insights, Mobile, Marketing, Big Data, The 360-Degree
Customer, Slot Floor of the Future and Emerging Technology.
The more than 750 EMPOWER attendees were customers from
190 casinos and lotteries in eight different countries, and included
sponsor partners, media and Scientific Games representatives.
Customers were focused on new innovations, thought leader-
ship and synergies coming from the combined Scientific Games
that could help drive revenues and net profits, and empower their
business now and in the future.
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frequency draw games like Keno (where permitted by law)—that
puts the player in command of the games and information they
want to access. PlayCentral HD accepts cash, coin, credit and
debit card, and features near-field communication and account-
based mobile wallet payment options.
Scientific Games also showcased PlayCentral EX, an end-to-
end sports wagering platform featuring unlimited sports, events
and markets in real-time for both pre-game and in-play wagering.
The EMPOWER conference evolved from the Bally Systems
Users Conference, which was held for 11 years at various casino
resorts across the U.S., most recently at Mohegan Sun in Con-
necticut and Pechanga Resort & Casino in California. Following
the 2014 merger of Scientific Games and Bally Technologies, Sci-
entific Games expanded the conference to include gaming, lottery
and interactive content and customers.
Gavin Isaacs, President and Chief Executive Officer for Scien-
tific Games, welcomed attendees with an update on the company
and the industry, and shared the importance of embracing disrup-
tive technologies in partnership with regulators to keep the indus-
try strong. Isaacs also discussed why keeping up-to-date with the
latest technologies is so critical for lotteries and casino operators
to capitalize on the many new ways to engage players through
mobile, big data, business intelligence and player insights.
Scientific Games Enterprise Chief Technology Officer, Steve
Beason, led a CTO Forum with the company’s chief technolo-
gists across gaming, lottery and interactive, discussing the future
related to convergence, disruption and Scientific Games’ commit-
ment to customer and player-driven innovation.
A conference highlight was keynote speaker Steve Wozniak,
Apple Computer co-founder and philanthropist, who helped
shape the global computer industry with his design of Apple’s first
From Left to Right:
Steve Beason (CTO, Scientific Games) and Steve Wozniak (Co-founder of Apple Computer).
Gavin Isaacs (CEO Scientific Games).
Conference crowd scene.
Scientific Games Lottery, Gaming and Interactive CTO forum.
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