2024 Session Highlight: Industry Legend John Acres to Open the Casino Marketing & Technology Conference
Join us as we kickoff the 2024 Casino Marketing & Technology Conference with industry legend and casino innovator, John Acres. Known as the father of casino management systems, John has paved the way for using technology to better understand our guests. “You really led us down this path to use technology to understand the player,” opens Scott. In this session, John will inspire us to transition from tier-based to personalized marketing, highlighting the full benefits of this innovative approach.
Session: Industry Highlights and Welcome Keynote Address with John Acres
Raving CEO & Owner Deana Scott opens the conference with the results of the signature market research survey and the top tools that are positively impacting operators today. She’ll be presenting relevant data from gaming organizations worldwide that will also be made available to attendees after the event. Raving uses this data from attendees and industry leaders to shape and focus the conversations of the conference.
Following Scott, industry legend, John Acres will take the stage. Since 1972, the John Acres name has been synonymous with groundbreaking casino technology.
In 1981, Acres started his first business, Electronic Data Technologies. EDT created a system that allowed casinos to track slot machine players by using loyalty cards, offering gamblers rewards based on how much they played.
He started his next business, called Mikohn, in 1986. Mikohn devised the modern progressive jackpot system in which slot machine jackpots increase over time, creating growing excitement for players.
His third company, Acres Gaming, invented a system in which slot machines awarded instant bonuses based on current or accumulated play. Acres Gaming took $17 million to reach consistent profitability; Acres sold it in 2003 for $143 million, and the casino industry has been at a technological standstill ever since.
In 2024, John continues to challenge the industry and provide solutions under Acres Manufacturing with the goal to “reinvigorate an industry currently incapable of meeting modern consumer demands.”