To enliven casino floor, Orleans puts virtual reality games to the test

Cliff Cabiles, left, and Candy Haydel play an archery game at the Virtual Zone at the Orleans Friday, March 23, 2018.

Looking at ways to attract younger customers, the Orleans is turning to virtual reality to entice the under-40 crowd.

The locals casino on West Tropicana Avenue unveiled the "Virtual Zone" this month, which features a pair of gaming-technology company IGT’s VR games.

Not only is the Virtual Zone Boyd Gaming's first foray into the virtual world, it also marks the first VR installation on a casino floor for IGT. The addition is aimed at drawing those who otherwise wouldn’t step foot in a casino.

“This is part of an ongoing strategy that we’ve had for several years now,” said David Strow, vice president of corporate communications for Boyd Gaming. “How do we expand our customer base? How do we reach customers that we are not already reaching today in different age groups?”

The Virtual Zone, next to Bailiwick American pub and eatery, features SiegeVR and ArcheryVR. Both games are competition-driven virtual reality experiences that utilize HTC Vive VR technology, placing players into a competitive virtual world where they enter a bow-and-arrow battle to defend a castle from oncoming aggressors.

Virtual Zone at the Orleans

Cliff Cabiles shoots a virtual arrow during an archery game at the Virtual Reality Zone at the Orleans Friday, March 23, 2018. Launch slideshow »

Player scoring is based on the number of targets hit, with multipliers for stringing multiple hits in a row.

“IGT’s Virtual Zone and the unique content and tournament technology that supports it, delivers an entertainment experience unlike anything previously offered on casino floors,” said Nick Khin, IGT chief commercial officer, gaming. “The SiegeVR and ArcheryVR games afford players at the Orleans a competitive VR experience that accommodates skilled and novice players alike, and rewards the top-performing participants.”

For $30, two-person teams can compete in Siege tournaments, where the top daily team score wins $300 in slot dollars.

Individuals can compete in the ArcheryVR tournaments for $10 each, and the daily top scorers in that event can win up to $125 in slot play. Entry fees must be paid in cash and participants must be members of Boyd’s gaming club to play.

After a customer comes to play in the Virtual Zone, the hope is they stick around and venture to other parts of the Orleans.

In the past, to do so, Boyd Gaming has mainly focused on upgrading nongaming amenities like restaurant offerings and room renovations. Adding a new element to the casino floor was the logical first step, Strow said.

“This touches on two things, virtual reality, which is an emerging technology,” he said. “Also, it touches on skill-based gaming. It’s a product very unlike anything else we have on the gaming floor. We’re optimistic that this product will help connect and draw in some new customers that we may not have seen before.”

Justin Gomez, 23, visiting from Los Angeles, said he plays a lot of video games on PlayStation like "Call of Duty" but had experienced virtual reality. He came away impressed with the gameplay.

“It was pretty cool,” Gomez said. “It’s funny because it feels like you're actually there, then looking over and seeing the player next to you. It was different.”

Gomez squared off with his friend Nelson Delgado, 23, who thinks the VR is a smart way to draw in a younger demographic to the casino.

“I like that it is a more physical activity,” Delgado said. “This could be for a younger casino player, but there are a lot of older people in here now.”

Both Gomez and Delgado said they would want to visit the Virtual Zone again.

Virtual Zone games can be played Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Archery is playable Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while Siege is available Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Virtual Zone is a limited-time engagement and will be at the Orleans through June.

Tags: News , All , Aggregate
Gaming

Share