Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.’s Total Rewards members will soon be experiencing the final frontier via WMS Gaming Inc.’s “Star Trek” gaming machines.
Announced on Monday, WMS has agreed to create a version of the game for Harrah’s Total Rewards to provide customized gaming experience, which would allow for players to save game progress on the Total Rewards card as well as create an individual avatar.
Beginning in December 2008, WMS said machines at most Harrah’s Casinos in North America will include this new technology. Harrah’s market-by-market implementation plan, however, is subject to additional jurisdictional regulatory approvals.
In a note from Roth Capital Partners, Todd Eilers, senior research analyst, said the biggest take-away from the agreement is “that operators will still sign participation deals if the game play is appropriate.”
He added that a number of reports have shown Harrah’s pulling participation games, especially those from International Game Technology.
“Therefore, we believe this deal is a testament to WMS' compelling game content and innovative technology,” Mr. Eilers wrote. “We also believe that certain operators might be willing to add more participation games in '09 to minimize the impact on the slot floor from reduced capex budgets.”