“ We have focused on providing Aristocrat ’ s best-in-class slot content as well as innovative keno content , which is on the cutting edge of the bartop market . Overall , both operators and players are enjoying the variety of games that we offer .”
— Jon Hanlin , Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy & Business Analytics , Aristocrat
The main selling point of the Aristocrat bartop is the inclusion of multi-line slot games that currently dominate much of the slot market , led by the Buffalo series chines . And then at the D , there is the Longbar .”
Randal says the PeakBarTop fits right into all the unique setups . “ Personally , I like the screen on the PeakBarTop ,” he says . “ The rounded nature of the screen makes it a lot easier to see . But what I like most about the more modern machines is how much more memory they have .
“ All of a sudden , instead of just doing Black Rhino for slots , which was standard for almost 20 years , you have twelve slot games , and there ’ s just so much more available for it — you ’ ve got multi-card keno , you ’ ve got Caveman Keno ... All of a sudden you just have so many more themes that help me to get more of a hold out of the machine — because poker by very nature is a low-hold offering .”
Parlaying Sports
IGT ’ s bartop units meet the upcoming competition this year with one more unique offering : sports betting . The company is in the process of rolling out PeakBarTop with Sports Betting in all legal sports betting jurisdictions .
These units incorporate the sports betting platform released over the past two years in the on-floor Crystal Betting Terminal . But instead of the dedicated sportsbook terminal offered by the Crystal product , this new version of the PeakBarTop allows a full menu of sports wagers , that can be made while a customer plays favorite slot , video poker or keno games .
“ We showed a new interface last year ’ s G2E which was really well received ,” says Reddy . “ What we ’ re enabling the players to do is to have the option of playing Game King X games in full screen , and then also easily toggling into a sports betting mode to place a wager . So far , the feedback from operators at trade shows and demonstrations has been really , really positive .”
Reddy adds that players have the ability to redeem winning bets at the PeakBarTop terminals .
IGT still offers the Crystal Betting Terminal , but has added the Peak- BarTop as the newest option . “ We ’ re still offering the Crystal Betting Terminal because we feel like that provides a different play experience ,” Reddy says . “ But the intent is to provide both the Crystal and the Peak- BarTop with Sports , and really try to hit both types of players — those that
play at the bar , and then those that will be on the floor , and maybe sit in the sports betting section of a casino where they can watch games on the monitors and play in real time .”
Operators can configure the new PeakBarTop to offer the option of showing a live stream of a game , with the ability to make even in-game bets without leaving the slot , video poker or keno game . “ We are able to match whatever is approved from a regulatory perspective within a given jurisdiction ,” Reddy says . “ From our perspective , it features the same betting categories available at the retail book , kiosk or mobile device .”
In addition to the casino market , Fredella says the PeakBarTop is expanding its presence in the distributed gaming market , particularly as new tavern venues open . “ We ’ ve seen success with a number of new openings on some of the routes in the tavern market ,” he says , “ and a number of taverns have opened recently with all PeakBarTops .
“ It makes quite an impact . When you walk into a tavern location that has nothing but the PeakBarTops , it basically looks great . We are really proud of that hardware — and the software , and the content that ’ s on it . For a newer , more upscale bar to have a newer , more upscale , sleek , modernlooking cabinet on their bar is something they appreciate .
“ It ’ s going to be something that I think is going catch on and grow and grow in that market as time goes on , because I think the players are going to gravitate towards the PeakBarTop product .”
Breaking In
Meanwhile , Aristocrat continues its entry into the bartop market , its Winner ’ s World continuing to spread its footprint in several jurisdictions , including Downtown Las Vegas , where Randal says he will soon trial the product at the Circa .
“ We have placed several Winner ’ s World games on bartops , as well as slant-top and upright boxes ,” says Hanlin . “ We have focused on providing Aristocrat ’ s best-in-class slot content as well as innovative keno content , which is on the cutting edge of the bartop market . Overall , both operators and players are enjoying the variety of games that we offer .”
He adds that the footprint is growing steadily . “ We have done very well in the Western U . S ., specifically in Nevada and California , and we are start-
22 Global Gaming Business MARCH 2023