In the latest edition of the CasinoBeats 100 Club, Chris Conroy was invited from Future Anthem to share his thoughts on the history and meaning of data in gaming.

Speaking to host Craig Davies, Future Anthem’s Chief Data Officer began by reflecting on what brought him into the industry, citing an interest in gambling and following the decision of his former boss to leave the public transport sector in the pursuit of something new with gaming.

Eventually landing a job with Grosvenor, Conroy remembered that at that time data was just starting to gain prevalence for land-based establishments:

“I joined around the time that they really started to get data for the first time,” Conroy spoke about Grosvenor. “They had implemented quite a widespread loyalty scheme, for which I think they were the first casino in the UK. And suddenly they had all this data.

“That period from 2010 and 2015 in retail it was a bit of a data race,” Conroy continued. “There was a bit of a race between Grosvenor and Genting, with these big leisure venues it was about customer acquisition and customer experience all driven by marketing and CRM.” 

Still, despite acknowledging the high importance of data in the current gaming climate, Conroy made sure to devote some time to also note that there are great lengths ahead in fully mastering data management and maintenance.

“Within the industry in general, I think there’s still a long way to go in understanding how to manage data and how to use data. I think that still provides a challenge. And I think the other big thing is the understanding of player behaviours and players who are maybe displaying signs of risk.”