Over the last two years research has been conducted in the state of Nevada investigating factors that impact the adoption of IoT devices in casinos. This peer reviewed academic research will be provided in four parts.
Abstract
With the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) across industries, organizational leadership is leveraging emerging technology to engage with customers, differentiate themselves from the competition, and provide unique customer experiences. From concept to finished product, progressive management identifies methods to deploy technology to improve profits. As vertical markets rush to adopt IoT and the benefits derived from these systems, the gaming casino’s vertical market appears to be left behind. This research investigates the resistance to implementing IoT in Nevada’s gaming industry. An industry that places a significant concentration on customer data has lagged in adopting a technology that could be important to customers, operators, and owners, which begs inquiry as the literature documents the advantages of leveraging IoT. The study examines what mindsets contribute to IoT adoption and why the gaming industry continues to delay deploying this technology, which could radically change organizations and extend excellent potential to cultivate mutually enriching experiences between guests and enterprises. The purpose of this generic qualitative study is to explore the adoption resistance associated with IoT adoption in the casino industry. The research question guiding this study is, “What is the resistance to adopting IoT in casino environments in Nevada?” The study utilized the technology adoption and acceptance model IoT-TAM to identify themes and determine factors associated with adoption resistance. This framework provided constructs to identify specific themes. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge surrounding the adoption barriers and resistance of technology in the casino industry. The data for this research was obtained through five interviews of technology subject matter experts representing 23% of the total population of casinos with slots and table games in Nevada. This research found that a lack of sufficient business use cases and weak customer demand highly contribute to the adoption behavior. These two key identified themes are compounded by technology organizations’ influence on the decision of adoption with a lack of awareness of secure offerings produced by manufacturers in the casino industry. The areas for future exploration are to expand the scope of the sample beyond Nevada, include lines of business, manufacturers and expand the diversity of the subject matter experts to provide a wider understanding of the problem. This contribution to the body of knowledge extends the understanding surrounding IoT adoption behavior in casinos and can assist practitioners, manufacturers, and lines of business with a better understanding of what impacts factors of adoption.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY STEPHANIE BENOIT-KURTZ IN THE 2023 SUMMER EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.