Giant sports betting terminals are coming soon to a
Las Vegas casino nearest you. The latest addition to gambling kiosk technology,
"iSports Stand", is beginning to find its place on the floors of Nevada casinos
and sportsbooks. Standing nearly eight feet tall, the sports betting kiosks are
a new breed of automated betting machines developed by ISI Ltd. of Las Vegas.
President of ISI, Bill Stearns, says the machines
are designed to perform a number of functions in addition to making sports bets
on the latest game. Like movie ticket terminals, the iSports Stand will allow
casino goers to purchase tickets to shows, print out coupons and book tee times.
Stearns likened the machines to ATM's for sportsbooks.
What makes the iSports Stands especially unique are
their giant touch-screens which advertise approximately fifty ads every hour,
thereby allowing casinos the luxury of having the machines pay for themselves in
advertising fees (which the casino gets a 40% cut of). Another benefit is that
the iSports Stand will facilitate the speed and convenience of making bets at
the sportsbook. Although the machines will help to replace work manually
undertaken by casino employees, the iSports Stand is not going to be replacing
casino employees any time soon.
The machines are meant to accentuate the sportsbook
experience, much in the same way that ATM's accentuate one's banking experience.
They can be placed anywhere on the casino and sportsbook floor, and can be in
operational mode 24 hours a day. The cost for leasing the iSports Stand is $900
per month without earned advertising revenue.