< PreviousFEATURE | TRIBALNETONLINE.COM| tribalnetonline.com50TRIBAL COMMUNITIES | IMPACT OF ITFirst of all, I don’t know why the CIO of the Forest County Potawatomi (FCP) IT Department Chris Luter keeps putting me into these hectic positions! Today, I’m writing to you from a tribal member’s point of view to talk about what IT has done for my tribe and myself. Our reservation is somewhat unique. Rather than one contiguous reservation, FCP is divided into three different communities over a 30-mile radius: Stone Lake, Blackwell and Carter. This makes it difficult to get any sort of plan of attack in place to reach these communities with technology at a decent price. Just like everyone else, we started out with dial-up Internet. I can still hear the stupid sound it made while connecting, and I’m sure those who are familiar with dial-up can, too. We live far away from urban society, so dial-up was the fastest (still slow) Internet service that was available to us. When we were finally able to upgrade to DSL — the best thing since commod cheese, if you ask me — we were still lagging behind the rest of the country in the speed and availability of our Internet service. But in our rural area, DSL was the fastest Internet connection available. With technology growing at an incredible rate and the tribe trying to keep up with it, we continually looked for ways to get better Internet service. Early on in this struggle, a vendor provided us with a wireless broadband solution to reach to all the homes on our reservation at no cost to tribal members. Geography made it difficult to get a decent connection. We lived with that flawed system for a few years. During this time, we decided as a tribe that our best path forward was to have our own internal IT Department to address needs like these as well as other areas of focus. Fast forward to this past fall and I had the pleasure of attending my first TribalNet Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona. I had no background in IT, so this was our CIO, Chris Luter’s idea of luring me in to eventually work for his team. At the time, I was working for our tribal newspaper, Potawatomi Traveling Times, and running for a tribal government position to be on the Council. Eager, nervous and scared, I made my way (or flew my way) to Phoenix. When I arrived at the conference, I was way underdressed, sweaty, and on top of that, the state of my hair suggested that I had just hopped out of bed. Regardless, I was immediately excited by the number of Native Americans who were attending — more than any other ethnicity. It made my heart feel good to see so many of us at this awesome conference. When I left the conference, I took away knowledge and curiosity as well as the awareness of what our tribal IT team was doing not only for our government, but for our people. Additionally the tribal IT team won an award for their work on a project called Fiber to the Home. It’s a significant project that tribal IT is leading , which provides Internet, cable TV and phone services to tribal members by running fiber directly to the residential homes on the reservation. Providing high-speed Internet to the FCP reservation is important in the fast-paced tech-driven world in which we live. This project is just one of many, and it shows what IT is doing to lead our tribe into a stable technological future. After the conference, I wanted to learn more and be more involved in what IT is doing for the tribe. If you are wondering, I am now a proud member of the IT Department for FCP. Shortly after joining the department, I found out about an offshoot of the Fiber to the Home project called the FILM program, which stands for Fostering Independence Leadership and Mentoring. The program seeks to involve tribal youth with technology to help build essential skills and put their creative minds to use. The FILM program is also generating jobs for creative tribal members who are eager to learn different aspects of photography, videography, screenwriting, acting and producing. Through the FILM program, we have made numerous videos including highlight videos of pow wows, BYJEFFREY T. KEEBLE JR. FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI Jeffrey T. Keeble Jr., Forest County Potawatomi, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Sisseton Sioux, from Crandon, Wisconsin is a photographer, videographer, podcaster, mechanic and more. Passionate about learning and teaching our youth. ABOUT THE AUTHORBozho, ITs IMPACT: TRIBAL MEMBER PERSPECTIVEtribalnetonline.com |51TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018TRIBAL GOVERNMENT IT CATEGORYForest County Potawatomi As an IT team it is always rewarding when you receive industry and peer recognition. More important than that though, this award for my team is a point of pride because it allows us to showcase the difference we are making within our roles and showcase how we as an IT department are working to make a difference within the tribe we serve. CHRIS LUTERCIO, Forest County PotawatomiTRIBAL HEALTH IT CATEGORYThe Department of IT Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians We were nominated on the basis of customer service, employee morale and the reorganization of our department. We transitioned into a new health facility and during that transition, we closed at 4:30 pm on Friday and opened on Monday and everything worked! It was a once-in-a-career type of move and we pulled it off in three days! This award is a validation of all our hard work. HUGH LAMBERTIT Director, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority of the Eastern Band of Cherokee IndiansTRIBAL GAMING IT CATEGORYTalking Stick Casino of the Salt-River Maricopa Indian Tribe We were deeply honored to receive the 2017 Industry Award. Following the announcement, the community tribal gaming board, along with our executive management and all of the great teams that make up our organization extended their congratulations to the IT department. Many employees within the organization made it a point to reach out to members of the IT team to thank them for the jobs they do each and every day. The recognition and appreciation shown by our fellow team members on this project is what makes this a great place to work. BRYANT SANTINICIO, Talking Stick Casino2017 Industy AwardsTRIBALNET AWARD RECIPIENTS HONORED AT THE 18TH ANNUAL TRIBALNET CONFERENCE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2017 TRIBALNET INDUSTRY AWARDS!Keep your eye out on TribalNet’s website for nominations to open this summer where YOUR team can join the list of those honored with these prestigious awards over the last 10 years!a spoof called “The Council,” and even a podcast called “SCOOP,” in which we interview tribal and non-tribal youth and adults about their success and how they achieved their goals. The future of this program looks brighter than ever, with plenty of youth signed up for Spring workshops. We plan to have our own talk show, news station and traveling studio. We want to archive our language and culture, and hopefully, one day develop our own Media Department for the tribe. The tribal IT Department has opened the door for many possibilities not only for myself but for every tribal member. I used to think IT was strictly fixing computers. What I know now is that IT is involved in healthcare, language and culture, FILM, and is even working hand in hand with our Tribal Council. The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait for what the future is going to bring to our tribe. Since I was always taught to depart with a deep quote, in closing I would like to leave you with this powerful statement by CIO, Chris Luter in regards to how he feels about their team being recognized for the annual TribalNet industry award. “This award for my team is a point of pride because it allows us to showcase the difference we are making within our roles and showcase how we as an IT Department are working to make a difference within the tribe we serve.” I think this best summarizes why I agreed to be in the situation of writing this article in the first place. Curiosity killed the cat — but not this cat. Curiosity led me to become a part of this great team.| tribalnetonline.com52LEADERSHIP | PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTBYJOE NAYQUONABE, JR CEO, MILLE LACS CORPORATE VENTURES Joe Nayquonabe, Jr. is an American Indian business professional that has spent his career reimagining and reinventing how American Indian tribal economies grow and prosper. He spent over a decade as a marketing executive growing the Grand Casino brand before ascending to CEO of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures.ABOUT THE AUTHORI want you to pause for a moment and really think about the question I’m about to ask. HOW MANY DAYS OUT OF THE YEAR DO YOU DEDICATE TIME TO IMPROVING YOURSELF AS A LEADER? WE’LL COME BACK TO THAT QUESTION.If you’re reading this article, chances are the headline caught your attention. There is a popular saying that leaders are born and not made. Is there truth to that? Maybe some. However, I would argue that most of what we learn as leaders is taught to us. From a young age, we are taught values — integrity, respect and honesty. We are taught how to be responsible and attentive to others. We are surely taught about making and achieving goals — both professionally and personally.It is very common for organizations to promote leadership development but transitioning into leadership doesn’t just happen overnight. Leadership is a skill. In order to be a better leader, you have to practice over and over and over again. It takes the same time and commitment to learn and perfect these skills as it does for any other skills required for whatever role you serve in an organization.While you are brushing up on your abilities, learning new industry trends or keeping engaged on the latest and greatest innovations impacting your field, make sure you are also finding time to increase your value and work on your own personal development. It is not uncommon for people to find time to keep up to date on the latest skills in their field but rarely take the opportunity to work on skills that impact their ability to be an effective leader. The problem with developing only the hard skills is that we will ultimately find ourselves feeling stuck.In 1969, educator Laurence J. Peter came up with a principle that says most individuals get promoted based on their competency in their current position, rather than how their skills translate to their new position. As this cycle plays out, people find themselves continually promoted until they ultimately reach a position in which they are no longer competent.As a leader, I don’t know what is scarier — the idea of reaching my own level of incompetence, or the idea that departments throughout my organization could be staffed by people who feel like they are in over their heads.Fortunately, there is a cure for the “Peter Principle,” and that is to invest in professional development that is geared specifically toward breaking through the barriers that hold you back.The only way to beat the Peter Principle is to become unstuck — to improve your own leadership skills, fill in any knowledge gaps and rise above your emerging incompetency.The reason leadership development can be so challenging is that leaders don’t get opportunities to practice and develop new skills in a safe environment. Real-world leadership happens in highly visible ways within your organization. To experiment and try unproven techniques can feel daunting because your failures will be visible for all to see. It is far more comfortable to remain stuck in the familiar.Developing leadership skills is a truly important and worthy goal and one that should be prioritized. At the beginning of this article, I asked an important question; “How many days out of the year do you dedicate time to improving yourself as a leader?” Can you commit to at least two? At Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, we have created the National Leadership Development Conference, an opportunity for you to join together for two days of intense training, networking and most of all — fun. We have a seat for you at the National Leadership Development Conference. To learn more about this event, visit www.leadershipdevcon.com. If you like what you see and decide to register, use the offer code “Joe” for a $50 discount.We hope to see you in June! Keeping Leadership Skills FreshIf you think you are a born leader, think again. We all need skills to stay in the leadership game.tribalnetonline.com |53TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018FEATURE | TRIBALNETONLINE.COMTRIBALNET MAGAZINE FALL 2017 | BITCOIN, THE FIRST CRYPTOCURRENCY CREATED IN 2009 along with a new technology for payment and settlement known as blockchain, is an international sensation. Proponents believe that cryptocurrency and blockchain herald a new era of global, non-government sponsored money, with a corresponding new settlement system that has broad applications including finance, land registry and voter verification. Critics dismiss cryptocurrency as a bubble with no fundamental value, worthless to all except for black market operators. Blockchain has gained more mainstream support but experts remain divided over whether actual cases will emerge in which blockchain is better, cheaper or more efficient than existing systems. CRYPTOCURRENCY, BITCOIN — IS THIS MONEY? Money is generally defined as simply a medium of exchange. Cryptocurrency is based on an alternative definition that money is a system of credits and debits that requires fair and honest accounting — rather than government sponsorship — for credibility. The most prominent form of cryptocurrency is the original one: Bitcoin. Bitcoin involves a computer algorithm that challenges anyone to solve increasingly complicated math problems. When certain problems are solved, the algorithm awards a new bitcoin to the entity that solved the problem, called a bitcoin miner. The math problems get progressively more difficult, requiring greater computing power. Only 21 million bitcoins are available to be unlocked and just under 17 million have already been mined. Bitcoins are stored in digital wallets and combine the anonymity of cash with the transferability of electronic currency. Not backed by a central government, it relies on users to set the exchange rate with traditional currencies. With no intrinsic denomination, it can be used globally and can be divided infinitely. Alternative cryptocurrencies have sprung forth. Litecoin and Ethereum rival Bitcoin for public usage. Others like XRP, created by the company Ripple, are meant for private, closed-end groups such as global banks to transact business internally. Underlying all cryptocurrency is a technology used to track and settle transactions called blockchain. BLOCKCHAIN: PERHAPS THE REAL INNOVATION Non-government sponsored currencies require a transparent, trusted methodology for payment settlement. The issue of trust is only magnified given the anonymity of Bitcoin. Enter the blockchain. Prior systems of accounting, clearing and settlement work on centralized ledgers, whereas the blockchain is decentralized: hence blockchain is often referred to as distributed ledger technology (DLT). Imagine a spreadsheet that exists on thousands of computers globally that self-updates and incorporates new information in real time. Prior transactions could not be forged or altered as the network duplicates itself among a network of machines that all have the prior information. Beyond settling financial payments, creating a decentralized clearing network that is unalterable with instant settlement could be disruptive. Alternative uses of blockchain include registering land titles, keeping track of voter participation in elections among countless others. This realization led the World Bank to say, “Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could fundamentally change the financial sector, making it more efficient, resilient and reliable…It could also potentially transform various sectors such as manufacturing, government financial management systems and clean energy.” Even skeptics of cryptocurrency can be strong supporters of blockchain/DLT. ROLES FOR INDIAN COUNTRY Blockchain and cryptocurrency have the potential to disrupt many aspects of the financial services sector. A communal currency between tribes, once technologically infeasible, is now possible. Endeavors like land settlements that have been challenged by the lack of instant and secure record settlements are prime targets for this new technology. Tribes may be poised to benefit from technological breakthroughs because of problems regarding the cost and complexity of quality payment and settlement systems. However, caution is key since the cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem is still sorting itself out and multiple bad actors and legitimate questions remain.Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Indian Country: New Opportunity or Passing Fad?AGENCY UPDATE: NAFOANATIVE AMERICAN FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATIONRethinking basic premises about what money is, how transactions are recorded and how recording systems work may lead to useful insights. NATIVE AMERICAN FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATIONFOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT NAFOA.ORG OR CALL info@nafoa.orgPrice of One Bitcoin in US Dollars: Reported by CoindeskNATIVE AMERICAN FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (NAFOA) | AGENCY UPDATEFEATURE | TRIBALNETONLINE.COM| tribalnetonline.com54FINANCE | PAY RATESAs a CFO in the tribal gaming space I know, like all other CFOs, that labor costs are usually the largest non-cost-of-goods-sold operating expense for the entire business. Presuming this, shouldn’t controlling and maintaining the cost of labor at the lowest level possible be a central focus of management? Perhaps; but there is a significant difference between managing your budget and keeping total labor costs under control and actually “keeping your pay rates in line.” Pay-rates refer to hourly wages and annual salary levels — not total labor costs. MOST EMPLOYEES BELIEVE THEY ARE UNDERPAID, REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR JOB OR WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELIEVE THEIR CURRENT EMPLOYER APPRECIATES WHAT THEY DO. According to a recent survey by the IT management tools provider Spiceworks, 59% of IT professionals around the world believe they are underpaid. The same study found that 37% of IT professionals surveyed expect to begin searching for a new job this year to enhance their position — read “get a raise.” In today’s labor market, it is more likely that an employee will follow through and make the jump because jobs are more plentiful. On top of the threat of losing prime talent, there is yet another challenge facing every employer and every industry: employment market knowledge. The Internet has provided unparalleled access to information of all types, and that information eventually turns into knowledge. Salary comparison sites such as LinkedIn Salary, Payscale, Salary.com, and Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth provide instantaneous snapshots of pay rates and salary ranges for almost any job title. These resources can even narrow down pay scales to specific parts of the country. However, the numbers found on these websites can vary greatly as many times they are based on user-reported data that might not be current, accurate or verified. But, if it is on the Internet, it must be true — right? This universal availability of information makes it even more critical that a company’s Human Resource Department and Finance Department work together to maintain pay rates and pay scales at a competitive level within your market. That may mean a multi-state or even national market. In order to make the best decision when finalizing salaries, it is critical that you do your homework. Gathering pay rate data on actual job postings or placements in your area that match the positions you are advertising can be crucial to understanding the pulse of the marketplace. Of course, finding this data is much easier for some positions than others. Information on the pay rates for an electrician, maintenance technician, or restaurant server may be easier to uncover than that of, say, a casino cage manager unless you are in Las Vegas or another area of concentrated gaming. If you can dependably source this valuable information it can be used to validate your pay scales and determine if they are in sync with your market. LARGE COMPANIES USUALLY HAVE A FORMAL PAY STRUCTURE WITH PAY SCALES OR BRACKETS, WHICH ARE ASSIGNED TO PARTICULAR JOB CATEGORIES OR POSITIONS. For example, maybe your pay scales include something like NE01 through NE10 for your hourly staff (non-exempt) and EX01 through EX10 for your salaried staff (exempt). Each of those brackets will have a range of pay associated with it. Your NE08 might range from $17.00 to $22.00, but you have to answer several questions in order to evaluate the suitability of this range: How long has your NE08 scale been at that range? When was the last time you adjusted your scales as opposed to adjusting individual pay? Have you given everyone a COLA (cost of living adjustment) in the last three years? If so, did you adjust your pay scales as well? BYSCOTT CANNADAYCFO, ISLETA RESORT AND CASINO Scott Cannaday is the Chief Financial Officer of Isleta Resort and Casino, having joined the enterprise in April of 2016. Scott is a member of the senior executive team and oversees all financial operations of the business including gaming, hotel & resort operations, retail activities, recreational offerings and business development activities. ABOUT THE AUTHORKeeping Your Pay Rates in LineOH, THAT DREADED TOPIC — LABOR COSTS.tribalnetonline.com |55TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018tribalnetonline.com |55TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018YEAR BASE INCREASE ADJUSTED2010 17.00 100% 17.002011 17.00 100% 17.002012 17.00 103% 17.512013 17.51 100% 17.512014 17.51 103% 18.042015 18.04 100% 18.042016 18.04 103% 18.582017 18.58 100% 18.58 SCALE FACTOR SCALE3% COLAS IN 2012, 2014 & 2016 SCALE FACTOR SCALEYEAR BASE INCREASE ADJUSTED2010 17.00 100% 17.002011 17.00 101.69% 17.292012 17.29 101.69% 17.582013 17.58 101.69% 17.882014 17.88 101.69% 18.182015 18.18 101.69% 18.492016 18.49 101.69% 18.802017 18.80 101.69% 19.12CPI @ 101.69% ANNUALLook at the chart above to see the correlation between the base scale, CPI inflation, and your three periodic COLAs. Assume your NE08 employee started work in January of 2010 at $17.00 per hour and your company provided a three percent COLA at the end of 2012, 2014 and 2016. By December of 2017, your existing employee would be earning $18.58 per hour after three 3 percent raises — not bad. However, aligning that with the inflation adjustment, the base rate jumps to $19.12 and you start to see the problem. So what do you pay the new NE08 employee who joins your team this year — the unadjusted scale of $17.00, the COLA adjusted scale of $18.58, or the CPI scale of $19.12? Most importantly, what is the competition doing? This presents a complex situation and a complex problem, so expect the solution to be complex as well. Now might be a good time to see if your pay scales and salary ranges have kept pace with the industry. This is especially true if you are trying to fill jobs that are in high-demand. It is always more difficult to fix something that is broken than to maintain it on a regular basis. While labor costs can be daunting to account for, offering competitive pay rates can help attract high-quality employees and could set your business apart from the competition.According to the most recent data on inflation as published by the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual rate of inflation [CPI] from the end of 2010 to 2017 was 1.69 percent. Applying this information to our NE08 example above, the updated range for this bracket would be $19.12 to $24.74 — a $2.11 to $2.74 increase over this seven-year period. “Well, we have been paying our people more,” you say. “In fact, we implemented a cost of living adjustment a year ago.” So, what is the correlation and why is this important?2018 Fall Finance & Tribal Economies ConferenceOct. 1-2, 2018, Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Bernalillo, NMNAF AGrowing Tribal Economies. Strengthening Tribal Finance.www.nafoa.orgFEATURE | TRIBALNETONLINE.COM| tribalnetonline.com56GAMING TECHNOLOGY | INNOVATION & NEXT GENERATIONBYANDREW MCELRATH, PMPSTRATEGIC PROJECT MANAGER, MILLE LACS CORPORATE VENTURESABOUT THE AUTHORAndrew McElrath has worked in the gaming industry for over 17 years, starting by hauling bags of nickels around. As a PMP certified Strategic Project Manager, he is a member of the Corporate Innovations team at Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, working to steward MLCV’s technology into the digital future. Contact at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amcelrath/In order to keep the casino gaming products alive and well into the digital future, casinos will need continuous innovation to reach new gaming customers. This kind of constant reinvention requires all hands on deck, from all levels of the organization. This means creating a culture of innovation, which means everyone is engaged in looking for a better way to do things. Luckily, the desire to make a work environment more efficient and effective comes naturally to many people. Unfortunately, harnessing these ideas does not come naturally to many businesses.If you talk regularly with the people that work on the front line of any business, they will likely provide many comments about how they think things should be done. Often, the only outlet employees have to express their ideas is in discussions with their direct supervisor. Conversely, a “big idea” drop box might be nailed to the break room wall to purportedly bring new ideas forward to management. In many organizations, there is often no visibility into what happens with those ideas. In order to keep employees thinking innovatively, they have to know that their ideas are being listened to and given a fair shot. Reexamine how you innovate to ensure those with the power to enact change are hearing your employees’ potentially game-changing ideas.Some of the greatest innovations can come from your front-line employees since they are often the same demographic as next-generation gamers. Their ideas, insight, and perspective can provide a valuable pool of innovative ideas. The gamers of GenX and millennial generation are not the gamers their parents and grandparents were — they want more. A 2013 American Gaming Association survey found that slot machines are less popular among casino visitors between the ages of 21 and 35 than among older patrons. This is no surprise since many slot games are about as socially interactive as an elevator that brings you to a random floor. The games that younger generations are used to playing have multiple levels, achievements, meta-achievements, leaderboards, and social sharing options. In order to attract new, young gamers to traditional games, we have to innovate.For decades, the gaming industry has been built upon maintaining the privacy and spending habits of customers. For baby boomer clients and older generations, this sense of anonymity needs to remain intact so casinos can continue to provide them with a safe escape. However, younger gamers appear to be okay with having their activity visible to others — in fact, they expect it. The industry needs to think about how it can allow slot gamers to compete against one another in more than just slot tournaments. To hold the interest of the next generation of gamers, every game could have a live leaderboard to let players know how they are performing against their peers. Young gamers who play on modern gaming consoles are used to having their rank or accomplishments in a game be publicly displayed. In contrast, when a modern gamer comes to a casino, they have no way of finding out which of their buddies did the best at slots last night, let alone last month or last year. That lack of visibility and recognition may be part of the reason that modern gamers are disengaged from slot play.In the casino gaming world, we talk a lot about sharing the winning experience. How to reach new customersIT Innovation for Next Gen GamersIN THE GAMING MARKET OF THE FUTURE, THOSE THAT CAN HARNESS THE POWER OF DIGITAL DISRUPTION THROUGH CONTINUOUS INNOVATION WILL LEAD THE WAY.TECHNOLOGY | INNOVATION FOR NEXT GENERATION tribalnetonline.com |57TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018There are static or digital photo walls in nearly every casino, devoted to the exercise of showing that people can win. However, there is no built-in technology that allows customers to post videos of their psychic-like bonus picks that resulted in a big win. Why is that? Gaming platforms today allow users to link with their social media sites, post to video sharing platforms, or even stream live so their followers can watch their epic wins. So, why do casino visitors have to record their bonus game with their own cell phone in order to post it on social media? You probably hear all the time about “digital disruption” and how it is shaping the future of most industries. Ask a millennial to call a taxi for you, and they will instead order an Uber or Lyft. Ask resort destination cities what they think about Airbnb, and how it has impacted hotel occupancy. Our world is changing in amazing ways — especially in the slot gaming industry. There are countless emerging technologies that could change the casino product in order to make it more appealing to younger customers.Virtual reality (VR) is one technology that is gaining traction in the gaming space. I think it is easy to brainstorm ways in which this technology could be used to make casinos more fun. For example, when someone wins the opportunity to participate in a casino bonus they typically get to spin a prize wheel or roll some dice. Instead, imagine that a guest puts on a pair of VR goggles and spins a wheel the size of a mountain, or is taken on a starship ride to the winning planet. Similar to VR, augmented reality, or the digital augmentation of a person’s view of the real world, provides a lot of tantalizing opportunities to enhance the vibrancy and “wow factor” of the slot floor environment.What about Blockchain? The technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In December 2017, the first blockchain slot device was launched, called SmartBox. This device could eliminate the need for cashiers and drop collection and streamline revenue reporting by allowing gambling directly with cryptocurrencies. According to the Bitcoin website, about 60% of the current transactions in the Bitcoin network are occupied by gambling bets.Truly, now is the time to begin innovating to ensure future success. While there are many things to consider in the process of innovation — from making slot games more relevant to younger generations to the viability of cryptocurrency — you never know what your employees might come up with that could positively transform your business. In the gaming market of the future, those that can harness the power of digital disruption through continuous innovation will lead the way. Works Cited:American Gaming Association. (2013). 2013 State of the States THE AGA SURVEY OF CASINO ENTERTAINMENT. Washington: American Gaming Association. Retrieved March 28, 2018, from https://www.americangaming.org/sites/default/files/research_files/aga_sos2013_rev042014.pdfBitcoin.com PR. (2017, December 25). PR: SmartPlay.Tech — Blockchain Gambling Machine Placed in the Land-based Casino. 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