The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) announced a strategic partnership with Las Vegas-based Acres Manufacturing Co. The joint project involves rolling out modern technology solutions for casino management at two of the tribe’s properties in the state of Alabama. Specifically, this concerns Birmingham Race Course and Mobile Greyhound Park, where the gaming and marketing infrastructure will undergo a major overhaul.
The PCI–Acres deal is a game changer in Birmingham and Mobile
Acres Manufacturing Co. specializes in developing technology for the gaming industry and is based in Las Vegas. The goal of the partnership is to modernize the gaming and marketing operations of both PCI properties by moving them to a new platform for guest communications and loyalty management.
The move became one of PCI’s first notable steps after purchasing Birmingham Race Course in April of this year. At the time, the tribe’s leadership said it planned to “expand the properties and operations” in the future. The rollout of the new system, effectively, became the first practical implementation of those promises.
The Foundation HQ–PLS 1:1 pairing as the technology backbone
Two interconnected solutions will be deployed at both venues:
- Foundation HQ serves as the casino management and communications system, delivering personalized messages and incentive offers to each player based on their activity.
- PLS 1:1 Loyalty Platform (Player Loyalty System) collects data, builds an individual player profile, and generates targeted rewards.
These two modules work together: PLS 1:1 aggregates information, and Foundation HQ turns it into specific offers that are delivered across multiple channels at once.
A physical card and digital incentives instead of mass messaging
From the player’s perspective, it’s fairly straightforward. The player receives a physical loyalty card and inserts it into a slot machine while playing. The system tracks each player’s activity in real time and, based on the data collected, sends incentive offers—whether via digital notifications or other communication channels.
The fundamental difference from the previous marketing approach is moving away from the so-called tiered approach, in which players were grouped into broad segments and received the same mass-market offers. Now, according to Acres Manufacturing, each offer is created individually, based on the specific behavior of a specific person.
A Miami pilot already showed revenue growth
The system is not an experimental novelty. It has already been tested in the field at another PCI property, Magic City Casino in Miami, where it worked in combination with Historical Horse Racing machines. These machines let players wager on horse races that have already been run.
According to Acres Manufacturing, the results of the pilot deployment were notable. Machine revenue at Magic City Casino rose by 8% in the first year of operating the platform. At the same time, other operators in Florida saw declines or flat performance over the same period. That said, it’s worth noting that these figures were provided by the developer itself, and independent verification of the data has not yet been conducted.
New technology as a competitive advantage
By implementing new technologies, traditional land-based casinos can compete with the iGaming segment. Among other things, they can be used to appeal to large diaspora communities. In America, this primarily means residents from India, who prefer traditional national games such as carrom and Andar Bahar. And whereas such games used to be played in person, now they are played online.
Representatives of the Indian diaspora shared with us the reason for this choice—mostly they do it for convenience, since it is not always possible to gather a large group to play. They said they can find the game here on a website about Andar Bahar in digital form. It turned out that game developers see demand for Andar Bahar and are releasing apps at scale that are very popular. Such high demand shows how important their roots and traditions remain for people from India, since this is reflected even in games.
With new technologies and personalized interactions, traditional gambling can also offer diaspora communities games that align with their cultural identity. If the Alabama rollout proves successful, it could be used in other regions as well, for example in South Africa, where online betting is displacing traditional casinos.
Project participants call it “just the beginning”
Noah Acres, responsible for gaming operations and casino marketing at Acres Manufacturing, called the new installations “just the beginning.” According to him, “the future of the gaming industry belongs to operators who can use real-time data to personalize every interaction.”
PCI CEO Jay Dorris noted in an official release that “the ability to turn real-time data into real-time rewards delivers an unmatched guest experience.”
What visitors will experience at the Alabama venues
In practice, for guests at Birmingham Race Course and Mobile Greyhound Park, implementing the system means a shift to a more targeted rewards model. Instead of standard “for everyone” promotions, visitors will receive personalized messages and bonuses based on their own gaming activity.