Apps to let Boyd guests go mobile

Boyd Gaming Corp. has launched new applications for a series of smart phones and tablet computers in an effort to give its customers a more personalized gaming and hotel experience.

The free applications for Android, iPhones and the iPad, known as B Connected Mobile, provide up-to-the-minute offers and information directly to a customer's device.

A BlackBerry version is in development and will be released in the first quarter of 2011, a company executive said.

Brian Best, Boyd's corporate director for e-commerce, said applications would be developed for other tablets, but the company chose to release an application specific to the iPad because of consumer demand.

He described the applications as an extension of B Connected online or its player's club gaming rewards program.

B Connected already has close to 500,000 registered users, the company said. The Las Vegas-based company operates 16 gaming properties in Nevada and five other states, but only 13 of them are included in the mobile project.

"This is a personalized version of our website," Best said. "It offers our customers the opportunity to view their up-to-the-minute point balances, receive exclusive offers, make transactions and receive personalized messages."

He said the applications were available to everyone, but added that being a member of B Connected unlocks all the personalized features, including booking hotel rooms and restaurant reservations. Boyd Gaming, for example, used the mobile applications to offer a Cyber Monday sale of 50 percent off on all rooms.

"For us it is another way for us to communicate with our customers," Best said. "Some customers prefer direct mail, while others prefer our website or messages by text or e-mail. We want the customer to choose the vehicle they want to be connected with."

The applications also offer Locate Me, a service that provides real-time information updates when a customer arrives at a property; and Slot Search, a tool that helps customers find their favorite machines on a casino floor.

But they don't allow customers to place wagers or play free casino-style games on their mobile phones or tablet computers.

"There are no current plans to make it a gaming product," Boyd Gaming spokesman David Strow said.

Boyd Gaming shares gained 10 cents, or 1.12 percent, to close Monday at $9.06 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at
csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.