Synergy Blue Moves Headquarters to Las Vegas as it Pushes Skill-Based Video Games to Casinos

Posted on: August 21, 2019, 10:11h. 

Last updated on: January 3, 2023, 05:43h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Synergy Blue, a company that’s looking to bring video game-style gaming to casinos announced on Wednesday that it has moved its headquarters to America’s gambling capital.

With trackballs, joysticks, and guns, Synergy Blue games look like arcade games, but the company, which just moved its headquarters to Las Vegas, is looking to get them on casino floors in Sin City. (Image: Synergy Blue)

The move to Las Vegas comes just a couple months after the Nevada Gaming Commission approved the company’s license to build and distribute games. Synergy Blue CEO Georg Washington told Casino.org that the company outgrew Palm Desert, Calif., and when looking for a new place, it just made sense to move to where the stakeholders and decision-makers reside.

“No one knows their own players, property, and target demographic opportunities better than a casino’s own operations and marketing team,” Washington said. “While our team has extensive expertise in skill-influenced gambling, we recognize that it’s the casino teams who are the experts of their own house. Our move to Vegas is another way of showing our dedication to establishing best practices and securing mutually beneficial relationships with both the casinos and their future patrons.”

The company did not receive any incentives to make the move to Nevada, Washington said.

Synergy Blue develops what they call HAWG – short for Hybrid Arcade Wager-based Gaming – platforms. The games feature light guns, trackballs, and joysticks and look like something that would look at home in a Dave & Busters or your local pizza parlor. However, each match or successful shot brings the player closer to a cash prize.

Something for Everyone

Synergy Blue’s move comes at a time when some in the gaming – as in gambling – industry are trying to find ways to get younger adults interested in casino games. Numerous reports have indicated that gambling-age millennials prefer more immersive or experiential activities. It’s been a reason why some have pushed states to legalize sportsbooks in an attempt to attract the 20-something crowd.

While the company does offer games that would be more enticing to the younger set, he and his wife Amy, who serves as the company’s chief marketing and strategy officer, told Casino.org that they make sure their portfolio of skill-based games includes something that attracts bettors of all ages.

That’s important for Georg Washington, who noted his Generation X background and his penchant for playing arcade games when he was younger.

My expectation of what a game should be is different to what my parents’ expectations are of what a game should be,” he said.

The games Synergy Blue has developed can be deployed at Class II and Class III casinos, Washington said. In addition, the company’s machines come with several different return-to-player rates, which allows the casino to establish the RTP rate it wants.

Working on Placements

Synergy Blue has products and applications placed in six countries, but the focus right now is getting into Las Vegas.

After getting the Nevada license and moving the headquarters to Las Vegas, the next step is getting machines into casinos in the state. Washington is optimistic the company will be able to announce some trial runs in the near future.

In addition, the company will showcase its games at the upcoming Global Gaming Expo (G2E), which will take place in the Las Vegas Sands Expo in October.