Background: Sightline Payments equipped Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) with the technology that enabled it to become the world’s first gaming property to offer guests a fully cashless experience. When RWLV opened its doors last summer, visitors could pay for anything on the property with a single mobile account—from table games and slots to restaurants, retail, and more. Sightline engaged The Herald Group (THG) ahead of RWLV’s June 2021 grand opening to help position Sightline as the industry leader in the digital casino payments space and promote Sightline’s role in powering the world’s most technologically advanced casino.

Objectives: Sightline had two primary goals. First, it sought to communicate to gaming and fintech executives, journalists, and other industry players that Sightline is a cutting-edge fintech company whose digital infrastructure was uniquely responsible for creating the first-of-its-kind cashless gaming experience. Second, the company wanted to spotlight its Play+ platform as the leading gaming payments solution.

Strategies: THG conducted an aggressive earned media blitz leading up to the announcement of Sightline’s partnership with RWLV. We first cultivated a comprehensive list of reporters covering the gaming, fintech, and payments beats. We then reached out to these reporters to introduce Sightline and lay the groundwork for future coverage. Leading up to the announcement, we provided our top-tier targets with an early look at the release and scheduled embargoed interviews with outlets covering the launch. These outlets included big-name publications like Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. We then arranged for CNBC’s Contessa Brewer to break the news of the partnership in a live exclusive on the network’s Tech Check program.

THG simultaneously developed a series of paid digital campaigns to advance a three-phase messaging strategy targeted at gaming executives and fintech reporters. First, THG deployed unbranded content syndication ads establishing that casinos are too reliant on cash. THG then executed a second round of content syndication to highlight that RWLV is the world’s first truly cashless casino. This unbranded campaign promoted third-party content discussing RWLV’s creative solution to the “cash issue” plaguing casinos. Lastly, THG identified several of the most compelling pieces that framed Sightline as the driving force behind RWLV’s cashless technology and placed them in front of the company’s target audience via content syndication and Twitter ads.

Results: THG initiated a cascade of coverage that resulted in dozens of earned media hits. These included mentions in national publications such as Fortune and Bloomberg, as well as profiles in financial publications like American Banker and Digital Transactions. Sightline’s three-phased digital campaign successfully drove over 11.5 million impressions and almost 22,000 clicks across platforms.