A couple of industry heavyweights have seen the future of relationship marketing, and they’re putting down some early money on the belief that a lot of it is going to play out in cyberspace.

Boyd Gaming, a leading operator of locals casinos in Las Vegas and the U.S. drive-up markets, has launched a nationwide customer loyalty program on the Web in the form of an innovative interface called B Connected Online that lets players club members check point balances, stay abreast of special offers and monitor their progress up the rewards-tier ladder.

The site’s watchwords are ease and convenience, exactly what the consumer expects. But B Connected Online is more than that. Sign up for free as a B Connected member (www.bconnectedonline.com) and you get a personalized home page with customized real-time calendars that provide a snapshot of all the events, entertainment, promotions and offers at any Boyd property on any day. Features include a navigation tool called Slot Search — this lets you pore over the slot menu of any Boyd casino and then gives you the specific location of the game on the floor — an application that sounds an alert whenever a new offer or promotion is sent to your account, and a mirror site, BCO Mobile, accessible at mobile.bconnectedonline.com, optimized for use on mobile phones. There are also webcams offering live video feeds from five Boyd casinos in Las Vegas, soon to be extended to company properties nationwide.

It’s all about “an exceptional customer experience,” says COO Paul Chakmak.

“B Connected Online brings that philosophy to the Web. Our goal was to develop cutting-edge tools that make it easier than ever for customers to enjoy the benefits of membership.”

Meanwhile, just west of the Las Vegas Strip the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is experimenting with text message alerts that apprise hotel guests in real time of deals on food, drinks and discounted show tickets available to them during their stay.

Katrina Lane, VP of channel marketing for casino giant Harrah’s Entertainment, the Rio’s owner, said the company is trying to find a more direct way to communicate with customers and strengthen the property’s relationship with them.

The service is available only to guests who specifically opt in, and it runs only four days, the typical length of a Rio stay, although it includes an application customers can download if they want to continue to receive messages beyond that time. The platform is run by Acxiom Corp. and Acuity Mobile.

More than 3,000 customers have signed up to date, and Harrah’s is looking at extending the service to the Strip, starting at the Flamingo. But Lane emphasizes that it is still very much a pilot program.

“We want to be sure this is the right technology that we want to use across the company,” she said. “We want to be sure this is something the customer wants.”