During the recent Casino Marketing & Technology and Host Player Development Conference at Pechanga Casino Resort in California, Deana Scott, moderating the “Metrics Casino Marketers Argue About” session, noted that many disagreements stem from the varying sizes of operators in the tribal gaming industry.
“We are ready to argue about the metrics that we can’t seem to agree on and the reasons why,” Scott, Raving CEO, said “is because we aren’t in a one-size-fits-all industry. How many of you have heard the phrase, ‘it depends?’ It absolutely depends.”
One point of contention lately has been the amount of free play doled out to players.
Tara Clark, Chief Operating Officer for the Red Circle Agency, said her clients have the same concern: Trying to stop, or at least slow down, the amount of free play given to players.
“We all know that taking things away from our players, which is really giving things to our players, is really hard,” Clark said, “and making sure that we don’t overinvest and allow creep in the first place becomes super important.
“But to creatively be able to take that back, because as free play creeps on our floor, we know it drives our hold down. It changes all kinds of things, the way we make money in the casino. And so I think that it’s the easiest thing to recognize as like, ‘oh, we have a free thing, we can give it away, I can give you $100, that’s fine.’ ”
Leon Brimm, Director of Casino Operations for Rolling Hills Casino and Resort in Corning, California, says he views free play through a different lens than most.
“If you’ve got a base set of players out here, you know how much free play you want to give them, then you just keep constantly giving them that same amount of free play based on their theoretical,” Brimm said.
Brimm has noticed, however, that attendance at his casino has lagged, partially because of the spike in gasoline prices. But he’s learned that Rolling Hills has to be proactive in spurring business.
“I think I’ve got to be a little more active,” Brimm says. “As my GM calls them, (with) land sharks. I’ve got to be out there, and I’ve got to go get them.
“I don’t think the Director of Casino Operations necessarily has the time, because I’ve got hundreds of employees. I’ve got table games, ops, and slot machines, compliance, and everything else, vendor relations. I’ll lean on y’all for the help. I think that’s kind of the point I’ll take on it – it’s not a one-department decision anymore.”
Jake Godin, Director of Analytics for Mole Lake Casino, Lodge and Event Center in Forest County, Wisconsin, said if free play is the only tool an operator is using, “it’s not going be as effective as you want it to be.”
Godin has noticed many players who come into the casino seek more of an “experience.”
“If we’re giving them way too much free play, we’re actually taking away from a little bit of that spend that they’re giving us. And if they’re not giving us as much and we’re giving out too much free play, we’re going to lose that,” Godin said.
“Some of the other experiences are specifically with player development. And then also, just having that friendly atmosphere when you come in. I think when somebody walks into a building and the first employee that they see acknowledges them, that’s a lot more important, I think, than a lot of the other tools that we’ve been using.”
