Populations of casino gamblers are broken down into many categories. Perhaps the least understood (and maybe even least appreciated) among all of them are the average recreational players. Frequency of visits notwithstanding, a significant percentage of folks who attend casinos are there for a few hours of entertainment. They come armed with low-roller bankrolls in quest of a getaway from the real world.
Mike Ditka, the outspoken and bombastic head coach of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, revealed to this columnist a number of years ago in so many words that “Da Coach” had the stuff of which recreational players are made. The occasion was the grand opening of the sports bar named in his honor at the old Majestic Star Casino, which was docked at Buffington Harbor in Gary, Indiana.
“Most entertainment is very expensive,” he explained to me back then. “You can take your family to a ball game and easily whip out $500 for the day, including the tickets, parking, and refreshments for everybody.
“If you choose to spend that money in a casino, you derive all the entertainment value plus you have a chance to turn it into even more. Everybody has a little bit of gambler in them. When you take a $100 or $500 stake and possibly turn it into $1,000 or $5,000, many of us are going to try.”
Ditka’s words ring true today. Entertainment is a major investment. Those who choose a casino outing for their entertainment are the only ones who have the chance of going home with a positive return on that investment in addition to the recreation they derived.
A recreational gambler who chooses to spend a few hours at the casino in the evening and return home to get some sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn for work just may have experienced a jackpot pay that will make his day.
How about the guy who gets up when it is still dark to make the first tee time, plays 18 holes, then dashes off to clock in at 9:00 am for an eight-hour day at the office? In the mixed bag of entertainment pursuits, is this a higher calling than a few hours at the blackjack table?
One thing is certain: The country club isn’t going to comp the golfer breakfast at the 19th hole, and the minute the player stepped into the clubhouse to pay for green fees and a cart, the money spent was gone forever.
Sure, the golfer in some abstract ways derives enjoyment out of whacking a white spheroid around a hole-filled meadow in return for parting ways with their greenbacks.
Choosing to play games of chance bring special delight because you’ve got some skin in the game. Recreational gamblers put their money at risk, they have a stake in the game. It is a formula that always gets the adrenaline flowing, and is totally foreign to passive observers of entertainment.
Besides, as opposed to the golfer, the only hazards recreational gamblers encounter are cold machines and the only traps are video poker with bad pay tables.
Recreational gamblers are easy to please. They don’t expect steak house comps, tickets to big shows, seats in the luxury box for football games, or hundreds of dollars in free casino play every month.
They are realists, they are pragmatic. They know the one hundred dollars they bring for a casino adventure isn’t going to have VIP services courting them, and they know the twenty- dollar bills that they insert into the bill validator to make bets far below the “Max Bet” button won’t draw attention their way.
The average once or twice-a-week players with modest bankrolls live for trying to unleash a monster bonus round at their favorite video slot game, or hoping they’ll catch four-of-a-kind with a kicker or even a royal playing quarter video poker.
In their pursuit of a hand pay, and for the time they invest within the confines of a casino, they are content, because the slings and arrows of life do a disappearing act, at least for a little while.
A breakfast or snack shop comp, perhaps a weekday hotel stay, and some modest sums of bonus cash to add to your gambling bankroll every month, not to mention complimentary coffee and soft drinks, are simple pleasures most assuredly appreciated.
Prior to the advent of riverboat casinos in the ‘90s and the proliferation of tribal casinos nationwide, people with an itch to gamble planned once or twice a year trips to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
There was no opportunity to cultivate a class of recreational casino gamblers on a grand scale. An occasional trip to Vegas for four days and three nights meant spending the majority of the time playing the slots or a trip to the pit for some roulette, blackjack, or craps.
Catch a jackpot on your first day in town and you were faced with the decision to stay in your room and watch TV for the rest of your vacation to preserve your good fortune, or continue playing. The choice was always an easy one because there was no tomorrow.
Now with state regulated casino jurisdictions within easy access of a majority of the population, there is always tomorrow. Hitting a jackpot just may be a good time to call it a day because you can return whenever you desire. A bad day doesn’t mean chasing your money anymore, rather the opportunity to lick your wounds and try again next time.
Thriving “locals” markets have sprung up around gaming destinations in much the same way as the opening of Sam’s Town on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas was the catalyst for tremendous growth of properties to serve the burgeoning population of Americans moving to Las Vegas for employment opportunities and retirement.
Today’s recreational gamer population has swelled to significant numbers, and in many similar ways they mirror the typical locals market crowd. They tend to exhibit brand loyalty, knowing their return on investment through participation in player’s club programs work to their benefit.
Although it is easy to take them for granted, recreational gamblers are really the heart and soul of the industry. They can always be counted on to use the money they have set aside for leisure time pursuits to find an atmosphere brimming with excitement and anticipation at their local casino.
Entertainment is always a guarantee. Some extra money in your pocket thanks to a fortuitous slot session isn’t a promise, but when it does happen it is mighty satisfying. In any event, losing on a casino outing still beats leaving a golf course angry, frustrated, and with your five-iron wrapped around an oak tree.
