The old days versus the new days

Commercial Casinos

Dennis Conrad

I turned 72 years old this year. Next year will mark my 50th year in the gambling business.

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I realize that makes me one of the old guys and I could regale you with stories from the casino business of the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Seeing Sinatra at Caesars Palace. Playing slot machines with hoppers (look it up) that spit out actual coins. Eating breakfasts for less than a buck and shrimp cocktails for 50 cents. Playing Chuck A Luck (again, look it up).

I’ve worked in casinos that allowed their employees to drink and gamble on their breaks at work (and gave them advances on their next paycheck to do so). I worked for a Las Vegas casino run by the mob and watched a skimming operation on our crap table. My wife, Becky, who had never paid off a blackjack bet for more than $50, dealt to Crazy Louie betting $10,000 a hand on five hands on her first night dealing at the Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. We’ve had $1,000 tip nights and we’ve had dealers and supervisors skim our tips.

Yes, it’s been quite a ride in this crazy business and yes, I’ve thought about writing a book. I’ve never wanted to be “that guy,” you know, the one railing away about the good old days and how great things were and how everything has gone to hell in the new days of the gambling business. I believe both the old and the new eras of gaming have their pluses and minuses and I’m not sure if the old days were better or worse than the new days. But I know what I like and don’t like about each gambling era.

Such as:

Better in the old days

The special aura around a good, live, crap game.
The democratic nature of being able to tip an employee and get pretty much whatever you wanted (better seats, entry into a sold-out show or restaurant, top- shelf drinks, upgraded room, etc.)
The ease of getting a comp for the buffet
“Carousel attendants” at the $1 slot machine area
The more and various characters that worked in and frequented the casinos
The signature loss leader promotions that drove throngs of people to the casino – 50-cent beer, 99-cent breakfasts, free pulls on a slot machine, double-jackpot times, free drinks while gambling, coupon books, etc.
The after-shift gatherings of casino employees at regular haunts
The restroom attendants and shoeshine service
Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ann Margret, and other superstars
The ease of getting free decks of playing cards
An abundance of single deck hand-held blackjack games
Keno tickets written with a brush and ink
Casino-lounge entertainment

Worse in the old days

Recognition and rewards for slot players
Relatively sparse number of non-gaming amenities
Lack of a strong casino service culture
Coins at the slot machine getting your hands dirty and having to lug around buckets of coins to cash in
Weakness, uncertainty, and inconsistency of rewards for all casino players in general
Smoke in casinos
Overall selection and fun quotient of slot machines
Lack of technology and incompatibility between systems
Uninspired casino designs
Overall negative image of the gambling business and jurisdictions primarily limited to Nevada, and later, New Jersey

Better in the new days

Overall acceptance of gambling as a mainstream business and casinos now located in almost every state
Poker and sports betting
The bells and whistles and continuing evolution of the modern-day slot machine
The explosion of quality amenities at the modern-day casino-resort
Improved technology that (generally) improves the casino customer experience
Entertainment options on all levels
VIP player development, having evolved from glad-handing and order-taking to much more of a professional, measurable, sales function
Overall customer service with more and better standards and protocols
Less smoke and more commitment to having non-smoking areas
Consistency, fairness, and effectiveness of player loyalty programs
Electronic table games as an alternative to live table games
The education, training, and development of senior casino executives
Though far from perfect, the rise of women in the executive and overall casino workforce

Worse in the new days

Technology replacing some of the human interactions that used to be hallmarks of the casino experience
The player squeeze in many areas (tighter slots, resort fees, devalued gaming rules, conditions, and minimums, paid parking, etc.), in an attempt to maximize profits at every cash register
Fewer options for the lower-level gamblers
ATM fees
The college-educated casino executives (not all) who have little knowledge and appreciation of what makes gamblers tick and spend little time on the casino floor
How winning sports bettors often get treated (lowered limits, devalued odds, refused action, etc.)
Video poker and keno machines (“vacuum-cleaner new games” that masquerade as more exciting, but just take your money faster, along with other changes for the worse)
Staffing shortages as well as shortages of experienced employees, especially dealers

And then of course there are:

Things that are about the same in both eras

Problem-gambling efforts are still mostly lip service
Casino promotions are lackluster, similar at every casino, lacking fun, and missing most of the elements that a signature promotion can bring to a casino
Gamblers are as superstitions as ever
Players believe the machines have been tightened
Drink service is slow on the casino floor
Most gamblers will tell you that they “break even”
Casinos never have enough of the right sizes when they give away T-shirts or other clothing items
Smoke has a tendency to blow toward you, no matter where you are in the casino.

So there you have it, my take on the best and the worst of the old and new eras of the gambling business. Don’t believe the old timers who say the industry has gone to hell and don’t believe the young executives who say the old timers are dinosaurs, out of touch in the modern era.

There’s a lot of wisdom (and plenty of stupidity) in both eras. But one thing is certain. Whether it’s in 1974 or 2024, if you find out what your casino customers want, then GIVE IT TO THEM, your success will span generations.