Scratch off lottery tickets personifies gamification for casino operators.
Last year, Foxwoods Resort used scratch off lottery tickets to gain attention and attract customers. The program was so successful, the casino launched it again this year with the Connecticut Lottery.
Foxwoods was a top example of gamification, which was highlighted at last week’s Casino Marketing & Technology Conference at Caesars Palace. A session dealt with how to use gamification to create an interactive loyalty club experience.
In Connecticut, the latest Foxwoods game started in June and those who buy a scratch off ticket have a chance to win up to $100,000 instantly. Those who don’t win can enter their ticket into second-chance drawings to win prizes such as a stay at the casino, cash and gift cards. There’s even a third-chance drawing to win cash of $5 to $50.
Foxwoods said last year’s scratch off was the fastest selling in Connecticut’s lottery history.
(l-r) Matt Bistodeau, Jerry Epstein and Jennifer Johnson
“They would come in and play the game and were so into this game,” said Jennifer Johnson, vice president of loyalty marketing at Foxwoods. “We were planning to start in June and go through the end of November for our 25th anniversary weekend, and they were running out of tickets in the second week of August.”
It was an easy call to do the promotion for a second year, Johnson joked to conference attendees.
Marketing experts said loyalty clubs don’t just mean offers, issuing cards and sending out coupons. The clubs should drive sales, increase visits, and connect with guests to create a better relationship with them.
Lifestyle club is a new term, but loyalty clubs have been behind in that regard. The concept of gamification is supposed to create a more loyalty club experience similar to how the Monopoly game sponsored by McDonald’s got people to eat at the fast-food restaurant and earn tickets.
The casino industry does it with free football contests, drawings and online games where casinos keep touch with club members who earn points and prizes.
Panelists said that once a gamification marketing plan is in place, it can self-perpetuate much like the Foxwoods lottery program and create excitement and interest in the casino brands.
Raving Consulting’s Justin Shank, a social gaming and marketing expert, asked session members to raise their hands if their casinos did gamification. He was surprised at the small response.
“I had expected more properties were in it or had engaged in it at some point,” Shank said. “It has shown to be successful. There are properties all over the country that are using it so to have a room full of people in the technology conference using it, I would have expected more people.”
Gamification is a flexible and viable options for casinos, Shank said, which provide incentives for people to play games on their online platform.
“Gamification properties use it to engage their players as a way to enhance their loyalty program,” Shank said. “You can create interactive and engaging promotions that are customized for players whether they are onsite, or offsite with mobile phones or laptops. On property, you can use gamification in a kiosk setting.”
Some casinos utilizing gamification have contests where loyalty club members pick NFL games. Shank said that could expand now that sports betting is legal for states to adopt. For casinos located in an NFL market, Shank suggested they provide a football promotion.
“With sports betting as a whole, gamification platforms are a viable option to create promotions and use as player acquisition tools and as enhancement to the larger loyalty programs,” he said
Matt Bistodeau, marketing player development manager with Sycuan Casino near San Diego, said the casino has partnered with the San Diego Padres baseball team. The casino used the team’s big screen for a game where a person’s email can be captured, and they can be rewarded. If someone doesn’t redeem a free buffet over time they get the opportunity to swap it for $10 of free play instead, he said.
“The reward becomes a little more engaging if you give them the choice,” Bistodeau said. “You may get 15,000 to 20,000 people, and now they can share it with other people where it becomes exciting. That is the direction we are heading, and what we want to do.”
Jerry Epstein, CEO of Engaged Nation, which develops gamification platforms, said extending programs out over time can be beneficial, especially for casinos in the Midwest or East coast where bad weather has disrupted a big promotional drawing with cash giveaways.
To guard against bad weather, the casinos opted for a five-week program where people can play daily to earn tickets for a drawing on a weekly basis. People also earned tickets on the day of the promotion when the weather turned out bad, he said.
“It was their best Sunday in six months because people were invested in it,” Epstein said.
