Michael Meczka has heard it all from casino players.
The president of Meczka Marketing Research Consulting said his firm has conducted more than 1 million interviews with gamblers over the last 35 years, and there’s a common feedback.
Michael Meczka
Players get upset about service and how they can’t get a drink in a timely manner; how long they get to play on slot machines, which isn’t enough; and the inability to find a parking spot close to the casino if they’re disabled. And smoky casinos continue to be a problem.
Meczka told marketing professionals at the Casino Marketing and Technology Conference at Caesars Palace during a panel discussion that players even complain about a casino adding expansions. Why? Because believe they have to pay for it with tighter slots.
Profitable Customers owner Mary Loftness, a casino consultant, said there are cases where older casinos made more revenue than newer ones, which had replaced the outdated properties in regional markets.
“The executive team often wants that shiny new building with all of those amenities, but you have to be careful because the core player wants time on a device,” Loftness said. “They want to play and get services associated with their playing, but they don’t necessarily need the Taj Mahal to gamble in.”
Customers regularly complain about the inability to get service and how they’re waiting in the casino for an hour to get a drink, Meczka said. Loftness added that many casinos have difficulty filling open job positions.
“This is absolutely seeping through to the player,” Loftness said. “It’s one of our most critical issues in gaming right now. We can’t service the customer base we have. Players are telling us and they’re seeing it. It’s affecting the revenue. They will not eat in your restaurant because it takes too long for service. You get more sit time from a player who has a cool beverage than somebody who has to run off to fill their cup.”
Mary Loftness
Michael Ka’ahanui, director of the Muckleshoot Indian Casino in Washington, said the property is challenged with finding workers because it competes with Amazon, which pays employees $17 an hour for their distribution center.
“That is a hard competition,” Ka’ahanui said. “Our state is also challenged by legalized cannabis and what happens when the drug test comes back? All of these food and beverage servers are disqualified because they’re enjoying some of the legal recreations in the state. The tribe took the initiative and no longer tests for cannabis as it relates to get hired.”
Lennie Millette, director of casino alliances with Caesars Entertainment, said the company no longer tests for cannabis as well.
Meczka said that from a customer’s point of view – no matter the reasons – they want their experience to be better, something a casino needs to address.
Lennie Millette
“If the vast majority of people here recognize there’s a service problem, we as an industry should be able to solve it,” Meczka said. “They say ‘I can’t get a drink there. I can’t get parking. I can’t get valet. I can’t get anybody to answer the phone. I can’t get anybody to clean the bathroom.’ Those are all things we need to address and correct in the process. I can’t emphasis speed of service enough.
One of his casino clients experienced declining revenue. Maczka discovered a service issue. It’s the same if an automated teller machine kiosk is not working.
“We have to make it easy to refuel for those games and whatever it costs we’re going to recover that rather quickly,” Meczka said.
In 90 percent of the focus groups he has done over the last two years, there’s always people with some form of disability, such as using a walker, wheelchair, cane or on oxygen, Meczka said. People are living longer and have disabilities.
“That is one of the first complaints in focus groups that there’s not enough parking or not accessible and you’re not addressing the needs of the handicapped,” he said. “Those should be fairly easy fixes.”
Michael Ka’ahanui
What’s been a harder fix is how patrons said they know they’re going to lose but complain that casinos are taking their money too fast, rather than letting them play longer, Meczka said.
Loftness said marketers must put players with a game and stop thinking that “they’re selling shirts on the floor.” Casinos are selling an experience and how to get $20 from someone meandering into the casino.
Meczka said manufacturers need to understand marketing issues and customer needs, such as longer time on the device.
“You have to match player plus game to see how those things are impacting those vital players that you have,” Loftness said
Millette said discussions need to take place about hold percentages, making the business work and returns.
“A real gamer that enjoys coming in and spending $100 every day, they want that time on the device, and they will give it back to you,” Millette said. “Just knocking down the hold a little bit is a huge big deal.”
