Customer
A survey of casino amenities by the people who matter
By Brian Wyman
In 2018 , in the 24 Las Vegas “ Big Strip Casinos ”— those generating more than $ 72 million of gaming revenue — non-gaming revenue made up more than 65 percent of total revenue . By contrast , in 1990 , non-gaming revenue comprised just over 40 percent of total revenue on the Strip .
Hardly an accident , this shift in revenue mix is the result of a concerted effort by Las Vegas resorts to emphasize that Las Vegas isn ’ t just for gambling . With the proliferation of regional markets , many customers can now gamble near home . But Las Vegas is more . When you come to Las Vegas , you come for the experience . The restaurants . The shows . The clubs . The sin that made Sin City famous . And hey , since you ’ re here , maybe you ’ d enjoy trying your hand at one of our fine games of chance .
Indeed , despite the expansion of legal commercial and tribal gaming into more than 40 states , Las Vegas has weathered the storm ( and a global recession ). McCarran Airport continues to see record numbers of passengers , and resort revenues have never been higher .
It should come as no surprise , then , that casinos and resorts across the country are seriously evaluating their amenities offerings . Even — maybe especially — outside of Las Vegas , properties are looking to diversify their offerings , differentiate themselves from competitors , attract new guests , and give their existing guests renewed reasons to visit . They are finding these reasons in the form of new and updated experiences , many of which reside off the gaming floor .
A core component of our business is consumer research , and another is helping clients perform highest and best use assessments for land parcels or underutilized areas of casinos and resorts . We ’ ve found blending the two — surveying guests when assessing best use of space — to be highly informative . Seeking the voice of the customer in these projects has resulted in several unique and successful outcomes . With that in mind , we conducted a survey of 500 adults who visit casinos so that we could share actual player views in this article . We asked respondents several questions about their perceptions , opinions , and usage of amenities , and we share some of the highlights here .
We asked our survey respondents whether the addition or refresh of certain amenities would change their casino visitation . Only 36 percent of respondents
said “ none of the above .” In other words , 64 percent of respondents claim they would change their casino behavior based on amenity addition , an indication that our guests are looking for newer , better , more exciting things from us , and we have an opportunity to drive our core business by providing them the experiences they want .
The Resort Pool
One of the first things we asked in our survey was the top reasons respondents visit their local casinos . Not surprisingly , gambling and dining took the top two places . Entertainment ( shows , concerts , etc .) and retail / shopping tied for third .
However , when we asked about the reasons respondents visit Las Vegas casinos , we saw additional amenities become significant . Gaming , dining and entertainment again occupied the top three positions , with shopping following in fourth . Shopping was immediately followed by pool / spa and sportsbook .
32 CASINO STYLE 2019