• Some areas traditionally viewed as single-purpose might be designed to be more flexible , such as meeting rooms , exhibition areas , day / night clubs , showrooms , pool / outdoor decks and patios , and hotel suites .
Increase Socialization
Much of the adjunct fun of gaming is socializing and / or people watching people . This behooves a casino to provide the means to direct a player to where similar players are gambling , to find opportunities to play together with friends , family or a date , and to find areas where other people are simply aggregating .
A data app could be modified , geofenced to your casino perimeter following popular and accepted protocols to further people-meeting-people . Anyone participating would have to opt in , but there is no reason these days for two lonely people to be alone or a casino not to enhance people meeting other people .
Socializing can also be physically promoted by providing places to socialize . More chairs , couches and coffee tables , mini-areas where games are intentionally slowed down a bit so people can talk a bit , announcements of “ mixers ” taking place rotating in and around the casino , a dance floor in the main casino area , and more social dining , drinking , music , dancing and mixed gambling configurations will subtly reinforce socializing as well .
Price / Cost / Value ; ‘ Truth in Pricing ’
It may be time to consider rethinking how casinos price and “ cost ” gaming TGEs , share critical price / cost information with players , and how doing so impacts the customer ’ s sense of real and perceived value of a given or multiple casino visits .
The means exist to provide all of the information a new or seasoned player needs before the start of their trip to help set their gaming NWEs and budget , help them manage their trip in progress to adjust their gaming to help achieve their NWEs based upon actual results , and at the end of their trip accurately and validly determine the real price / cost of the casino visit so they can accurately determine the value received .
In short form , all of this would be accomplished via a system and app that may be referred to as a “ truth in pricing ” game / bet optimizer , finder , and manager . Players could enter their gaming / gambling NWEs with respect to “ playing to win ” vs . “ playing to win to play ” objectives , this visit dollar and playing time budget , and other NWEs so that the system could show players their best game / bet options and betting styles that optimize meeting expectations .
The objective would be to better align the fun of playing to the financial expectations of the player . Intuitively , there appears to be enough upside , perhaps substantial , to make that work worthwhile .
Employ Technology and Systems to Connect and Leverage the Initiatives
There is a real opportunity to further leverage and multiply the benefits of a fully executed “ It ’ s About Me !” environment via a system that expands on technology already in use today , so the system dynamically connects everyone with everyone else , every activity , and everything in real time .
Capability-wise , the truth-in-pricing module and capabilities become an essential part of the system for reasons already explained . Once placed in the system , it could go beyond providing truth in pricing information . For example , upon arrival , the system could direct the player to open table or slot machine options that meet their parameters ( including both areas and environments ), allow them to reserve the gaming position to make sure it is available when they get there , and provide the ability to plan and reserve all of a trip ’ s non-gaming activities ( e . g ., meetings with friends / family / dates , send alerts for starts of shows booked or your table is available at a club ).
The app could and should be downloaded to the player ’ s mobile device to allow remote or proxy betting , partake in other forms of e-gaming , race and sports betting and the like , where legal . The mobile device would facilitate the aforementioned deliveries in and around the casino .
Video streaming would be a critical part of the system generated by an array of fixed video cameras that would show dozens of images where public activity can or is taking place , augmented by a roaming casino 24 / 7 / 365 video team streaming “ up-to-the-minute news .”
Opening / closing times would be posted for everything , and people density would be shown using such things as heat maps to see where the action is taking place in real time .
Ideally , every bet on every table and on every machine would be monitored , tracked and displayed in a manner that promotes a sense of winning in real time .
All of the existing loyalty club protocols would be subsumed into the system . There would be no reason why a player would miss a perk / award to which they are entitled or miss any activity if used properly .
Added to the system would be a back-of-the-house , purposed personal customer service tracking and support module . Essentially , customer service standards would be established and human-to-human contact would be tracked to make sure it is proactively delivered and player requests for contact are responded to in a timely manner .
There is more to discuss the system , but the point to remember is that the system has the potential to extract the maximum potential from the total environment approach to meeting or exceeding the NWEs of every customer , every visit .
The underlying theme of this article is that there is always room for more fun for players and non-players alike . This article provides some pathways to uncovering it . Go forth and make more fun . Never stop . And , don ’ t ever let anyone take fun from your casino again !
Dean Macomber is president of Macomber International , Inc . With 35 years of diversified experience in the gaming industry ranging from dealer to president , development to operations involving mega-destination resorts to locals-oriented casinos in numerous domestic and international venues , Macomber provides executive-level consulting in the areas of strategic and business planning , feasibility and all other project development phases , and pre- and post-opening management and profit improvement engagements . He can be reached atmacomberinc @ gmail . com .
26 CASINO STYLE 2020