People Places

For years we ’ ve been covering everything about the gaming industry , both land-based and online . We ’ ve walked you through gaming expansions in every region of the world . We ’ ve tried to explain the new technologies that will make our businesses run more efficiently and profitably .

We ’ ve reviewed how online gaming has become not just an addition but a full partner in the success of this industry . But when you finally examine what makes this business tick , it ’ s the customers .

Another issue we ’ ve been stressing for years is non-gaming revenue , and the casino resorts do very well with that . On the Las Vegas Strip , the revenue breakdown today is 70 percent non-gaming and 30 percent gaming . Regional and tribal casinos are more slanted toward the gaming revenue , but most of them are adding the non-gaming amenities so they can balance those revenues out .

But truth be told , the bread-and-butter of any casino , online or land-based , is the gamblers . And the way you treat those players can be the difference between success and failure . But when the bean counters get involved , they often miss the most important part of the equation , the relationship between the employees and executives of the casino and the gamblers . That is such a crucial connection that it ’ s not only overlooked but often ignored . Don ’ t do that .

Let ’ s start with the table games . Casinos are starting to turn off the real gamblers by introducing rule changes that favor the casinos . The 6:5 payout on basic blackjack and the triple-zero roulette are probably the most egregious examples , but the bonus side bets are also to blame .

While you often can hide the house edge on those games via those bonus bets , it ’ s just annoying to players who only want to play blackjack . The new variations of baccarat are also trying to pull that house edge in the casino ’ s advantage , by including glitzy signage and scoreboards , but the real gambler can see right through that .

When I was the editor of Casino Player magazine back in the late 1980s , we turned around the hold percentage on slot machines that was reported by the casinos to their regulatory authorities and called it the payback percentage . Today it ’ s known as “ return to player ” or RTP . When you play a slot game online , you are able to dig around in the description of the game to find the RTP . That ’ s not the case in a land-based casino . Why not ?

But what really annoys players is when there are wholesale changes to the players clubs . When Eldorado bought Caesars , they revamped Caesars Rewards in a way that made it almost unrecognizable to previous Caesars loyal players . Same thing with MGM when they renamed and reorganized Mlife to MGM Rewards . Players tumbled several levels and casino hosts had nothing to tell them that would make them feel better .

Some casinos ramp up their offerings to attract new players but then pull them back as quickly as they raised them . Tier matching is also a dangerous game . If you don ’ t explain what the player has to do to maintain that tier , it can be confusing and disappointing for the player … and for the casino .

When you get down to the granular level , it ’ s the relationship your employees have with your customers . Why is it often your privately held casinos that seem to be so successful ? In Las Vegas , South Point and Ellis Island have fiercely loyal customers who return again and again .

Across the country , there are examples of privately held casinos that are very successful . In the U . K ., look at the Hippodrome in London . Owner Simon Thomas knows that people come first , and if you give them what they want , they ’ ll remain loyal customers . Is it because their owners don ’ t have to answer quarterly earnings calls ? Is it because they can afford to have a longer-term view ?

Wynn Resorts has been amazing in how they ’ ve kept the quality of their properties and their customer service up , even with the exit of their visionary founder , Steve Wynn . The Wynn board does have that long view and doesn ’ t focus as much on those quarterly reports .

Of course , then you have a corporate raider like Tilman Fertitta who threatens to bring management down . Just look at Golden Nugget casinos ( also a Steve Wynn product ) and you ’ ll see the difference between a Fertitta-run property and the Wynn properties .

Focus on people and you ’ re going to be successful in the long run . But focus solely on profits and you ’ re going to be running a company that will not connect with its customer base or its employees and will have ongoing problems .

Vol . 24 • No . 1 • JANUARY 2025

Roger Gros , Publisher | rgros @ ggbmagazine . com X : @ GlobalGamingBiz

Frank Legato , Editor | flegato @ ggbmagazine . com X : @ FranklySpeakn

Jess Marquez , Managing Editor jmarquez @ ggbmagazine . com

Monica Cooley , Art Director mcooley @ ggbmagazine . com

Terri Brady , Sales & Marketing Director tbrady @ ggbmagazine . com

Beck Kingman-Gros , Associate Publisher & COO bkingros @ ggbmagazine . com

Lisa Johnson , Communications Advisor lisa @ lisajohnsoncommunications . com X : @ LisaJohnsonPR

Columnists Frank Fantini | Bill Miller

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Rino Armeni , President , Armeni Enterprises

• Dike Bacon , Principal / Partner , HBG Design

• Lauren Bates , President , Global Gaming Women

• Mark A . Birtha , Senior Vice President & General Manager , Hard Rock International

• Brendan Bussmann , Principal , BGlobal Advisors

• Alex Dixon , CEO , DRA / Q Casino

• Daron Dorsey , Executive Director , Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers

• Sally Gainsbury , Director at Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic & Professor of Psychology , University of Sydney

• Stephen Martino , Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer , MGM Resorts International

• Bill Miller , President and CEO , American Gaming Association

• Walt Power , CEO , Grand Ho Tram

• Rob Russell , Senior Gaming Analyst , Regulatory Management Counselors PC

• James Siva , Chairman , California Nations Indian Gaming Association / Vice Chairman , Morongo Band of Mission Indians

• Michael Soll , President , The Innovation Group

• Kresimir Spajic , Chief Executive Officer , Betfred Sportsbook

• Katherine Spilde , Executive Director , Sycuan Gaming Institute , San Diego State University —————— GGB Magazine 1000 Nevada Way • Suite 204 • Boulder City , NV 89005 702-248-1565 • 702-248-1567 ( fax ) www . ggbmagazine . com

The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor .

GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS is published monthly by Clarion Gaming International , LLC . Printed in Nevada , USA . Postmaster : Send Change of Address forms to : 1000 Nevada Way , Suite 204 , Boulder City , NV 89005 Email : subscriptions @ ggbmagazine . com

Official Publication

4 Global Gaming Business JANUARY 2025

GGB Magazine January 2024 | Page 7

THE AGENDA

People Places

For years we ’ ve been covering everything about the gaming industry , both land-based and online . We ’ ve walked you through gaming expansions in every region of the world . We ’ ve tried to explain the new technologies that will make our businesses run more efficiently and profitably .