Got a Casino Within Your Walls? Avoid a Headache With These Tips

The American Gaming Association says 38 states have “legalized sports betting since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.” NYU hospitality professor Richard Keating now teaches a “Casino Operation and Management” course to help students understand this multi-billion dollar industry’s real-world challenges and opportunities.

Challenges include a federal judge in New Jersey recently throwing out a lawsuit in which filers accused some hotels of using AI to manipulate room rates.

A recently released report from a public health commission shows gambling is now legal in 80% of countries worldwide. The 22-member commission, comprised of academics, was published in the medical journal The Lancet.

As gambling becomes more commonplace, hotel industry folks will have to get more comfortable with the idea of guests’ gambling and how to address the myriad concerns that could come with doing so, especially in a community that isn’t as familiar as those in Vegas or Atlantic City would be.

Figure out if you want a dress code

Staff at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Washington acknowledged that many casinos adhere to a strict dress code but that others do not have such stipulations for visitors.

In either case, considering the larger hotel marketing, this decision should be made. Are you trying to bring in the big dogs or the gambling world, or would you be content getting grandparents and other folks who may not fit the aesthetic of what someone thinks about when the term gambler comes to mind?

There’s no right or wrong answer, but you also do not want to have a casino marketing plan that runs counter to the plan of the whole structure.

Different strokes for different folks.

Duetto suggests market segmentation is especially important for hotels seeking to market their casinos.

In other words, the marketing strategy should be nuanced enough that you approach a first-time gambler differently than his more-grilled gambling counterparts who know the ropes.

If you can impress the right groups, you will improve the guest experience, and they may return for more. The same experts suggest that you be flexible in pricing to allow high rollers to book late like many choose to do spontaneously.

Offering certain amenities to the most loyal customers and forthrightly attempting to address customer complaints swiftly and fully should be uniform across the board.

Alternatively, push for positive feedback that you can bake into your marketing strategies for the future. If you know why folks value that hotel casino, you can tailor your marketing efforts to attract people with those same proclivities more quickly.

What about the regulars?

Regular small-time gamblers should be an integral part of the strategy for casinos, per Gecko Hospitality.

Though casinos often cater to high-rollers because of the money they are willing to spend, experts say many more people are ready and willing to spend just $25 or $50 before calling it a night and retiring to their bedrooms.

Casinos routinely do comp rooms but rarely for the plebians of the gambling world. Under the right circumstances, perhaps there is some value in finding out how to get those small customers in the door and coming back for more.

Presenting a markedly simple feel-good experience is especially important for the new and uninitiated since they don’t have the prior positive experiences that a wily veteran might associate with a particular hotel or hotel-casino. Without those to draw on, the new consumer is at the mercy of circumstance, which allows you to make a huge impact on how they view gambling for the remainder of their lives.

Expert Nolan Dalla lamented that after years of frequenting one casino, he never once got a follow-up nudge compelling him to visit properties from some of the biggest properties in the country. That missed opportunity should be at the front of your mind whether your hotel-casino is tied to one of the larger brands.