Carried by the rising tide of positive economic and financial data, the AGEM Index climbed at a rate not seen since October 2011. With two months of positive growth in the United States labor market, coupled with rising GDP, consumer spending and confidence, the broader equities markets took note of the encouraging recovery. For the third consecutive month, the majority of global gaming suppliers recorded a gain in their stock price.
Match play (MP) coupons or chips are extremely costly to the casino when used in the capacity of “game starters,” or as a motivation to “play” on a table game. In almost every situation, MP coupons/chips used as a game starter do not provide the casino with a positive return through additional revenue over cost. On the other hand, MP coupons/chips that are used as player reinvestment ... are doable.
The entertainment industry is firmly in the business of selling experiences—hopefully, exciting experiences. It is simply wrong to compare this to the retail industry, which is in the business of selling stuff. Of course, when shoppers shop in a retail outlet, they gain an experience, but the main goal of shopping is to arrive home with one’s purchases. Entertainment is quite simply different.
Attending trade shows is always exciting. Learning about new technology, spinning the reels on the slot machines and getting confused by the new module in patron management are highlights for any attendee. But let’s not kid ourselves—if there were a class offered at UNLV about patron management systems, it would be full. We see so many great products and services, and we often want to implement many of them, ...
It’s been more than 20 years now—1988 to be precise—since Las Vegas-style gaming on tribal government land was given an acid test to determine its legality. Knowing full well that the precedent setting outcome would open up the flood gates with other tribal governments wanting to exercise their right to engage in this new and potentially lucrative business, Congress went into hyper drive passing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
As a result of the economy, limited land availability at desirable locations, and new construction’s lengthy permitting requirements, the trend of adaptive reuse is becoming an important option in construction and design for the gaming industry. Converting an older, vacant building for a different use is not a new or novel concept, but it continues to gain momentum because building new from the ground up doesn’t always make financial sense.
What are you doing to drive market share and awareness at your property? Being able to communicate with a customer in real time effectively, efficiently and measurably has always been the elusive holy grail of marketing. But how do we initiate a dialogue with customers? How do we get customers to buy in? How do we measure our effectiveness? Those are the questions that every marketing professional has asked themselves ...
From the Electronic Bill of Rights to the European Union privacy directives and the passage of the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, the spotlight has been on the issue of consumer privacy for some time. Financial institutions, in their privileged position as information gatherers and credit granters, are learning to deal with the abuses of privacy invasion. Of the many ways that this abuse of privacy occurs ...
It’s no secret that casinos have been running uphill for the past few years. Using Las Vegas as a barometer, the Bank of America Gaming Market Overview 2012 stated that gaming revenues declined by 10.5 percent in 2008 and 9.6 percent in 2009, but cautiously predicted an upswing. Nationwide, the numbers were steady but lagging, with Native American casinos holding their own despite the downturn.
