Even the greatest ad campaign can't overcome a crabby dealer

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Even The Greatest Ad Campaign Can't Overcome A Crabby Dealer


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More and more casinos are adopting the Vegas, mega-casino mantra of “bigger is better.” With every ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new casino comes the need to poach players away from neighbouring properties. In an attempt to attract the wandering eye of the gaming crowd, these mega-casinos build lavish hotels, gourmet restaurants, spas, show theatres, and mount the ad campaigns to go with them, with what seem like unlimited budgets.

But managers of small casinos – and in Canada that still means most properties – shouldn’t despair. The larger and more extravagant these mega-casinos get, the greater the opportunity for you to create your own identity and focus on what every casino guest is really after . . . service and entertainment.

Casinos attract all kinds of people; therefore, people will like all kinds of casinos. As casinos spend their time thinking up lavish themes, there will always be a need for a place for the everyday man or woman to just play, be entertained, and feel like a high roller. Sure, they may be wearing jeans and a T-shirt at a $5 blackjack table, but who doesn’t like being treated as though they were dropping $100s while sporting a tux and cummerbund? It’s all part of the experience.

My job has taken me to all kinds of casinos, big and small, and I try to play a little at each property to absorb its culture. For all the enormous casinos in Vegas, my favourite is an obscure little place on the Strip that has somehow thrived, even though it is surrounded by giants.

O’Shea’s is tiny in comparison to its towering, theme-park cousins, but its secret to success is simple – it’s a fun place to play. The dealers are friendly and happy to drop a helpful hint to newcomers to the game. They make sure everyone's drink is topped up (one could argue they’re a bit too liberal with the booze), and the place is full of down-to-earth people right through ‘til the wee hours of the morning. The point is, O’Shea’s has its own niche, catering to the low-limit gambler while making these players feel like the ever-sought-after whale. Some of the larger casinos give the impression that minimum bet and nickel slot players are just an inconvenience.

My favourite casino moment happened at a small casino in the Kootenay Rockies. I was playing my usual $5 to $10 wager at the blackjack table and, after receiving my payout for the coveted Ace/10 combo, I threw the dealer a meagre tip. The dealer then did something I wasn’t expecting. She tapped the tip on the table and yelled at the top of her lungs, “Tip for the crew!”

The rest of the employees on the gaming floor responded with an exuberant, “Wooo-hooooooo!”

Every player in the place perked up. Then, I noticed the guests around me started to tip the dealers just to get the same reaction. Talk about a win-win situation. Not only did the dealers increase their tips, but the whole action served as an icebreaker between the dealers and the players at all of the tables. It was such a small thing but it made such a big difference.

The reality is that most of your guests will leave with less money than they walked in with, but we are all in the business of selling entertainment. “Yeah, yeah,” you say, “We all know this already.” But remember, the people we're catering to are still catching on. This is still new to them. A night at the casino doesn’t yet rank very high on their list of entertainment options. So, when they do walk through your doors, make sure you deliver your end of the bargain with outstanding customer service, from the burly security guard at the entrance, to the cashier in the cage. Losing is one thing. Losing and not even getting a greeting, a chuckle, or a smile is enough to turn anyone off.

No matter what the mega-casinos come up with, there will always be a market for intimate casinos that treat their guests like VIPs on a consistent basis. Roller coasters, bright lights and day spas may create enough of a buzz to get people in the door once, but a friendly dealer with a smile and a story brings ’em back time and time again. Ad campaigns are a much easier sell if the level of service portrayed in the ads accurately reflects what guests can actually expect when they sit down at the tables.

By Lee Veitch Jones, associate creative director of the Phoenix Group