Renowned marketing and customer experience agency LaneTerralever, with a division focused on casino, hospitality and entertainment destination brands, released a new document, 2024 Casino Player Trends Report: How Non-Gaming Activities Are Transforming Casinos. The text, conducted in partnership with Anthony F. Lucas, professor at UNLV’s College of Hospitality, measured the opinions of respondents ages 21-75 on various non-gaming offerings of both local and destination casinos, and how they impact their loyalty to the properties they choose.
Following an increasing trend over the last two decades, now, 83.9% of Millennials and 80.5% of Gen Z indicated non-gaming activities (such as restaurants and bars, live entertainment, hotel amenities, etc.) significantly impacted their decision-making process when choosing a local casino. Those numbers were smaller for older demographics, including 65.3% of Boomers and 76.1% of Gen X reporting non-gaming offerings had a significant impact.
TIME AND MONEY DEDICATION AND GROUP VISITING
Across all generations, it was found that ~20% of their time is spent doing something other than playing with non-gaming activities. Millennials lead this group at 68%. Restaurants/bars were the top non-gaming activity mentioned for local casinos at 40.9%, followed by live entertainment at 23.2%, and hotel amenities at 16%.
The ‘group visit’ to casinos is seen as increasingly important, especially among younger market segments, with 80% of people visiting local casinos in groups, and 87% of destination casino visitors doing the same. Notably, 70% of casino-goers say non-gaming offerings are more important when they visit with family and friends.
Affluent visitors will likely spend 50% of their time on non-gaming activities during a single trip to a destination casino, meaning they prioritize non-gaming offerings more than the average player. They consider live entertainment most important, with 27.2% of affluent players ranking it as their top non-gaming offering compared to 20% of non-affluent.
CASINO BRANDS AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
When asked which destination casino brand has the best non-gaming offerings, 21.1% chose Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. MGM Resorts International, at 20.1%, was a close second, followed by Caesars Entertainment at 13.8%.
When it comes to fostering loyalty among players, non-gaming offerings once again ranked prominently among younger demographics, with 69.3% of Millennials and 65.7% of Gen Z saying non-gaming features have at least some impact on their loyalty to local casinos. In comparison, just 56.9% of Boomers and 61.3% of Gen X scored this as important. In addition, customer experience was identified as a top way to build loyalty, with 89% of casino-goers saying good customer experience can lead them to choose a smaller casino over a larger brand.
ONLINE BETTING AND IN-PERSON WAGERS
Gauging the prevalence of online vs. in-person wagering within the context of age groups, 73% of Gen Z and Millennials indicated they’ve placed a bet online. When the topic turned to in-person wagers, the responses effectively flipped, with 79% of Boomers stating they’ve placed a bet at a brick-and-mortar establishment, a significantly higher proportion than Gen Z and Millennials.
About this report, Nick Dan-Bergman, VP of Marketing at LaneTerralever, declared: “Our study underscores the prevalence of the experience economy and how important it is for casino operators to continue to hone and expand their experiential and entertainment-focused offerings. Its particularly relevant to attract the attention of younger generations and maintain long-term loyalty of all players.”
The authors of the research are hosting a webinar in partnership with Tribal Gaming & Hospitality Magazine on Tuesday, February 13th, at 10 am PST. They’ll present the highlights of their findings and host a panel discussion. To attend this online meeting to must register here.