PHOENIX, AZ – A new study has been released by LaneTerralever entitled 2024 Casino Player Trends Report: How Non-Gaming Activities Are Transforming Casinos. Conducted in partnership with Anthony F. Lucas, professor at UNLV’s College of Hospitality, the study 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. Key findings include:
Non-Gaming Most Vital to Millennials/Gen Z; Still Important to Boomers/Gen X:
Notably, 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. While still significant, 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.
All Generations Budgeting Time and Money for Non-Gaming:
Across all generations, it was found that ~20% of their time is spent doing something other than playing with non-gaming activities, something they specifically budgeted for – Millennials lead that 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%.
Visiting with Groups has Become Increasingly Important:
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.
“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, particularly to attract the attention of younger generations and maintain long-term loyalty of all players,” said Nick Dan-Bergman VP, Marketing at LaneTerralever.
Additional noteworthy findings:
Affluent Players are a Unique Segment, Value Non-Gaming Activities:
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.
Hard Rock Leading Competition Among Non-Gaming Offerings:
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%.
Non-Gaming and Customer Experience Offer Opportunity to Build Deeper Relationship with Players:
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.
Opportunities to Entice Online Bettors to Visit In-Person:
Gauging the prevalence of online versus 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.