I get a lot of e-mails from players suggesting I speak to casino executives and see if I can get them to change things that they don’t like – the downgrading of video poker paytables, the cut in comps, the decline in customer service. I am flattered that they think, albeit mistakenly, I have that much influence – and in the past on occasion I have gone to bat for some player and helped right a wrong they suffered. But it was always a “little” thing. 

Today the problems casino customers are having are the result of mammoth casino problems brought about by the world economic meltdown. It is no longer as effective as it used to be for a customer to write to a casino executive about some complaint. He has much bigger things to worry about than the unhappiness of one player. 

If you are unhappy with the deep cuts at Harrah’s properties – and the gambling forums are full of the awful details of this “surgery” – you might find a recent article from the Wall Street Journal enlightening. I think many of us feel that casinos have a “license to steal” so they would never run out of money. “Harrah’s Changes Its Game” describes a company that is in desperate straits. 

I soak up as much information as I can about the casino side of gambling because that helps me figure out how I can be more successful on the player side. I realize that moaning and groaning about the cuts wastes my time. I find it is a better use of my time to constantly evaluate the situation.   Sometimes that means changing games, or changing casinos. It means always being flexible, not bemoaning what I used to be able to do but looking for new opportunities.

[Email Blogger]