Don’t Ignore Me Because I Have Gray Hair
This is an article I wrote a couple of years ago, one that would be read by casino executives. But I am guessing that many players who read this blog may find it elicits some “amen’s.”
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We may be getting gray – us oldsters, but we have considerable financial assets we have accumulated from years of wise saving and have more disposable income now that our children are leaving the nest and aren’t dependent on us for their heavy expenses. We have more time for adult entertainment choices rather than family activities which was our focus for many years. And where do so many of us want to spend our increased discretionary income and our increased leisure time?
Yes, you guessed it – in a casino!
I am getting a little tired of hearing how casinos want to spend a major part of their marketing budget to attract the “Millennials.” I’m not fond of using labels – “Baby Boomers,” “Generation X,” “Y, or “Z” – since no one agrees on the exact age range of each group. So I will talk more using age numbers. And here is my personal take on this new casino marketing preoccupation.
The “kids” who are now in their 20’s – or will be turning legal in the next 10 years or so – will first want to come to casinos to enjoy the heady nightclub/pool /music scene. They won’t be interested in grandma’s slots. They don’t want to waste their limited bankroll on gambling at all – they prefer to spend the time at the pool ogling prospects for a romantic interlude. If they gamble at all, it will be at a table game where they can play and socialize with their friends at the same time. With few exceptions they are in entry-level jobs and have to team up with a large group of friends in order to afford luxury hotel rates and monstrous nightclub bills on their once-a-year splurge vacation.
As these youngsters get older, they start thinking less about just having fun with no responsibilities and, becoming more mature, start considering long-term relationships and families of their own. And then there will be the period of 20 or so years when parents are too busy or don’t have enough money for a lot of casino gambling. It may happen later for the “millennials” but it will happen just as it did for all of us gray-haired oldsters.
I’m not saying that the casino shouldn’t look ahead and consider how to update their casino offerings to appeal to a more electronic-orientated casino visitor – a successful business must always look many years into the future. However, I feel that the casino is missing the point that the gray population is still paying a lot of their bills and this will always be true. Life expectancy numbers are constantly rising, and projections show that more and more people will be able to enjoy a fuller and healthier life in a much longer retirement stage.
So if the age of a typical casino visitor will probably always be skewed upward, the casinos should probably spend at least a good chunk of their time and money to take this into consideration as an on-going policy. What will make a casino more appealing to an older customer? Address our physical limitations. More handicapped parking. Easier wheelchair accessibility in all areas. Grab bars, low shelves and hooks, and higher commodes in the bathrooms. Fewer long lines – at the players club desk, at the cage, at the buffet. More food choices in the restaurants, for the older customer who often has diabetes, heart issues, or digestive problems that require a special diet.
Some casinos are already doing a good job of appealing to seniors. They are tapping down the loud music blasting from the casino speakers, even playing some “oldies” in the weekday mornings and afternoons when the younger customer is away at work. They are running senior days for the over-50 crowd, with food discounts, tournaments, and drawings – many with the promotions in the daytime since many seniors don’t want to drive at night.
Each casino will need to address the issues of a large market base of older visitors and come up with ideas that fit into their unique master plan. However, so many of the executives in marketing departments are very young, hired for their understanding of the younger potential customers, but totally unknowledgeable about the likes and dislikes of their older customers, ones who will continually be important to that all-important casino bottom line.
How can a younger casino staff cope with this challenge? They need to talk to and get to know seniors. How about more well-run focus groups, with some great benefits for those who attend, i.e., a gourmet dinner and some generous free play. This is a great double-duty technique – a way to reward the senior customers you already have – and a way to keep them – and find out how to attract more of them.