Poll - 2020-10-14 | Las Vegas Advisor

"I was just curious if you guys had an age breakdown on the demographics of video poker. In my experience, it seems like it skews a little older. I just was wondering if you had run a poll with that before or were interested in doing so?"

The above was submitted by a reader and the answer is no, we've never run a poll on the demographics of video poker players. We did run a Question of the Day on whether more men or women are video poker players, but our evidence was anecdotal only.

Thanks, as always, to everyone for their comments, which were both entertaining (especially Jay's and Bad Girl's, which cracked us all up here in the office) and held some good suggestions for future VP surveys. For this one, though, we're interested in age and gender; for Sandy and Kevin, we've upped the age categories to 100.

As for gender orientation, that's a poll for a journal on sexual identification. Here, we're sticking with binary.

725 Total Votes

I play video poker and I'm male, age 61-70.

30% (214)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 71-80.

18% (130)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 51-60.

15% (108)

I don't play video poker.

8% (57)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 61-70.

7% (52)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 71-80.

7% (51)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 41-50.

5% (37)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 51-60.

5% (33)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 81-90.

2% (15)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 31-40.

1% (9)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 41-50.

1% (6)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 81-90.

1% (6)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 91-100.

0% (3)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 91-100.

0% (2)

I play video poker and I'm male, age 21-30.

0% (1)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 31-40.

0% (1)

I play video poker and I'm female, age 21-30.

0% ()

Analysis

This poll, as the results clearly show, turned into as much of a visitor-demographic and LVA-reader survey as anything that can be generalized about video poker players.

Obviously, most of our readers are men between the ages of 51 and 90, which is why five of the top nine vote-getters (an aggregate 70%) voted as such. Also, of course, video poker is the game of choice for our demographic, since the odds are known, the strategies can be perfected (especially with easy-to-use strategy cards), the comps accumulate quickly, and it's fun.

The number of women video poker players responding to the survey was lower than we expected: 20% of respondents between the ages of 41 and 80.

But the kids are few and far between, a negligible percentage of both men and women under the age of 40. The times they are a-changing.

Finally, as this was a poll about video poker players, non-players probably skipped it, though enough didn't that they constituted the fourth-most voters.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Comments

Jackie Oct-14-2020

Rarely play

VP, even at pro level is a losing game unless extraordinary club features make it a plus game but those are rare and far between occasions.  Not to mention no money gain unless you can sell off the comps won or use them to your own advantage.

O2bnVegas Oct-14-2020

Good one

One right answer for all respondents.  Like it!

Ray Oct-14-2020

2 thoughts

Just saying "I play video poker" is really broad. Is VP your primary game? Do you play more table games but some VP? Do you play other slots as much or more than VP? I know you have enough choices already, but another, maybe similar survey, might discuss how much of your budget (either time, money or both) goes to VP. Secondly, when the poll is up, I will answer based on MY age and gender, but my wife also plays and would require a different response, so maybe something could be done in the poll to allow for answers like (10 I play and am M 71-80) and allow me to answer again (I play and am F 61-70). **Those actually would be the answers. Maybe I should access the poll twice?

O2bnVegas Oct-14-2020

Ray and Jackie

In every poll you answer once for yourself.  No need to feel responsible to answer for spouse or others.  (My husband comes with me to Vegas but doesn't play any casino game, but I don't sweat that I won't be answering for him.)  Like those hotel surveys, pizza shop surveys, etc., It is all good, they get enough data from the number who respond.  

There are certainly a million VP qualifiers to make into other interesting polls, and LVA has said they plan to come up with some based on our input.

As for the concern for "rarely" playing VP, if you play rarely, you play.  Or pick the last option.  Or skip the poll altogether.  I've skipped over polls when they don't apply to me.

gaattc2001 Oct-19-2020

I play video poker mostly in combination with real poker, mostly tournaments.

If I go out of a tournament before my significant other, I'll usually play some VP while waiting. For the last few years I've been able to get room comps pretty consistently; but even so, it has to be a certain type and level, and I probably would not make a trip for the video poker alone.
And it's approaching the point of diminishing returns. If pay schedules or rewards comp schedules--or poker room conditions-- get much worse, I may have to rethink the whole thing.

Poll : 14 October - 27 October 2020

Analysis

Comments