While casinos previously knew precisely what their guests wanted, the millennials have turned everything upside down with their unique set of needs and requirements.
In the past, casinos knew exactly what their clientele wanted, offering incentives such as complimentary dinners and free accommodation to their loyal members. Casinos also pulled out all stops with glitzy shows and concerts to draw as many prospects as possible to their venues. Additionally, people paid big money to visit casinos and watch shows such as the Rat Pack, after which they would gamble a while and then go home.
However, as Bob Dylan would say, the times they are a changing, with millennials spearheading the transformation of gambling. And what millennials prefer is not often the same as what other generations want.
Who are the Millennials?
Millennials are individuals born between 1980 and 2000 and are the kids of Baby Boomers or Generation Xers. Millennials have some common traits, although generalising anything is difficult. Like most younger generations, millennials tend to be more liberal, supporting the legalisation of marijuana, gender fairness, and tolerance. Millennials also love technology, especially social media, but they report feeling disconnected from people more than any generation.
How to Attract Millennials to Casinos?
There are a few ways that established casinos can adapt to the expectations of the millennials:
Offer Experiences
Casinos that attract millennials tend to offer experiences that they want. Millennials seek experiences, which they can later share with their online community. For example, casinos have been deliberately incorporating top-shelf restaurants at their venues. This way, millennials can document their dining experiences and share these with friends.
Also, several resorts in Vegas have seriously upped their game by hosting pool parties with live DJs geared toward millennials. Additionally, casinos have remodelled their concert games, inviting DJs and other famous performers to play at exclusive venues and events for small audiences. As a result, the casinos become more intimate and unique, which the millennials love.
Combine Technology and Gambling
Many casinos have shifted their focus on millennials by modifying their offerings. Casinos that recruit millennials have often achieved this through tweets or posts. In fact, numerous casinos offer bonuses to individuals who post or tweet about what they are busy doing in a casino. In addition, various casinos offer cultural programmes as well as gambling.
For example, First Nations casinos may want to offer tours that promote their cultures. They could also combine cultural celebrations and folklore as a way for millennials to bond with their culture. Millennials love learning about other societies, especially if they can later post about it.
Offer Value-Added Services
Casinos that offer multi-layered experiences attract millennials. For example, redefine bowling by creating futuristic bowling lanes that look nothing like traditional ones. These can offer mixed drinks, craft beer, and gourmet food, as well as various kinds of bowling activities and areas where players can relax on couches. All this offers millennials a non-traditional bowling venue, which is something that they love.
Additionally, another sport that traditionally doesn’t interest millennials is golf. They don’t visit golf courses and don’t watch golf on TV. However, a company called TopGolf has been extremely popular with millennials. Their business is, in fact, an indoor driving range. However, TopGolf also doubles up as a restaurant and a nightclub, often sponsoring various theme nights.
The business model is also unique. Instead of hitting a standard golf ball, TopGolf visitors whack a microchipped ball towards light-up targets. Players are also able to change their experience each time that they play. The smart ball means that people can track their shots and share these with friends.
Likewise, the designers of TopGolf have arranged for players to compete in open spaces, which allows different groups to interact. Not surprisingly, MGM has already jumped on the TopGolf bandwagon by installing TopGolf facilities at its MGM resort in Las Vegas.
Ultimately, if casinos can create new experiences for millennials, they will thrive. Already, those casinos that offer exclusive venues and concerts have seen success. Casinos that allow millennials to enjoy new experiences and share these on social media have seen success. On the other hand, casinos that refuse to evolve will be left behind
