Data Analysis for a More Profitable Casino

It’s more about telling stories than drowning in columns and rows of numbers

Nicole Barker, Raving Partner, Database & Marketing

Inside this issue: How not to shoot yourself in the foot twice

while managing point reinvestment … 1

Free play: The gaming industry’s jagged little pill – Part I … 3

Free play: The gaming industry’s jagged little

pill – Part II … 5

When a report is not a report – It’s not acceptable to perpetuate reporting that does

nothing for you business … 7

Here’s a quiz: Is a tiered card program for your top 200 players, or your bottom 2,000 players?

… 9

Data analytics – It’s more about telling stories than drowning yourself in columns and rows of

numbers … 11

About Nicole … 13

Case Study Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel … 15

Case Study Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort … 18

ravingconsulting.com

Prepared For:

Domingo Flores, Guest Service Manager Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino

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February 23, 2015

Late Breaking News, Compelling Ideas, Just Plain Good Stuff for the Gaming Industry!

Here's a quiz:

Is a Tiered Card program for your top 200 players, or your bottom 2,000 players?

By Guest Contributor Nicole Barker, Raving Partner, Database and Loyalty Marketing

The answer: Aim low.

WHAT????

It's all about the ELITE card, right? The Silver Star, the Diamond, the secret Tier that must-not-be-named.

Nooooo.

Here are four reasons why your Tiered Card program should refocus on the bottom levels:

1. Tiered Card status is not as motivational as you think it is. Very few players cross the threshold from one tier to the next. Most swim in the middle. If your Tiered Card levels are built as stretch goals, there needs to be a significant item of value that is worthwhile to play more for from one earning period to the next. Another 5% discount at the gift shop won't cut it.

In many cases, we create more Tiers to give a player more reasons to stretch her play a bit farther. That's fine. The only caveat is that the delivery of the next set of benefits is not solely reliant on the added length to the rewards menu. Each level of a Tiered Card program needs an emotional pull. Is it status? Does a player get to volley ahead in line or sit closer to the stage? Is it a broader selection of parties? If she falls back a level, will she miss her favorite quarterly invitation?

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2. Tiers are a shortcut method to deliver greater levels of service. If we truly knew every player, we wouldn't need tiers. With a smile and a handshake, we could charm the loyalty out of every player. But we can't. We have multiple shifts and many employees. We have many players who play a lot in a short period of time, or a little over a long period of time, and many combinations thereof in between.

We need a tool to treat people differently. We need a tool for the masses that rewards play over time. We need a means for a player to mark his progression towards greater levels of rewards. That's what a Tiered Card is for. It's an aspirational goal with valued benefits that are worth fighting for.

3. VIPs care about status, but don't care about Tiers. How can the two be true at the same time?

I've heard it in VIP focus groups. Players like to brag about their status with one another. If a casino goes to the trouble of branding its Tiered Card program and leverages the value of the cohorts it creates within each level, the bragging rights alone give the program value.

However, we must refrain from delivering benefits through Direct Marketing and the Tiered Card program to our top players. At the altitude of a VIP, we have hosts to spoil our players on a one-to-one basis. These players don't need a card to tell you who they are. We're supposed to know.

4. Tiers are a means to deliver benefits to High Frequency, Low ADT players. It's the Joe Blow Frequents who get diddly-squat from Direct Marketing. Joe Blows are the players who show up daily with the newspaper and $40. Joe's ADT will never give him a coupon to compensate him for the gas he puts in his car.

Tiered Card status is a means to remedy the shortfall that Joe Blow feels through Direct Mail. Each Tier acknowledges the folks who have a good-looking Total Monthly Theo or Cumulative Theo over time. His ADT may not fog a mirror, but we've set aside a piece of our heart for him. We need a card to grant them a few benefits and some access to an extra level of recognition. We just can't give it to them one-on-one.

The low end of your database need a mass marketing approach for rewarding loyalty. You need a means to recognize momentum. A few lower and achievable thresholds can recognize both.

The Raving Flash! Report is compiled weekly by Christine Faria, Raving's VP of Marketing, and is designed to be a "quick read" covering everything from interesting casino promotions to gaming news. See our archived reports and newsletters by clicking here. Got an interesting promotion or news item? Contact Chris at 775-329-7864.

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Ms. Nicole Barker, Lakewood, Colorado 10 + years in the gaming industry

Served as Direct Marketing Manager for Harrah’s Las Vegas, Harrah’s Laughlin and the Rio for 5 years

Founded Barker Enterprises, Inc. in 2005

6+ years as Raving’s Senior Database Marketing Consultant

Primary marketing consultant for Raving’s partnerships with:

Turning Stone Resort Casino, NY Rivers Casino, IL Coeur D’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, ID Foxwoods Casino Resort, CT BJ’s Bingo & Slots, WA Ontario Lottery & Gaming, Toronto, ON Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel, LA Indigo Sky Resort Casino, OK

Returning Presenter at: Casino Marketing Conference & Tradeshow NIGA – National Indian Gaming Association Indian Gaming National Marketing Conference Raving’s Advanced Sales Model for your Host Department G2E – Global Gaming Expo

Contributing Writer for: Indian Country Today E-Magazine Casino Journal Raving’s Strategic Solutions Magazine

Additional Contacts:

Ms. Jenynne DeNoble, General Manager BJ’s Bingo & Slots, Washington jenynne@bjs-bingo.com

Mr. Mike Redivio, Director of Player Development Turning Stone Resort Casino, New York michael.redivivo@turningstonecasino.net

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Raving People Dennis Conrad, President, Raving Consulting Company Steve Browne, President, Raving Service Christine Faria, VP of Marketing and Communications Amy Hergenrother, VP of Business Development Becky Conrad, Treasurer Amy Ponce, Office Manager Raving Facts Founded: May 1, 1998

Home Office: Reno, Nevada

Core Discipline: Gaming & Hospitality

Core Skills:

Casino Marketing Database Analysis and Segmentation

Opticity Software Gaming Technology: IGT, Bally, Konami & Aristocrat Direct Mail/Direct Marketing Promotions Planning & Analysis Casino Math and Analysis Player Loyalty and Market Research Player Reinvestment and VIP Programs On-Line and Wireless Gaming Gaming Employee Training Host & Player Development Skills Gaming Guest Service Surveillance & Security Food & Beverage

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Raving Channel Partners Nicole Barker, Direct Marketing, Database Analysis & Segmentation, Player Reinvestment, Host & Player Development Analysis Toby O’Brien, Marketing, Promotions, Strategic Planning, Players Clubs, Senior Staff Engagements Debra Hilgeman, Ph.D., Casino Marketing & Research, Player Loyalty & VIP Programs, Players Clubs Tami Jones, Variable Print & Direct Mail, Direct Marketing, CSG Direct, Inc. Derk Boss, CFE, CPP, CSP, Security & Surveillance, DJ Boss Associates Dennis Khanh, Food and Beverage Management, Audits, Training & Creative Sean Vestal, Casino Marketing & Host & Player Development Adam Smithline, Data Analysis and Software (Opticity), Opticity, Inc. Rob Gallo, Online and Wireless Gaming, Peak Gaming Group, Inc. Marin Denning, (Oneida Nation), Tribal Leadership in Gaming Gary Galonek, Player Loyalty and Fulfillment, All Star Incentive Marketing Bob Orr, Human Resources, Human Resource Group, LLC Michael Meczka, Research and Analytics, MMRC, Inc. Autumn Gregg, Casino Promotions, SCA Gaming, Inc. Mark Astone, Branding, Advertising & Media Services, Catalyst Kell Houston, Gaming Entertainment, Houston Entertainment, Inc. John Stewart, Property Design and Construction, Encompass, DDC, Inc. Rich Lehman, Casino Math & Free Play Analysis, DiCentric, Inc.

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Case Study: Marketing, Promotions & Database Analysis Program

Property Description

The State of Louisiana hosts 15 riverboat casinos, pari-mutuel facilities and one land based commercial casino in New Orleans. Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel is one the Chitimacha tribal casino in the state and is located about an hour in either direction from their nearest competitor. They have 2300 slots, 50 table games, live action poker room, simulcast racing, an event center, nightclub and six restaurants.

Cypress has been a client of Raving since summer 2009, Raving has partnered with them on a Guest Service Design Program, Marketing, Promotions & Database Analysis, Table Games Analysis and Host and Player Development. We asked Shannon Redmond, Director of Marketing, to share some specific marketing challenges that Raving helped Cypress overcome through their Marketing, Promotions and Database Analysis program. She shared with us:

I see SUCH huge differences in what we do now as compared to what we did before Raving. For the month of March 2011 - our year over year gaming revenue has gone up +8.5%. Our competition: Evangeline Downs (-7.8%), Amelia Bell (-7.5%), Baton Rouge Market (-6.7%). These were just a few of the challenges and solutions we worked on with Raving:

Challenge 1: How do we utilize our database more effectively? We were sending mass mail to everyone in our database; the same mail piece with the same information to every person who had been in our door for the past year. Raving Solution: Target players utilizing worth segmentation including demographics, ADT etc. Results: •Significant cost savings in direct mail program. •Targeted current players of value versus “anyone” in database. •Taught us what customer to target with what promotion. •Taught us to look at what level customer was actually participating in what promotion – leading to more targeted promotions.

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Challenge 2: We run promotions, but have found that we are doing the same types of promotions over and over. How do we make ourselves stand out from the competition? How do we measure the results? Raving Solution: Utilize different types and varieties of promotions that had been proven in the industry. Create clear objectives and goals for different promotions. Results: • Promotions results show an increase in customer participation and increase in spend per head for the group participating. This is directly related to the creation of “threshold promotions” where the reward is earned. Prior to Raving, the promotions were primarily Hot Seat promotions (everyone had an equal shot of winning) and no play level required. • Never before did we have promotions to drive midweek traffic that resulted in increased revenues. • Positive customer feedback, including comments on how it is more “fun”; huge improvement in morale on the floor with employees by getting every department involved in the promotions – one particular promotion had an increase of 30% in participation with the only difference being the involvement of the employees.

• Our IT staff now supplies the RIGHT data – and we’ve created entirely new promotions while being able to track and show results that actually mean something. The format has been designed where ease of measuring results has lead to much more effective proformas that can be used as tools for planning the next promotion, as well as showing results.

Challenge 3: Are our gifts appropriate and helping drive carded play? Raving Solution: Focus groups administered by Raving helped with “what the customer wants” – and by utilizing this data: Results: • The Gift of the Month program has consistently shown an increase in spend per head 20% higher than the average spend per head • Carded coin in has increased since the Raving changes have been implemented: 1st quarter 2010 (prior to Raving) 69.8%; 1st quarter 2011 (Raving changes implemented)

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Case Study: Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort

Property Description Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort is a naturally breathtaking casino and hotel nestled among the pines and cedars of the scenic Kitsap Peninsula. This expansive, luxurious retreat offers four-diamond amenities and a wide array of indoor and outdoor pleasures, including a full-service spa, zero entry pool, and of course, the endless excitement of video poker, craps, keno and roulette. The resort is a half-hour ferry ride from downtown Seattle.

Challenge According to the Senior Management Team at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, they were looking for some specific tools to answer the following questions:

1. Are we reinvesting too much in our players; are our players club reinvestment levels on target?

2. How do we stay within our marketing budget? Is our marketing budget appropriate to our desired results?

3. How do we utilize our database more effectively? 4. We run promotions, we're busy, the head count is great, but how do we

improve our ROI? 5. Demographics- how do we reach out further and how much should we

spend?

Solution Based on the challenges listed above, Raving recommended a Marketing Reinvestment Program. The program entailed two senior Raving consultants conducting database review and analysis, financial budgets for marketing and promotions, and providing Clearwater with innovative working spreadsheets and templates for future planning and implementation of promotions, player development and direct marketing.

The Win According to the Senior Management at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort: "The Raving team provided us with a variety of options regarding the challenges listed above. The innovative database analysis and spreadsheets allowed us to look at our entire player base with new goals and objectives for player development and promotions. We will be incorporating the marketing and database analysis as part of our 2013 marketing plan. They understood our challenges and we were very pleased with the way they worked with our team to understand and provide us with alternatives to approach our reinvestment programs. We have engaged the same consultants to partner with us for review and analysis over the next four quarters."

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