“Ladies and Gentlemen…please place your pets, …er, your bets”

Can’t you see it now…the lights of Monte Carlo glittering like precious gems below the almost velvety, dark night sky. All along the French Riviera, casinos are opening for business, the business of dreams, of chance, and most of all, of winning! Each purveyor of dreams invites those seeking the thrill of the game, and the payoff, riches to hopefully come. Inside, our casino is ready for all, whatever their preference - poker, slots, baccarat.

Coco arrived a few minutes ago. Freshly coiffed and invigorated by an herbal bath, she’s quite magnificent in her exquisitely jeweled necklace. Alonzo, who has just entered the main hall looking quite dashing in his all leather evening jacket studded with gold bling, spots Coco. Although fond of craps, Alonzo acknowledges Coco and heads for the blackjack table. He greets her with a thorough sniffing and then a playful nip in her rump before trotting off to take in the craps action.

Edgar, a full blooded Siamese, takes in the scene from his customary vantage spot at the

Roulette table. Looking for all the world like the cat’s meow with his professionally manicured nails and fresh, all-body shampoo, he can barely suppress a yawn. He’s seen Alonzo’s tired routine before and is not impressed.

Bring your pet to your favorite casino? Dogma, or just a fishy story? Well, we must admit that having FiFi, Fido or Fluffy at your feet while you play your favorite sports book the night away might not happen any time soon.

But at PETisphere (www.petisphere.com) , a site devoted to trends, news, information, issues and entertainment in the pet industry, we believe that market and consumer driven forces have created a whole new approach, an alternative to the status quo so to speak.

What are these forces impacting the gaming industry? Consider these interesting and intersecting statistics: (1) the casino and gaming industry itself, both live and internet driven, is booming; (2) the U.S. pet industry had record sales of nearly $40 billion in 2006 and shows no sign of abating; and (3) boomers, those 41 – 61 in age represent the biggest growing segment of the U.S. population. Those 55+ in age, with their available disposable income, are a mighty economic force and have high life-style expectations. For boomer pet owners, this means “Where I go, Fido goes”. At PETisphere we fully recognize that boomers in particular want the option of bringing their pet with them when they travel, on vacation, yes, even when they visit their favorite gaming facility because “Pets are family too…”

So if pets are verboten on the premises, what’s the alternative? The alternative is a growing recognition of the fact that being pet-friendly is good business for the gaming and entertainment industry. Although still relatively small in proportion to the total number of gaming facilities, the number of lodging, resort and other vacation destination choices now available for pet owners is on the rise. PETisphere expects this trend to continue as, increasingly, hotels, resorts and casinos strive to cater to owners and their pets by permitting animals in hotel rooms – either hotels/motels with an on-site casino, or hotels located within a short distance of the gaming facility.

What’s the current state of affairs? PETisphere’s initial and on-going research has uncovered some interesting facts about world wide casinos: of the 1,496 casinos in the U.S., a mere 56 (4%) are pet-friendly (here we need a definition of pet-friendly: pets allowed in hotel/motel rooms having an on-site casino or in hotels/motels within walking distance of a casino – no more than 1 mile away, often much less). France (including the French Riviera) fares better with 16 of its 189 casinos (8%) catering to pets.

Closer to home, a majority of states with gaming facilities still do not offer pet-friendly lodging. But 12 states have some lodging establishments which do accommodate pets.

Nevada, with the largest number of casinos (327) in the U.S. offers pet owners 17 lodging choices where Fido and Fifi are welcomed (5%). The state having the best pet-friendly performance? That’s Louisiana. The Bayou state offers 22 lodging choices permitting pets, out of 27 casinos (81%).

What does this all mean? While it’s still too early to PURRdict how pet-friendly the casino and gaming world will become, one thing we can CATegorically say is that the casino business is definitely going to the dogs. And when it does, PETisphere will be there to report it. After all, it’s the leash we can do.

PETisphere © – “Because pets are family too” www.petisphere.com 617 536-3605 Dj.cirillos@gmail.com