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Casinos Wake up to the Web
by M.E.Davison / Managing Director, World Casino Directory
(Appeared in InterGaming, January 2003 Issue)
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It is almost a byword for the modern age that the Internet is supplanting all other forms of marketing and promotion as the main thrust of marketing of all businesses, worldwide.
At the beginning of 2002 a group of casino industry veterans decided to
put together the most comprehensive directory of the world's casinos. The resulting project was simply and aptly named "World Casino Directory". The members of this group have owned and managed more than 40 casinos in six of the world's seven continents (no casinos in Antarctica yet!). They share a combined total of over 200 years of experience in the casino industry, as well as linguistic skills in nine Western and Oriental
languages. One would have thought that such a group of
seasoned professionals would have realised the
monumental nature of the challenge that they had set
themselves.
The premise was
simple: enter a country name and the word "casino" in
the major search engines on the Internet, log on to
the various casino web sites and send an e-mail
requesting information that would be included in the
directory. Oh how wrong a group of wise men can be.
While the
majority of companies catering to tourism, such as
airlines and hotels, have a significant Internet
presence, the world's casinos lag far behind. 2002 saw
a steady increase of casinos, which finally seemed to
appreciate the benefits of having a web presence. Yet,
a cursory review of the listings of World Casino Directory (log on to http://www.worldcasinodirectory.com) shows that more than 80% of casinos around the world rely for exposure on the information available from the web-site of the hotel or resort, to which they are attached. Frustratingly and inappropriately, considering the direct and indirect revenue contributions made by a casino operation, many casino managers around the world must have observed that hotel web-sites seem to have far more information about other less important services, such as restaurants and coffee shops, than they do about the casino. Information on many of the world's leading hotel web sites, pertaining to the casino within the hotel, is often non-existent. A visitor will be lucky even to see the word "Casino" buried somewhere in one of the sub-pages.
As many casino managers are all too aware, communication between the hotel and the casino sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Of nearly three thousand E-mails that were sent to Hotels, which had a casino, requesting information about it, fewer than 400 received replies.
So why don't casinos have web-sites? There are three main worries on the minds of casino managers:
Who will create it and update it?
How does it work?
How much does a website cost?
And let's face it, it is a rare breed of casino manager or their senior employees who is a proficient webmaster.
Many casinos have fallen in to the trap of hiring a local web "expert"! After paying an extortionate fee they are presented with a web site of maybe 2 or 3 pages. Without knowledge of web design or html, (hypertext markup language), the casino is stuck with the product- unless of course they contact their web expert and pay another fee for them to change the pages. A solution to this problem has now been made available.
World Casino Directory has formed a strategic alliance with E3WD INC., a well-established, award-winning, web-design firm based in Florida with an office in California, to provide a marketing tool for casinos who need an Internet presence, but who do not have the resources
or in-house capacity to develop and maintain their own
site. Finally, World Casino Directory's initiative has
created a product "for the industry by the industry".
Creative Edge designs, hosts and maintains a wide
variety of web-sites, as well as designing and
developing its own content management and email
software, web-based calendaring, polling, contact,
database and search applications.
What are the
benefits of successful Internet marketing for a casino
operation?
Do not
underestimate the value that a web-site has to your
Casino. Even if web presence is a small part of a
casino's marketing thrust, it can now be a
cost-effective part, which is at work for a casino?s
profitability 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. "Web
Presence" is an integral part of every successful
marketing strategy and should not go unexploited. It
is a simple and concise way to get information to
those who matter most - your customers. You want your
patrons to return to your casino and a website can be
a powerful tool in making that become a reality.
One of the most
important things you can do for your visitors is to
keep them up to date. That means your casino website needs to be designed having a well designed Calendar of Events (entertainment, tournaments, and special events) to view, a guestbook, regular emails on what's happening at the Casino, special promotions (possibly Internet only specials), and current information on news, dining, amenities, etc. People want to know what Casino games you offer and when new ones are added.
Properly managed email campaigns have proven to be successful for reservations as well as for increasing the rate at which player club members redeem credits and attend tournaments.
How is all of this accomplished? Steven Besser, Executive Vice-President of Creative Edge Enterprises, sums it up succinctly: "By having a visually attractive website, good functionality, simple navigation, and Content Management software. The key is the ability to update your website "on the fly." The bonus is that you don?t require a Webmaster. Ability to type is all that you need to keep your website current. Creative Edge has designed and set up its Content Management software so that you simply type in your new information. It's simple. Open your browser, go to a password protected administration area, and you're ready to make changes whenever you want. Any secretary with basic typing skills can do this. Once a week, once a day, 500 times a day, there is no limit. Once your website is live, it provides a low cost, easily maintainable way to inform customers about all your casino offerings."
"Think about the impact of announcing a new tournament or promotion the minute you decide to have one. No need to wait for newspapers, magazines, tv, or radio. Someone just won a huge jackpot? Just type in the information, put up the winner's picture, hit submit, and it's on your website for the world to see."
"A well thought-out website encourages visitors to return to your Casino. Making your visitors happy builds brand loyalty. Remember, there are countless Casinos competing for your customers. Do everything possible to keep your customers returning and to attract new ones. Your well designed web-site gives you that edge."
Among the many
options provided by Creative Edge are animation, games
to play, giveaways, gift certificates, and shopping.
Your new website can continue to grow according to
your needs.
As a final
point, it is worth bearing in mind that one good
player attracted by your web-site will recoup all of
the expense incurred over the entire lifetime of your
web presence.
Article contributed by
M.E.Davison
Managing Director
Scarab Leisure Limited
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