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Then what do you think? Do casinos in England need marketing? Is the marketing department "luxury" or "essential"? Most major businesses, though not all have dedicated marketing departments, have dedicated marketing departments. But the role of marketing in the casino industry has almost always been played by general managers. The three main operators have a centralized marketing department for overall brand identity, mission statement, and online activity. However, local activities are usually run through GM. Casino marketing in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s was perceived as putting logos on matches or disposable pens, and there was little else like taking some friends to boxing, racing, or soccer matches. With the growth of the overall market, including national lottery, bingo, and racing, and of course online gaming, the casino industry needs to make a difference and not just because of the impending implementation of the 2005 gambling bill. Gone are the days when casino visitors were only well-healed and hardened punters. Now casinos are attracting even more customers. To meet this need, operators need to change their perspectives on how to market their businesses.

Operators across Europe consider marketing much more seriously. Most countries' laws are as strict as the U.K., but operators are more willing to invest in marketing to increase their businesses. Casino Austria, for example, invests heavily in marketing that focuses on brand identity, customer service, and public relations, while their main competitors spend little on comparison. With this, they achieve much greater than the average market share. In Russia, for most of the past decade, many casinos offer daily entertainment programs, contests, and monthly prize draws. The staff structure includes seats such as VIP hosts and casino hosts/hosts. They also offer a wider range of facilities that are not directly connected to games, such as restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and movie theaters.



Business in Russia must have taken a direction from the United States, where marketing is king. It's indisputable that Americans can show us about marketing and customer service. But for many people here in the U.K., where the majority of operators have vice presidents on their marketing boards, this must be for some reason. The American Marketing Association released a 200-page report in 1998 titled 'Casino Marketing in the 21st Century,' which spends a long time explaining how marketing in the industry will develop. Even though it's focused on the U.S. market, their influence naturally extends to other countries and eventually extends here, to the U.K.

As more and more casinos open and business demands grow, operators need to target a much wider range of potential customers. The top-level players or the high-level players are getting more and more demanding. The disappearance of the 48-hour and 24-hour rules created a list of casino members, but the main goal now is to ensure these members return. Gambling has become more socially acceptable due to the introduction of a nationwide lottery system, easy access to online gambling, and the popularity of fixed odds betting terminals (FOTBs) that name a few. According to statistics released by the Gambling Commission in 2004, the number of people who visited casinos ranges from 2% to 5% of the adult population, with an average attendance of about five times a year. Net expenditure per visit was given at £58. With deregulation and the introduction of 17 new licenses under the 2005 Gambling Bill, this figure is expected to increase from 6% to 35% of the market share and between 5 and 12 times a year. Expenditure per visit is estimated to be between £45 and £65. To achieve this figure, operators are now increasing their offerings by including more restaurants, bars, live entertainment, corporate events and functions, and even non-game facilities such as hair salons. Getting players through the door is the name of the game for the casino. If no one comes in, you can't play games and you can't survive without them. It's about marketing, using all game and non-game facilities, promotions, cash and prize draws and giveaways, and most importantly, consistency and service standards. In fact, casinos are now a destination for entertainment, not just for gambling facilities.

Some of these changes have already begun to appear in recent casino openings in the UK. Customer relationships, host/host and VIP hosts and new employee positions that did not exist before, such as 'new member sales managers', show that some operators are starting to become more accessible. Customer training is very important and these positions help new members become more aware of the complexity of the transaction. You can hardly expect a new member to return anytime soon without making a casino visit a pleasant experience. It is vital to ensure that sales become a more attractive service for potential customers.

One of the most effective tools used in marketing to communicate with customers is advertising. Advertising in casinos is severely limited at the moment, but the Aspus Casino in Newcastle has shown that it can push boundaries or rather use guidelines to its advantage. In one particular case, the fall of the Bannatyn casino gave Aspus the opportunity to target new customers by offering meals instead of accepting the old Bannatyn's casino membership card. This has certainly caused a stir in the town 'fundamentally' with the press campaign. Aggressive advertising may raise eyebrows by some in the industry. However, the need to establish and maintain brands and communicate with existing and prospective customers requires a creative advertising approach. By September 2007, casinos will be able to advertise more freely on both TV and radio, but there will be rules governing their content. With the cost of producing and broadcasting these advertisements, can the results really be invested? The problem for local and independent operators is that this may not be viable, but operators may be able to afford it. Perhaps an additional area of advertising will be the Internet. With more and more people using the Internet these days and the opportunity for casinos to connect with their own online casinos, this could open up a big new market for business. How will it affect online operators? You might actually see some of them doing business on a land basis. I know a casino based on 888.com or Red32 land might be right in front!


Not all operators have the resources to establish a marketing department. So the alternative is to use agencies or consulting to organize marketing activities. But the crux of the problem is that it is more difficult to train experts in casinos than to train marketing experts in casinos' complex structures. Casino Marketing & Design, a recently established consulting firm to address this issue, offers more than 50 years of experience in the casino, marketing, design, and printing industries. From initial strategies to marketing plans, advertising campaign schedules and media purchases, complete design and print services, web design and development, promotional products, and more. Casino Marketing & Design is ready to provide the expertise and experience operators are looking for to make a profit in their businesses without incurring huge costs and time. Marketing doesn't have to be expensive.

Marketing is a key part of casino success. Operators must decide who they want to target and how they want to reach and acquire new customers and, most importantly, how they want to keep existing customers happy. To achieve this, they must continue to review and improve on everything they do to stay ahead of their competitors. Marketing is not a 'luxury', nor is it 'looking pretty'. Marketing covers a wide range of activities in casinos, from business strategies and brands to customer service and employee training. Customer awareness of operations is expressed in many formats, including external advertising, game and non-game facilities, standards, and consistency of services. With the 2005 Gambling Bill coming into force in September this year, the introduction of 17 new casinos - additional operations under the 1968 Act - predicted increased market penetration and increased social acceptance of casinos, and demand and opportunities for this industry will surely increase.