The Best Players Clubs
If you feel wanted and appreciated, casinos hope you will play more
by Frank Scoblete
All casino players should know that the bottom line of a casino’s players club is same as the bottom line of the casino. The players clubs exist to stimulate play by making the players feel appreciated and wanted. The more appreciated and wanted they feel, the theory goes, the more they will want to play in that casino and the less they will want to play in another casino. The theory is correct. The really good players clubs I belong to make the casino experience just that much more fun.
By offering easily understandable comp formulas (a very important feature!), and a variety of comping situations for players to experience (shows, rooms, food, special events, parties, golf, trinkets, shopping sprees); players clubs can go a long way toward increasing the action (meaning the money) their casinos take in. Increasing the bottom line is the sole reason for the players club to exist. There’s nothing wrong with that because the purpose of all businesses is to increase business. By increasing the comps or services given to players, the casinos can actually make more from those players.
How does a players club achieve that goal? By following these 10 steps:
1. The “act” is what counts! The representatives of the players clubs must all act as if they like the players. Now, a players club representative doesn’t have to like the players, but he or she must act as if he or she does. “Act” is the key word. A movie star or theatre star might hate his co-star, or he might have family problems, or health issues, but on stage, the sparks must fly to convince the audience that the actor is the character he is portraying. It is irrelevant what the actor is really feeling—he must get across the act. Acting is a key ingredient in being good at customer service jobs.
2. The “happy hello” works wonders! When greeting players club members, representatives should always smile when they say, “Hello, how can we help you?” The timber of the representative’s voice must resound with a joy for offering help.
3. I’m your friend even if you’re grumpy! Even when certain players are snooty or irritable, as some will be owing to gambling losses or personality quirks (i.e., some people are just plain nasty), the players club representatives must act as if they understand what the players are feeling and why the players are somewhat annoyed. Representatives should never act annoyed by the annoyed—it merely enflames the situation.
4. You’re okay by me! Representatives should never offer negative judgments to a player. Always be supportive. Players do not want to be criticized for their playing habits. Players must also realize that as a “club,” the players club does not reveal any information to outsiders about the members.
5. We’re all in this together! Players club representatives must act as if they are members of the club too, not just people hired to work the club, and talk in terms of “we” when speaking to players. “We have great things in our players club. We give great comps.”
6. This shouldn’t be rocket science! The players club management must make the comping formulas easy to understand. If the slot machines are withholding 5 to 15 percent and the club is giving back a penny or two on a dollar wagered, then that should be stated plainly. You don’t want the club to have such an esoteric formula that only Einstein can understand it. The more confusing a club, the easier it is for the players to go to a less confusing club.
7. The future holds much joy! Sometimes it’s great to see what the players club is offering in the future. Signs with special events for players club members will stimulate interest in playing in order to go to those events.
8. You’re so special; you get a discount! Players club members should be given discounts to everything in the casino’s stores—even 10 percent off is enough to make players feel wanted and welcome.
9. We want you in attendance! When shows or promotions are not sold out, make sure the players club members, even the smallest of rollers, are contacted and offered free tickets. A single call for a special event can keep that player coming back time and again.
10. Gambling is fun! Players club representatives must give the impression that playing casino games and slot machines is fun. In fact, players club representatives should never say to a member, “Heck, no, I don’t gamble.” The players club representatives must espouse the joys of gambling.
With so many casinos to choose from in a given locale, often the treatment players receive from the casinos’ representatives is the sole, or at least a major factor, in determining whether a player continues to play in that casino or goes to a competing casino. Even casinos owned by the same hotel-casino conglomerates actually compete with one another for players.
Strangely, there are many players who are leery of joining players clubs for a host of mostly superstitious reasons. Some believe that all players club members are targeted by the IRS for extra taxes (not so); or that the machines become tighter when you are a member in order to give you the comps (not so); or that somehow, something bad will happen to you because you have shown to the world that you like to gamble (not so); or that the players clubs will call your family members to tell them that you are a gambler (not so). Many players clubs do have to actually recruit members—it’s not a given that players want to join players clubs.
Recruiting can be done in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Signs should be posted throughout the casino about all the benefits you can get with players club membership. The bottom line for players is the fact that if you are going to play anyway, you might as well get in on the extras that come with being a member of the casino’s players club. It’s good for you and, of course, it’s good for the casino too.
Frank Scoblete is the #1 best-selling gaming author in America. His websites are www.goldentouchcraps.com, www.goldentouchblackjack.com, www.goldentouchpoker.com, and www.scoblete.com in association with CasinoCity.com. His latest book is The Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution! For more information or a free brochure.
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