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Vegas Initiative to Take Gambling Inside the Comforts of the Hotel Room

Posted on April 26th, 2011

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A new Las Vegas initiative is pushing the boundaries of expanded gambling and comes in the wake of the U.S. government’s recent crackdown on overseas online poker companies. If approved, Las Vegas casinos will allow gambling to take place inside hotel rooms. That’s about as bold as it gets in expanded gambling and Nevada lawmakers are closely looking at the proposal that would allow casino patrons to use portable electronic gadgets to place wagers from anywhere on the casino property, their hotel room included. Of course, the creativity doesn’t stop there: think about wagering on a roulette roll while enjoying the amazing feats of Cirque du Soleil or a bet here and there while watching a Manny Pacquiao boxing fight at the MGM Grand.

The advent of sophisticated electronic gadgets have made all these scenarios possible and one now has virtual access to all casino floor action at the touch of a button. Not by coincidence, Colorado casino operators are interested in seeing how the measure pans out on the legislative floor where the debates are more testy than a poker hand. With the economic rebound slow to come, casino operators can ill afford to rest on their laurels. Innovations are fueling the gaming recovery and at the heart of it is the use of electronic gadgets to appeal to a broader, younger set of gamblers who might be more inclined to bet from behind an electronic “terminal” rather than on the gaming table.

Take the MGM Resorts for example, owners and operators of the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Mirage casinos – among others – who recently launched a customer loyalty program that “uses sophisticated predictive analytics” to calculate appropriate guest rewards, offers and other promotions depending on their betting preference as well as past buys and personal inclinations. And as if that’s not over the top, MGM also launched a mobile app that uses “augmented reality technology” to allow Las Vegas patrons to get information about casinos and other destinations by simply snapping a picture with their camera phone. MGM Vice President Scott Voeller describes the company’s efforts in this regard as a show of force “on the offensive” in order to actively market itself to the changing tastes of current gamblers. “We strategically said, ‘Now it’s time to invest further in our technology and in our programs,’” said Voeller. Such is the MGM’s take on its series of promotions that include empowering gamblers to pick a daily song for the Bellagio Fountain Show or even double up as a dolphin trainer at the Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage.

The main driver is the economic downturn which has continued to push Las Vegas earnings down. In 2008, earnings dropped 9.7 percent and in 2009, it went even lower at 10.5 percent. The data was taken from Gaming and Resort Development Revenues based off of New Jersey. The good news: things could be turning around finally as overall 2010 figures were flat compared to the year before. Not to be outdone, MGM’s main rival Caesars Entertainment also forayed into the social media segment by launching a program that allows gamblers to get credits when the use Twitter, Facebook or Foursquare on their personal mobile devices as they do their business around Caesars facilities. Given Caesars’ extensive presence in the strip – from Paris, Caesar’s, Planet Hollywood and many others – it’s hard not to find this offer attractive. The credits can be used to avail of food discounts, drinks, gift shops and other merchandise.

Like the MGM, Caesars sees the shifting trend towards younger, more tech-savvy gamblers and these should be factored into the marketing strategy of big-name players in the gambling sector. “They want to get in on the latest gadgets,” said Bill Palermo, a regular consultant for the industry. He considers the mobile-gaming service a bit “gimmicky” but adds “I don’t see it as a particular market niche.” The sentiment has spilled over the border into Colorado where executive director of Colorado Gaming Association Lois Rice says, “We are interested in upgrading our technology in order to be competitive with existing gaming markets. We definitely want to offer as many options to our guests as possible.” Once again, Las Vegas leads the revolution and a new horizon is in the offing for high-tech gaming.