Pulse

HOGO Digital: casinos need to showcase they are safe

By Lewis - 25 May 2021

COVID-19 has resulted in the complete disruption of the land-based based, brick and mortar gaming industry and all facets directly and indirectly related to it.

From air travel to rental cars, entertainment to food and beverage, the tourism and entertainment industries are now seeking to recover from quite possibly the largest and most devastating disruption to their bottom lines they have ever experienced.

Chris Wieners, Vice President at HOGO Digital, believes that out of the pandemic will emerge new opportunities for innovation, both for gaming operators, manufacturers, marketers and the like.

The desire to draw back customers will need to be balanced against measure to promote health and safety that will ultimately lead to consumer confidence and renewed profit margins, even if those are initially impacted by the requirements to keep customers safe.

Innovations that would have been taken less seriously one and a half years ago (shields between tables and players, dealers with face- covering plastic masks and others) are now being heralded as the only way forward for the industry.

Regardless of the destination – from Las Vegas to Vietnam and New York to Macau, these innovations are required to bring the life back into the gaming industry in a safe and responsible manner. While it will be the government’s task to safely provide protocols for travel in general, operators are going to need to showcase innovative and new ways for visitors to enjoy the integrated resorts offerings.

Some of the more extreme (and less obvious to the consumer) measures have included enhancements to casino surveillance systems. The Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas recently was noted to have installed a new system that included the ability to detect on-floor issues related to COVID19, including but not limited to temperature checks, identifying those not wearing masks and even those not social distancing.

As per a report by Ed Silverstein, the properties new system is led and directed by artificial intelligence. Casinos in both Macau and Singapore are also looking at opportunities to make these types of changes, for both the front and back of house.

Up until recently, Macau was requiring any person entering the casino floor to show proof of their negative PCR test. This recently changed for casino entry, however, the strict entry requirements for visitors at the border are still in place (although relaxing of these restrictions has been occurring steadily since the start of 2020 for specific groups).

Other highly-visible adjustments will include socially-distanced gaming tables, including the introduction of required table maximum patron counts to avoid overcrowding.

In other parts of the Asia, including Vietnam and Japan (pachinko parlours), it is required to utilise hand sanitiser and confirm your temperature prior to entering the building. The use of masks is all but required – and it is greatly frowned upon if you’re caught not wearing one – even if it is not “legally” required to do so.

Another noteworthy change is the increase in the use of electronic and virtual gaming (on site; not “iGaming”) to the land-based product mix. The development of iGaming and virtual gaming apps for use on-site has increased greatly in Q1 2021, with operators seeking to develop live-dealer and other virtual gaming options for patrons while on property.

These new products will allow operators to promote safe, distanced ways for players to engage with the games while showcasing a focus on the health and safety of their patrons.

Overall, the industry needs to quickly adapt in order to bring back customers and attract new ones. Much like the airline and hotel industries, some of which have even begun offering PCR- test inclusive rates, casinos need to be able to showcase that it is safe to engage in what is a very social (or at least, crowded) atmosphere.

In Macau, where a variety of five-star integrated resorts have been used as quarantine hotels, creative “quarantine packages” have sprung up. All of these ideas will showcase that brands and operators are taking things seriously while also providing new and unique ways to experience the resort.

It’s important that operators manage both front and back of house initiatives. Putting standards into place that customers can see (temperature checks, mask requirements, hand sanitisation) certainly helps and also eases the mind of the customers, but may be useless if back of house procedures are not taken just as seriously.

Casino operations may look considerably different as a result of COVID19, but it certainly has allowed the industry to review and fine-tune health and safety protocols. That can only be a good thing for everyone involved.

HOGO is a Macau-based marketing agency offering services to the hospitality, entertainment and gaming industries, among others. The team has worked with some of the largest global brands in these industries throughout Asia – and the world – including a track record of results in both online and offline marketing initiatives.