After enjoying a buffet lunch at River Rock today, my friends and I decided to walk downstairs to spend some time in the casino. Entering my first year of gambling-legality, I always wondered what it was that got so many people ‘hooked’ onto the effects of gambling. I soon found out.
The second I stepped into the casino, I was offered a BC Gold Club card, which gave benefits such as a 10% off at the River Rock buffet, and collected points every time I inserted the card into one of the slot machines. Along with it, also came with a free 5$ coupon for the use of slots – not enough to win big, but just enough to get you hooked. All with the simple requirement of filling out some information on a form. They also let us keep the pen along with a handy flash light – with “River Rock Casino” marked on them. Not a bad feeling at all, to have free stuff instantaneously shoved down our throats without even having to touch any of the machines yet…
I found this strategy extremely useful because it focuses on encouraging newcomers, whether they’re familiar with the games or not. Furthermore, with the club card, marketers can develop their CRM as well as collecting valuable information about players to use them for market research. Read more about River Rock’s 4P’s and marketing mix here on my friend’s blog: Bond Lai’s blog.
Ps. I won a measly $13.03 from a $5 bill. Not a bad return-on-investment I’d say. :p (Maybe I’ll start coming back every day…)