Study: Casinos should bank on non-gaming to court Millennials and Gen Z

Land-based casinos have been pondering an existential question – how do they reach younger customers and do away with their image of hospitable venues for chain-smoking penny-slot-obsessed gamblers only, changing it up to a more chic repute instead?

A new study by LaneTerralever may hold the answer to that, with the full-service marketing and customer experience agency, focusing on analyzing what motivates casino players to visit, and particularly among younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z.

According to the 2024 Casino Player Trends Report: How Non-Gaming Activities Are Transforming Casinos, this mostly has to do with offering non-gaming options, such as restaurants and bars, hotel amenities, and live entertainment, which explains why land-based venues from The Strip to the Boardwalk have been booking known performers to assume residency.

In fact, 83.9% of Millennials and 80.5% of Gen Z players confirmed that they cherish such opportunities, and although the number of people who say the same across generations is slightly lower (65.3% for Boomers) and (76.1% for Gen X), the fact remains that there is an appreciation for this particular kind of activities across all social strata.

Non-gaming activities seem to be a chief driver among generations as they create value that combines nicely with gaming, but casino floors alone are not reason enough for players to seek out a visit to a prominent casino operator.

The study was conducted in partnership with Professor Anthony F. Lucas from UNLV’s College of Hospitality, and polled participants between the ages of 21-75. There has been another telling factor about consumer habits as well, the study outlined, focusing on a phenomenon known as "group visits" where organized trips to land-based casinos, especially amongst the young, have been a strong incentive to travel and play at local casinos.

Some 80% of people visiting local casinos for example do so in groups. Commenting on the findings of the survey, LaneTerralever VP of Marketing Nick Dan-Bergman has spoken about the importance of better calibrating businesses to consumer expectations.

"Our study underscores the prevalence of the experience economy and how important it is for casino operators to continue to hone and expand their experiential and entertainment-focused offerings, particularly to attract the attention of younger generations and maintain long-term loyalty of all players."

It’s important to understand how land-based operators may appeal to customers who are driven by the non-gaming activities on-site, and where they usually spend around 50% of their money while on a visit.

Non-gaming features can actually have a strong impact on customer loyalty as well, with this surprisingly being the case across all four demographics mentioned in the study, to name Millennials (69.3%), Gen Z (65.7%), Gen X (61.3%), and the rear traditionally brought up by Boomers (56.9%).

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