MRI Casino Marketing Blog
Want to be a Market-Leading Casino? Stop Swinging for the Fences

This year's NIGA (National Indian Gaming Association) convention has me thinking about the future of this industry. Yes, the last few years have been historically challenging, no doubt about it. But still, all of the casino operators and vendors I’ve spoken to are extremely positive about the future, and that should put a bounce in the entire industry’s step.

Or at least most of the industry. Because some of the folks we’ll see at this year’s convention just haven’t seen the same positive outcomes after reopening as others. Like it or not, everyone can’t be a winner, and for every player your casino gains, another one loses. And when those losses mount up enough, difficult decisions will often follow.  

So while it’s fantastic the gaming industry finally sees the light at the end of the pandemic-darkened tunnel, perhaps the question everyone should be asking themselves is this:

How can I ensure my organization is one of those that come out on top, still thriving and attending shows like NIGA a decade from now?

Given MRI’s 30+ years in the casino marketing industry, we have an answer to that critical question that’s worked extremely well for us all these years, and I think it will work for you, too:

It’s the singles and doubles – the incremental wins – that will put you on top, and not home runs.

There’s No Silver Bullet in Gaming

Trust me, I understand the allure of swinging for the fences and beating the competition with a single swing. But for every operator that has succeeded in such a strategy, dozens have failed. Maybe more.

So to mix my metaphors for a moment, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years is that there’s no silver bullet in gaming. The industry is just too dynamic to allow a quick and easy solution to fix stagnant revenue or falling floor traffic, at least in the long term.

Instead, aiming for incremental wins and measured gains is the surest way to not only survive in the gaming industry but thrive. The most successful strategies are the ones that continually grow and improve over time. Granted, that growth might not always come as fast as we’d like but, as the old saying goes, patience is a virtue.

Think about it like this. In drag racing, balancing the components of an engine to one-thousandth of a gram can unlock power that just might be the difference between victory and defeat. Now I’m not saying your casino should gauge success by the milligram, but aiming for constant improvement rather than two steps forward, one-step back is one of the hallmarks of long-term success in gaming.

AIM Transforms Casino Operators Into Data Whisperers

I mentioned up top that this deliberate strategy to improvement is something we’ve taken to heart here at MRI. In fact, we believe so much in this strategy, we’ve designed our industry-leading casino marketing software, AIM, to maximize the power of incremental wins for your casino.

AIM does this by unlocking the insights you track on your floor and through your player base, transforming your data into business intelligence you can use to continually earn those incremental wins. Want to know who your most profitable players are? And the most effective way to engage them? Or what about empowering your hosts with the real-time data they need to exceed their goals?

That’s why we built AIM – to turn our casino partners into data whisperers, using insights that would otherwise slip through the cracks to create a genuine competitive edge. To build loyalty from your players, grow your base, and guide your decision-making.

Sure, sometimes AIM will reveal something in your data that yields a massive win for you, the type that casino operators dream of. And don’t get me wrong – that’s fantastic and I love hearing those stories and sharing in our partners’ success. But at its heart, AIM is really about constantly optimizing your operations and marketing.

If you want to find out more, stop by our booth at NIGA (Booth #1939) and we’ll tell you all the different ways AIM will help you find those incremental wins. It’s a strategy that will keep us coming back to NIGA for years to come. And we know AIM will do the same for you.