MRI Casino Marketing Blog
SMS Text Messaging Campaigns are a Big Winner at Casinos

Many casinos are proactively collecting mobile phone numbers from gamblers and sending text messages. The problem is they’re not texting promotions. Instead of using SMS as a marketing tool, far too many casinos send a one-and-done “Welcome” message to newly registered users and that’s that. Talk about wasted potential. 

Getting a high return-on-investment (ROI) should be a priority of any business. Casinos have been hit hard in recent years by a slow economic recovery and market oversaturation as more states legalize gambling. Do more with less should be the mantra of any casino marketing director. SMS or text messaging campaigns can fit into any casino’s existing marketing strategy. It complements players’ clubs and is easy to deploy and measure. 

Everyone from the Palms Casino Resort to the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Luxor, and Barona Valley Ranch is effectively using SMS marketing to get players back into the casino. Why is SMS marketing for casinos so effective?

• 95% of text messages are opened and read within 15 minutes of being sent. This kind of immediacy is practically unheard of in marketing.

• SMS deliveries very rarely fail. Nearly 100% of mobile phones are SMS enabled. 

• Unlike email addresses, which change on average 33% of the time, people tend to keep their mobile phone numbers even as they jump from one provider to the next. 

• Cell phones are an extension of most players on the floor. Text messaging is a means to connect with them throughout their stay and to later lure them back. One prominent sign inside the casino can tell patrons to text DEALS to 3909 and that customer can be sent up to a dozen text messages throughout their stay offering them deals on food, drinks, and entertainment. These deals are generally redeemed the same day and the customer’s stay and playing time is prolonged.

Casinos just happen to be one of the businesses SMS marketing works best for. Response rates trump those of traditional marketing campaigns. In fact, some casinos have reported their text message campaigns are besting their email response rates. SMS is an unprecedented style of communication and marketing. It will be interesting to see where SMS text message marketing for casinos goes next.