TRAMS: Just in time for Responsible Gaming Month

 This is design to get you or anyone of the millions of people that the American Gaming Association reports that engage in  sports betting.The last published reports indicates that over  25 million people enjoy some form of wagering on sporting events. The report also states that people between the ages of 18-24 are at a high risk of developing a gambling disorder.  The responsible gaming report from the AGA highlights, "the adrenaline of chance and the excitement of winning but concludes those feelings would not be plausible without a foundation of responsibility".

The Webster 's Dictionary definition of tram is a public transport vehicle that travels along rails and powered by electricity. I get the vision of Las Vegas Mccarran Airport going between terminals and to baggage claim. I now want share my new vertical that is just like the dictionary version of tram but able to accomodate thousands. Not only the young but the millenials and the baby boomers. All of those gorups engages in some form of wagering. Gambling studies indicate that demographicly,African Americans,Hispanics and Asians are high risk for gaming disorders Women are now wagering at a hiher rate than anytime in history.All of the generations and demographics mentioned  can enjoy gaming more effectively without being in jeopardize.

So without further adieu,I want to introduce my version of tram that is like you've never seen before.

TRAMS is an acronym that if applied in principal,will make the sports betting expierience fun and controllable. I will share it with you now.

Track  the teams,players,sports and leagues that you know and are interested in. You cannot follow all of them.But if you have a sub section of anything that you like or know, you.ve increased your chances because you have eliminated some choices.

Responsible methods are put in place as you open any account or enter a betting emstablishment. If you play online,those methods include limits on deposits,time on device and the amount of wagers. If you wager in brick and mortar places, do it without debit and credit cards.Pay all of your essential obligations to your creditors and your family before engaging with the game.

Alerts are the information highways that will keep you aware of whose playing,the weather conditions,injury reports and anything pertinent to making a selection. Follow news feeds and social media from the sports that captivate  you.Avoid the prompts from operators that are designed to stimulate a reaction from you to play a bet. Discipline keeps you in the game.

Market watch is looking at the numbers and the price associated with sports wagering. Here is an example. Before two teams play. visualize  what you think that point spread would be.Then examine the numbers that the bookmaker has posted. Final step is compare what operator is offers the best line and the best price. No difference than buying online from Amazon or EBay. Substitute a player for a team and apply the same idealogy.

Statistics should support any selection. Emotion and personal prefence are fine but prudent action calls for an analytic approach to identify trends. If you are able to find two stats that support your selection, you are ready to finalize your action.

                                                     And now you have TRAMS.

Each facet works in conjunction with each other. Practicing just one or two of the  methods will give minimal results.The foundation of the acroym is to game and wager responsibly. It doesn;t mean that you will win. It does mean that you will keep it fun! 

I am available to discuss how the application of this concept can benefit you or  a group you are affiliated with

Sports Betting-Inside the Numbers

 Sports Betting is growing exponentially in popularity.While it has always been part of the landscape in other countries,it is still in the developmental stage in the United States. Prior to the repeal of _PASPA six year ago,legal bets were limited to Nevada. That has now expanded to 38 states. So in an effort to understand the business,I will take you inside the numbers on difference levels.This will allow you to make smart and responsible decisions.

Most articles that you see on Sports Betting will give opinions on who will win the game or who will perform at what level during a contest. I am taking the perspective that the number attached to the event should mitigate the play. The play is the amount of the wager. An example is a star pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Ranger Suarez starting against the Oakland Athletics.The price to wager on the Phillies Money line for that game was -235. The money line is a wager that on who will win the game ,regardless of the score.While the Phillies are the best team reordwise in the MLB and the  A's are one of the worst,the price of taking the money line is exorbitant.The win on -235would bring you $100 and you would have $335 in your pocket. A loss would cost your $235.So you would have to win 3 bets at that money line number to recoup your initial loss. The Phillies loss the game 6-2. 

If you are deadset on making a wager at this price,an intelligent approach is to include the bet in a parlay. While the price will weaken the payoff ,the odds of you hitting the parlay have increased without the cash overlay.

We just went inside the number. Before lookung at the odds that are posted,have a price in your mind that is optimal to yourbankroll.Do not exceed that price regardless of the conditions associated with the teams.While Sports Betting is fun,it's more enjoyable when you are discipline and strategic. 

Check out another sports betting strategy in the videi.

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Online Gaming and Tropicana Atlantic City: Q&A with Luisa Woods - Executive Director of Internet Marketing

 

 

I was able to meet with Luisa Woods,the director of online and internet marketing with Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City.  Luisa is primarily responsible for overseeing the entire online remote gaming. She provides strategy, planning and budget guidance. Luisa also mentors her team across various online marketing disciplines dedicated to acquisition and retention of digitally-connected customers.

Luisa was part of the Mobile and Tablet Summit in Atlantic City and participated in a panel at the G2E 2014.

Luisa  made time for a series of questions about the 1st year of online gaming in New Jersey. These 8 made the final cut.
 

1). What are the positives about the 1st year of online gaming in New Jersey?  

 

New Jersey has historically been a pioneer in the gaming industry. The state looked to maintain its leadership position by taking a step forward into i-gaming. The NJDGE had an enormous challenge to bootstrap a new industry vertical in a very short period of time, with a series of constraints that have not existed previously in other markets. The fact that we have demonstrated that a region can successfully operate online gaming within its physical borders is a big success.

 

An additional positive outcome is the growing evidence we’ve built to demonstrate that online gaming is not leading to cannibalization. This is most evident in the poker vertical, since online is a relatively larger piece of the market. In the aggregate, revenue from poker has grown with the launch of online poker. For example, monthly poker rake in Atlantic City for October of 2013 was about $2.9M versus about $4.3 million in October of 2014.

 

Another success we are seeing is the creation of both jobs and expertise in the i-gaming industry in the state. When other markets are ready to launch, they will be able to look to New Jersey for best practices in successfully implementing regionalized regulated gaming.

            

2). What were the challenges during the 1st year and where is the industry now in relation to those concerns?  

The biggest challenges the industry faced in our first year dealt with ensuring that only eligible patrons were permitted access to the system. Eligible patrons are individuals over 21, physically located in New Jersey, who are not on any restricted gaming lists and who are who they represent themselves to be. There have definitely been challenges with executing against all of these requirements that have slowed the rate of adoption and industry growth, and of course we err on the side of caution. It is critical that no one gains access to the system who should not be permitted to do so. But the industry as a whole continues to innovate and push forward. Our geolocation solutions are improving all the time, as well as our expertise in assisting patrons who do encounter problems to navigate third party systems to be able to successfully play.

 

3). Tropicana has shown consistent growth with the online numbers. What do you attribute that to?

Our growth should really be attributed to a lot of hard work by many talented people. It’s been a combination of effort and focus on the customer. Gamesys, our technology partner, have been a huge part of that success. Their product delivers what our patrons want.  In addition, the land-based marketing team here at Tropicana has worked side by side with the i-gaming team to offer a seamless customer experience. And that results from a leadership team that has always supported the vision of i-gaming as an extension of our commitment to deliver more to our patrons.

 

4). Do you see Poker, Slots or Casino games as the cornerstone of the online market? 

Poker needs liquidity to be successful, which makes it challenging in a market with limited population. But ultimately, customers have their preferences. I don't see any one area dominating the others. We as operators respond to the demand of our patrons. We bring them familiar games that they know from the property while introducing new games and experiences like our popular Community Jackpot feature that can be triggered by any spin on any game.  It pays out a jackpot to the person who won it, and a shared jackpot to all of the other patrons who have played for real money in the previous hour. We believe that market leadership comes from giving our customers what they want.   

5) How did the Mobile and Tablet Summit heighten the awareness about online gaming?

Every time professionals in the industry come together, they not only share knowledge, but bring attention to the industry. The fact that people like you attend, and share what you see and hear is a huge boost for us. The many facets of expertise, including legal, government, banking, security, marketing and software, all impact each other. We need to maintain an ongoing dialogue. This conference brought positive attention to our industry and is a win for the participants.

 

6). Has online gaming grown your customer base?

The 1st year of i-Gaming has definitely brought incremental growth for Tropicana Atlantic City. Of course, the majority of our revenues come from our land based resort. But many patrons who are choosing to play online are not existing TropAdvantage members, so they’re completely new patrons to us. That number is holding steady at around 60% of our online patrons. Of the remaining patrons in our system, about half are active players at the property, and the other half have not been to the property within the last year. These are people who are returning to the brand. 

 

7). What mobile device (if any) is the preferred medium of your clientele?

Without giving away any proprietary details, I can tell you that we’re seeing trends very similar to what is happening in the marketplace as a whole. More and more of our patrons are adopting mobile, both as a way to join our online casino, and a way to play. We do see a higher level of play on Apple devices over Android, which I would attribute to the fact that Apple has permitted us to put our app in their online store.

 

 

8). I am a customer that only plays in your brick and mortar casino property. I love to come down to dine at Cuba Libre twice a month. How would you convince me to play online?

First of all, we would take the opportunity of your visit to make you aware of our online product. When you come to the property, you would see signage everywhere. If you’re staying with us, it is even on the room key when you check in. Next, we focus on trying to create synergies between online and offline play. We leverage the resources of the property as rewards that patrons can earn or win. And to top it off, you'll earn TropAdvantage tier points that benefit you when you visit the property.

I'm convinced!

I want to thank Luisa for her time. She showed her excitement with her answers and stated she is extremely happy to be working for Tropicana. She cited the leadership of Tony Rodio and the power of Tropicana's brand as components for success.

 

 

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