The things to focus on in 2025

 

As we approach the end of 2024,it is time to get ready to formulate an action plan for 2025. I will share my people, places and things to focus on that will grow your brand.These concepts are applicable to the following indutries. Tourism,Gaming amd Sports Betting are the primay areas that will be impacted. If you are able to incorporate any of these,you will see an improvement in your field of expertise.

Women- This is the audience that is getting the most attention.BetMGM cited an increase of 108% over year to year in wagers on the WNBA. The 2024 Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament  drew a larger viewing audience than the Mens Yournament for the first time. The USA Womens Olympic Team led by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier won the Gold Medal. Those players have combined to start the Unrivaled Basketball League that will debut in January,2025 on TNT. The Caitlin Clark phenomenon has added more interest by women and men to professuonal basketball. There is conversation that the NBA All Star Game Weekend may feature a 3 point compeition between Steph Curry and Klay Thompson vs Sabrina Ionescu and Clark.The Taylor Swift effect has increased the amount of women that are watching the NFL and in particular,the Kansas City Chiefs.Beyonce will perform at halftime on Christmas Day during the NFL Game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens. 

Expect to see more wagers that are designed for women. 2025 will have more glam cam as the women will get attention for pre game walk in outfits. NIL deals will be offered to women at record numbers.The viewership,merchandise and the sports betting are direct corelations to the women athletes. Use the trends mentioned above to determine if your strategy has a female component so you are in tune to the audience. 

I Gaming- The fact that 38 states have sports betting while only 4 have I Gaming is obviously a growth opportunity. When you factor the revenue generated by those 38 states is equivalent to the amount produced by the 4 states, you have a golden opportunity to make money.I do understand some of trepidation that states may have in advancing igaming legislation. There is a thought that this will destroy or at least cannibalize brick and mortar casino business. This is not the case in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.Business is still robust jn retail or onsite gaming.Most of the Sports Betting wagers are made on line. If more states were to offer IGaming, that trend will continue with some modifications. The patrons that play in the casino will continue and be the VIP style of player. The IGaming world will not be as appealing to that player.

Expect a breakthrough of IGaming legislation quth a neighboring state to follow. The trend toward convenience and tax revenue are too much to resist. I concepts that would enhance the spending wallet available to the operators of the IGaming space.

Mexico City and Brazil.- I highlighted both of these places because the interest the NBA and NFL have shown in Latin America. The expansion of Gaming and Sports Betting in those markets is a growth opportunity. While both places are known for tourism,festivaks and excellent cuisine. The introduction of two of themore popular sports leagues will add a new allegiance of fans that will buy merchanduse and bet on the games.Some residents of these places may be looking for business collaborations within the continental United States.

How does your brand connect with the cLatin American Culture? Are any of your managerial team bilingual? I would look at the SBC Summit Americas that will be held in Fort Lauderdale,Florida in 2025. That event could serve as an introduction to the market and some of the constituents. 

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Ways to Attract and Retain Employees

 

The number of shortages in the work force have many industries scrambling to find workers. The Gaming industry is no exception. While the demand for gaming entertainment grows, the personnel that provides the experience is understaffed. The guest experience is the same but there will be noticeable lapses in some service areas. Where the normal time to wait for a beverage would be between 10-15 minutes, expect the period to double. If you. The availability of games and units to play are still at an optimum level. If team members call off or leave a company unexpectedly, this affects the day-to-day operation profoundly.  When this happens, the intelligent organization goes into demand and profitability mode. What units the public wants to play and which of them brings the most level of profitability to the company are the primary concerns. Since this situation has not changed since the pandemic of 2020, the next step is how to alleviate it.

While job fairs and increase in pay are two ways to attract candidates, the competitors in your region are offering a comparable experience. Offering a job referral incentive to current staff extends the reach of the organization. Use social media to highlight job events and promotions. If the organization is doing something that has philanthropic or community involved, share this information on the website. The impression is that you are appealing to work for.

When all things are equal between you and your competitors, you must go the extra mile. Be creative in how you approach a prospective employee. Be more proactive in retaining the staff you have. The cost of replacing someone is greater than what it would take to keep them. A new employee has a learning curve that an experience one is not subject to. Direct attention toward individuals that have worked in the industry and pay more for that. In Atlantic City recently, the casinos joined together and held a job fair where all the hotels have representation.

Factor the location of your facility into your job promotions. The cost of gas is important to an applicant and the cost of a commute is a prevalent factor in accepting a position. If you are near public transportation, highlight that to the applicant. Initiate rides share programs that make commuting more appealing.

Lastly, utilize flexibility in the job hiring and retention process. Example:  Your organization has 3 shifts of 8 hours that start at designated times. If you have enough interest in a particular start time that is not part of the normal scheme, consider incorporating it.  Let it correspond into what you currently offer and make it work for you by implementing it during a period of peak demand. Want more ways to attract people. Keep following me!

Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn for tweets and post about Gaming, Entertainment, Sports Betting and Business Events.

The Metro Report: What's Next?

The year is winding down! as we approach the holidays I want to share with you what I have on my agenda. This is my personalize version of the Metro Report. I am covering the gaming in the following cities. Philadelphia,New York City and Washington DC. are taking center stage between now and Christmas.

In Philly, I had the opportunity to interview two of the top General Managers on the East Coast. I am strongly considering doing more of these. Two of the top restaurants in the city are mentioned and recommended. Check out the interview here. 

Next week in New York City and the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey. the SBC North America will convene. I am honored to be part of a panel that will tackled the question of How to nurture talent to your sports betting operations. The panel will be moderated by Bronwen Gregg, The other panel members include Allison Bassman,Director of People and Culture for Penn Interactive,Noemie Levy, Talent Acquisition Manager for Bet MGM and Holly Gagnon Co-CEO of Artemis Strategic Investment Corporation. Some of the subjects we will cover include job opportunities,working remotely vs. working on property and diversity. I may have a surprise interview while in NYC. Stay tuned!

Here is a look back at SBC 2019. It includes part of the team from SeventySix Capital. Former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie and Newly Reelected Governor Phil Murphy attended this event.

 

Then I'll easy down 95 to Washington DC to the Capital One Arena. James Van Stone and the team at Monumental Sports and Entertainment are among the leaders in bringing sports betting to a stadium style venue.  They are the model to emulate and started trends with sports wagering centric broadcasts of Washington Wizards and Washington Capital games. I will be seeing how a world class organization does it first hand with a game day experience that you will not want to miss. The Wizards are currently 4th in the NBA Eastern Conference and will be playing the Utah Jazz.

So this is what's next for me. If you are on LinkedIn, we can have a professional exchange there. If you chat on Twitter,then follow me and we can tweet about gaming and professional sports like NFL & NBA.  Videos similar to what  you saw earlier can be found on Instagram and Facebook.  Stay with me and we can roll into 2022 together. 

5 Takeaways from the SBC Digital North America Conference

 

These are some of the takeaways of the SBC Digital North America, an online event that was held June 9^th and 10^th.
I Gaming and Sports Betting are moving the needle in the Gaming and Casino Industry. While there will always be a need for a land base casino hotel, there is a need for the convenience factor that playing online gives to a player. The mobile apps that replicate the brick-and-mortar facilities will resonate with the existing customer.
The use of Social Media is a great opportunity to engage with your clientele and attract new patrons. Using push notifications and tweets that give information are ways that have the public interested in your promotions, if sent at the right time as well as to the right customer.
Innovation will separate successful operators from the masses.
I participated in two panels at the SBC. The 1^st was From the Gaming Floor to Online Slots: Harnessing the Omnichannel Opportunity. I was able to share my expertise in casino operations and how important the loyalty program is. I suggested that the digital wallet program and the brick & mortar should work together. This will keep the player with your organization longer because you are working collaboratively to fulfill their needs. This type of marketing will ultimately increase the lifetime value of the player to your organization.
The second panel address the careers in gaming and sports betting. I was on this panel with George Diemer, associate professor at Temple University. George and I concurred about internships, regulation, and responsible gaming. The industry could be doing more to increase our labor pool and alleviate employment concerns. An increase in flexibility regarding shifts and hours should be a consideration. 

I plan to do my part to help in a recruitment endeavor. I will be going to colleges and universities this fall to advocate what gaming has to offer. I will also have at least one video per month that highlights a job that a college student or job applicant with an aptitude for learning could fulfill. I will not limit my scope to jobs just in one region because of the size and growth of the gaming industry. If there are any casinos that are having recruitment and retention challenges, reach out to me and I will highlight the position that you are trying to fill.  

Follow me on Twitter where I discuss #sportsbetting and #gaming entertainment.  Check out my articles in Bettors Insider and in the January edition of Igaming player. 

The Key Takeaways from the Bet on Sports America Conference

I was so impressed with the Bet on Sports America Conference that I wanted to follow up with 5 key takeaways for anyone that is working or interested in gaming, media and sports betting.

The advent of sports betting is in it's infancy. Sports betting has been legal in states outside of Nevada for just under 3 years. So many states have yet to legalize it. More over so many people are not aware that you can do it legally. Most sports books are populated by men. Hmm!!  Educate and Advertise. 

The pandemic has prompted an increase in online gaming and mobile sports betting. In October, Nevada books set a monthly record for betting handle at 659.6 million. 376.9 million was wager via mobile. Since we can't gather due to COVID the way to stay engaged with your players is remotely. Use all mediums available to you. Be consistent with your content and attempt to respond as close to real time as possible.

The partnerships between the media outlets and professional sports teams now have sports betting operators as a common denominator. Imagine if Google or Facebook enter the equation. They have the followers and could generate liquidity. Yahoo is involved and has it's own Sports division. Yahoo's sports betting platform is powered by BetMGM. 

Some of the professional teams that participated in the conference were the Sixers, Eagles, Flyers and New Jersey Devils.

The time is perfect for entrepreneurs and developers. If you can come up with an app or program that is easy to navigate and appeals to a gaming centric audience,  major corporations will find you. If someone comes up with a way to monetize Esports on a betting platform that makes gaming legislators and operators comfortable, they will be rich!  Nearly half a billion people play Esports or watch others play by streaming.

Don't be afraid to fail. If you're not taking risk on new technology and concepts now, when will you? I'll give you one concept. Meet with other industries that you can partner with. Make sure the partner aligns with your mission statement and core values. Don't sleep on small local businesses as a way of helping generate interest in what you are doing.  

This is the 4th conference that I have attended this year. 3 of them were after the pandemic shutdown in March. Add that to my expertise about casino operations along with my education regarding sports betting and you get a composite view of gaming  If you want more information or insight, we need to talk. In closing I want to quote Ben Franklin. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

If you want a recap of the entire conference click here.

My website is  smartresponsiblegaming.com.  Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for conversations & Instagram for photos/videos.