Area casinos need to rethink game mix

• Reprints

Updated: December 26, 2011 8:39AM

A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:

Q. I went to an Illinois casino last week for the first time in a few months. It was nearly empty. I could have played just about any game I wanted, but the video poker was awful, they jacked up the minimum bets on the cheap slots, and the betting limits on table games were out of sight. In about half an hour, I helped the place get emptier.

I was disappointed, and I guess I’m wondering if there’s any chance of seeing better games.

Mike, Woodridge, Ill.

A. The Chicago area gaming market is going through a shakeout period, and I hesitate to predict what any of the local operators might or might not do. We had already seen slumps in business in Joliet, Aurora and Elgin due to the one-two punch delivered by the economic downturn and Illinois’ smoking ban. Added competition from the summer opening of the very successful Rivers Casino in Des Plaines left smaller pieces of a shrinking pie for everyone.

Rivers is booming, but at the older properties, revenues are far below what they were in more favorable conditions. In some cases, gaming revenue is less than half what it was at its peak.

Perhaps older casinos will regain some market share once everyone has seen Rivers. Some players will settle back into their old favorites. To bring old players back, and perhaps to attract new ones, casinos emphasize personal relationships with their guests, updated restaurants and amenities, promotions and player reward incentives.

What I’ve not heard anyone speak of yet is a change in game mix. The Chicago area used to be an outstanding video poker market, with games that were an attraction. That’s no longer the case. As you noted, minimum bets at the tables cater to premium players. And we’re seeing more video slots that are pennies or 2 cents in name only, with minimum bets of 50 cents or a dollar on low-paying games.

In boom times, that might be the way to go, maximizing revenues in packed casinos. In the current market, someone might benefit by rethinking a mix of games that prices some players out of the market and sends a message to choosy players that their business is not wanted.

John Grochowski is a local free-lance writer. His “Casino Answer Man” tips air at 5:18 p.m. Tuesday-Friday on
WLS-AM (890).