Friday, May 10, 2013

Examining the Future of Gaming


Brian Lehman, Communications Manager, American Gaming Association

This week, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the 2013 State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment, and this year’s edition of the report, as usual, contains a comprehensive look at national and state-by-state economic impacts of the commercial casino industry, including gross gaming revenue, gaming tax contributions, employment and wages.

Another popular feature of the annual survey is public opinion polling that delves into the gambling habits and attitudes of casino visitors and the general public. This year, we took a closer look at young adult casino visitors with a survey of 300 past-year casino visitors age 21-35. Visitors are paramount to the success of the industry, and taking a look at this younger adult demographic allows us to get a glimpse of what casino companies may be offering in the future.

On the whole, the polling results show similar overall gambling habits for this younger cohort when compared to those of the general visitor population. However, some notable differences include the fact that young adults have the highest rate (39 percent) of casino visitation compared to other age groups. In addition to visiting casinos at a higher rate, young adult casino-goers are more likely to come back, as 90 percent said they plan to return to a casino in the next year (compared with 79 percent of the general population of casino-goers who said the same). Young adult visitors don’t just gamble in casinos, they also are more likely to participate in other forms of gambling like casual betting with friends, playing poker or gambling on the Internet.

When it comes to their activities during casino visits, young adult patrons are more likely to utilize all categories of non-gaming amenities such as dining, shopping or live entertainment. The games they like to play also differ somewhat, and while slot machines are their favorite games (just like the general population of visitors), table games are more popular among this age group, and young adult visitors are more likely to take part in a variety of different games during the course of a single visit.

All of this information and more is available in the State of the States report. Check it out and take a deep dive into the present and future of the commercial casino industry.

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