Marketing professionals in the casino industry should focus on delivering exceptional, technology-driven experiences to attract and retain patrons.
California's commercial casinos are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving gaming landscape. The Vice President and General Manager of American Place Casino, Jeff Babinski, emphasized the importance of providing patrons with memorable experiences to retain customers in the face of online gaming competition.
Jeff Babinski is not alone in this sentiment. Phil Sabbah, CMO of Playground, stated that guests might walk out with fewer dollars but still be satisfied if they had a good time. Deana Scott, CEO of Raving Consulting, emphasized the importance of marketing teams utilizing new technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The use of AI by commercial casinos and corporations like Mohegan and Carnival Corporation is aimed at improving customer experiences and retention. California casinos are integrating AI primarily through data-driven marketing, predictive analytics, and customer experience personalization enabled by advanced AI-powered software systems.
One such AI solution is Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), which uses data-driven insights to help casinos adapt to changing market conditions, optimize promotions, and redefine key performance indicators. These technologies allow casinos to analyze vast amounts of customer data to optimize marketing campaigns, customize offers, and enhance decision-making agility in a volatile economic environment.
AI platforms like QCI empower casinos to swiftly identify and act on customer preferences, improving both customer engagement and operational efficiency. Moreover, AI integration in broader enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems enhances casinos' ability to deliver a “360° view” of the customer by analyzing behavioral patterns and buying triggers. This deeper understanding enables highly personalized customer experiences through timely and relevant offers, upselling, and improved customer service—factors shown to increase customer satisfaction and retention.
While the hospitality sector in California is deploying AI-driven automation and robotics to improve guest services and streamline operations, explicit examples for casinos beyond marketing and customer data analytics are less detailed in the available data. However, AI is also being adopted to support compliance efforts within gambling venues, automating customer due diligence, fraud detection, and transaction monitoring, thereby safeguarding the casino's reputation and regulatory standing.
The implementation of AI in call centers is improving efficiency and response times for customer inquiries. Mohegan Vice President of Corporate Marketing Erica Tessier Hunt implemented AI for the resort's call center in 2022, initially hesitant due to concerns about authenticity. The increased volume of calls post-COVID was a factor in the implementation of AI at Mohegan.
At Carnival Corporation, AI is used more frequently behind the scenes, serving as a type of concierge to help customers find the most suitable cruise. AI is also empowering front-end team members at Carnival Corporation by providing them with more relevant information quicker.
The event discussed is the Casino Marketing & Technology Conference held in Temecula, California, where these advancements were showcased and discussed. The deployment of AI at Mohegan was met with employee engagement, with team members helping to formulate FAQs and even naming the AI feature (Meg).
In summary, California commercial casinos leverage AI predominantly for data-driven marketing strategies, personalized customer experiences, and improved operational decision-making, with emerging applications in compliance and hospitality automation supporting the broader customer journey. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative uses of this technology in California's commercial casinos.
[1] Quick Custom Intelligence. (n.d.). QCI for Casinos. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.qci.com/casinos/
[2] Raving Consulting. (n.d.). Casino Marketing & Technology Conference. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://ravingconsulting.com/events/casino-marketing-technology-conference/
[3] Scott, D. (2022, August 17). AI in the Casino Industry: A Look at Current and Future Applications. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/deanascott/2022/08/17/ai-in-the-casino-industry-a-look-at-current-and-future-applications/?sh=617d7810312c
[4] Sabbah, P. (2022, August 17). The Importance of Customer Experience in the Casino Industry. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-customer-experience-casino-industry-phil-sabbah/
[5] Van der Merwe, M. (2022, August 17). AI in the Casino Industry: A Look at Current and Future Applications. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/deanascott/2022/08/17/ai-in-the-casino-industry-a-look-at-current-and-future-applications/?sh=617d7810312c
[1] The integration of AI by California casinos extends beyond marketing and customer data analytics, also encompassing compliance efforts such as customer due diligence, fraud detection, and transaction monitoring.
[2] AI platforms like Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) are not only utilized for optimizing promotions and adapting to market conditions but also for enhancing customer engagement, operational efficiency, and personalized customer experiences through timely and relevant offers, upselling, and improved customer service.
