Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming October 2015 30 results. The acePLAYpoker.com site attracts players from all 50 states and 70 countries around the world, but 48% of users are within driving distance of ACEP properties. This player base has a 30/70 split between carded, known players and the much larger group of untracked visitors. There is also a 30/70 split between male and female users. “We started out as a poker site that was very much dominated by male users in the 25-35 year range,” Mr Driscoll said. “I can tell you that has shifted significantly for us as we added slot and table games, to really bring more of what you would see in your traditional casinos. We still skew a little younger, but the female audience is what is absolutely driving our volume of play.” Visitors to the site play in excess of one million hands of poker each year, with the site taking in $30 million in annual rake, although no real money is involved since this is a free-play site. The more traditional casino games bring in $200 million in wagers. “People are playing on the site and they are playing significantly,” Mr Driscoll said. “Although we currently only offer free-play for prizes such as entertainment and F&B options, it indicates people are willing to spend money online if we decide to monetize the site.” And it appears the social gaming website is driving play to ACEP brick-and-mortar properties. Campaigns run through the social games channel have driven 100,000-120,000 visits to land-based properties each year, according to company statistics. “We average double the conversion rate of direct marketing e-mail and other traditional mediums,” Mr Driscoll said. “So using games and awards as enhancements seems to be a very smart play. We average about 8% conversion while our traditional direct marketing does half that.” What’s more, these social gaming visitors to brick-and-mortar facilities appear to be bigger spenders. “The average daily theoretical of a social casino gamer to a casino is 40% higher than a typical new visitor,” Mr Driscoll said. “To put that in perspective, for the 120,000 trips we helped to generate, the land-based properties are looking at $8 million in theoretical.” As for lessons to impart to those looking to walk in ACEP social casino shoes, Mr Driscoll offered the following: Pay attention to crossover marketing opportunities. The key to a successful social casino gaming program is to get those players to come to a land-based property and vice-versa. ACEP essentially piggybacked a social casino message on existing marketing infrastructure for land-based properties—ACEP’s social games site got mentioned on the company’s various casino websites and in consumer e-mails, signage, marquees, in-room tents, room keys, even placemats at the buffet. ACEP also advertised its acePlaypoker offering on gamer websites such as Bluff and All-in. The primary vehicle for marketing brick-and-mortar options to social site players has been day-to-day tournaments where winners get prizes and special privileges when they visit one of the terrestrial properties. Listen to your players. ACEP surveys its social games players every six months on topics ranging from real-money social gaming opportunities to their brick-and-mortar wagering preferences. “We asked our users if they want a greater variety of social games on the site and 77% said yes,” Mr Driscoll said. “To me that is a clear indication where we should take the site and also gives us a chance Online Gaming MGM Resorts International offers access to online social casino games from MyVEGAS through its M life loyalty rewards program. There is an early and vital strategic decision that must be made—will the new social gaming entity be primarily used as a marketing and loyalty tool with the ultimate goal of bringing more patronage to land-based facilities, or as a standalone enterprise designed to generate real-money revenue from the highly-competitive social games space?