There is so much gaming data at our fingertips these days that it’s easy to get bogged down in the details and miss the bigger picture. Here are some practical ‘go to’ reports that I rely on every month to keep my strategic gaming plan up to date throughout the year.
Ranking Report
I try to focus on the game types that people like to play rather than the game itself. It’s more important to look at the game feature mix that is hitting the mark rather than just each specific game. This knowledge can then be applied when considering a wider range of games and ensures some manufacturer and game family variety. If you only focus on one game, you will only appeal to one type of player.
General Performance Metrics
It’s a simple fact that looking at the average turnover and profit for each manufacturer each month is a solid foundation for analysis to support your gaming machine purchases and conversions. However, for a proper comparison, it is just as important to break that down into product type (old game ranges won’t earn as much as new ones), and Link Vs SAP games, at a minimum rather than just manufacturer and denomination mix.
Bank Analysis
It is important to understand what part of your gaming floor gives you the largest profit. If you move games from one area to another you can easily lose money quickly. I use a bank analysis overlaid on my floor plan to use this effectively. Simply divide the total turnover and net for a machine bank by the number of machines in it. The turnover analysis will give you the places on the floor and games that are most popular with players, while the net analysis will show you where you make the most profit. They are often very different!
I usually separate each area of the gaming floor so that it reflects the reality that some parts of the floor are slower no matter what games you put there. Some gaming systems will help you with this, but you may have to do some work on this one yourself.
Gaming Product Balance Sheet
You often find this chart in your gaming system, which breaks down the percentage of your gaming floor that each manufacturer takes up (total machine numbers) compared to the amount they have earned in turnover and profit. If they are, for example, taking up 50% of your floor, but are earning 60% of the turnover and 60% of the profit, then you need more.
I use this metric each month to look at lots of different things to support my strategic choices in gaming, such as: product types (rather than just manufacturer), machine age, game feature type, links, denomination mix, gaming room areas and many more. The list is long!
There are many other regular gaming reports I use that give me detailed information, such as occupancy, carded play, tier movements, promotion play, paging service times and hot spot charts, but the reports above always support my gaming machine purchase, conversions and moves. It’s hard to argue with hard data.
About the Author
DWS is pleased to introduce Gaming Specialist, Justine Channing, to the team.
Justine is an Executive Gaming Manager with over 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, has worked with prominent Australian Clubs and Hotel groups. She brings deep insights into gaming operations from her tenure with industry leaders like Aristocrat and IGT. Today, she leads a successful Gaming Specialist organisation, providing expertise in gaming analysis, revenue enhancement, and mentoring.
Additionally, Justine is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and holds pivotal roles as Editor, co-owner, and Managing Director of The Drop.
