I love structure in a gaming department. It ensures there’s a regular plan to review your gaming room and service levels are operating at their peak for customers. Many of the little things that can be detrimental to how you present your gaming floor are very subtle, but over time it can add up to become bigger concerns. Here are a few of the annual “January Jobs” I recommend as a fresh start to every year.
- ‘Industry Blindness’ is a real thing!
When you walk into your gaming area multiple times every day, you can grow accustomed to small things that can make your venue look tired. The smallest rips or dirty gaming stools, small chips on machine benches, cracks in walls, holders for promotional flyers that are still attached to walls but no longer used, dirty machine screens, old signage, and torn carpets all make your club look tired and unclean. It’s safe to say, that’s not the lasting impression you want to leave your customers with.
When 60% of your top-level players are female… those gaming floor bathrooms must be spotless! This is the perfect time of year for a really thorough look at what you need to clean, fix, paint or reupholster before everything gets rolling again.
- Brush up on your regulations
Whilst it’s not an interesting job, a quieter office is a great time to read through your relevant gaming and marketing regulations. Reviewing these once a year ensures you haven’t missed anything and is a great review process to jog your memory. On the bright side, they are much easier to read these days!
- Operating vs. Carded Percentages on games
This is a great annual job to tick off in the earlier part of the year. Reviewing January – December as a block and comparing the expected profit that games should have earned, based on the percentage you brought the games in at. Additionally, you should also review the percentage they operated at over the year. Any older games, where the operating percentage is really low (low net profit) is prioritised on my trade out list for the year.
- Update policies and procedures
It’s a great time of year to revisit your house-keeping, policies and procedures. These can become out of date quickly and there are always a few minor legislations changes in gaming areas that need to be added to staff handbooks and procedures.
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.
