Ipsos Reid’s latest study of the Lottery and Gaming Practices in Canada focuses on the gambling behavior of Canadian gamblers who came of age at a time when Internet gambling, had already evolved into a flourishing industry. Ipsos calls the new breed as Millennials and describes them as the “social, optimistic and over-confident generation” who are inclined to multitask and prefer to stay itinerant and always on the go.
Inasmuch as the Millenials represent the new breed of gamblers that would likely dominate the casino gaming floors, the study gives casino operators insight about the gaming habits and preferences of this new breed of gamblers, in order to win their valuable patronage. For this purpose, Ipsos surveyed 1,200 Canadians between the ages of 18-34 who qualified as Millennial gamblers, if they had visited a casino at least once during the most recent past year.
Based on the survey results, it appears that the new breed of Canadian gamblers visit a casino rather infrequently, as only 53 percent of the country’s Millennials go to a casino once or twice at the most, each year.
Millennial gamblers generally go to a casino as a form of social recreation during weekends, as 64 percent of the survey respondents prefer to share the casino gaming experience with their spouse or a friend. Forty-three percent go to a casino in the company of a group of friends, at all times or most of the time. When asked if they would go to a casino alone, 69 percent answered rarely or never; if with a co-worker, 65 percent likewise gave rarely or never as answer. The reluctance or lack of enthusiasm to go to a casino alone or with a co-employee indicates that there are factors aside from gaming that attract Canada’s Millennial gamblers.
Another interesting revelation about the younger set of Canadian gamblers who engage in casino gambling is that they set a budget on how much they will spend, once they walk through the casino doors. Since visiting a casino is regarded as a form social recreation, the greater portion of a Millennial’s casino budget is for non-gambling activities, mostly for drinks at the casino bar, for restaurant dining or for watching live entertainment.
When asked to choose the top three factors that make a casino establishment highly appealing, the level of safety and the cleanliness of a casino came out as the top answers, as both factors garnered 69 percent. The quality of the previous experience in a casino is the second highest factor, as 63 percent of the respondents included this answer as an important factor.
Actually, the study is quite comprehensive, as the research group conducted an interview with 400 non-gamers, who have not visited a casino but not necessarily against the idea of gambling. The overwhelming reason why the non-gamers have not visited a casino is primarily due to their preference for other forms of entertainment such as dining in a restaurant or watching a movie, a live concert, or live show.
The bottom line presented by the Ipsos Reid Lottery and Gaming Study is that for Canadian casinos to succeed in winning the Millennial gambling crowd, including their non-gaming members, operators have to provide a wide range of attractions and offer a mix of activities, in order to gain the regular patronage of these new set of gamblers.