Inside Asian Gaming

July 2013 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 41 Plenty of SAS Predictive analytics is part of the SAS Patron Value Optimization product offered by SAS Institute. In addition to providing a suite of applications that include data integration, data quality, data mining, business intelligence and campaign management, the product analyzes ongoing trends so that casinos can plan for them. For instance, if a show lets out at a specific time, casinos can plan to have the proper staffing while optimizing the pricing of the slot machines on the routes guests are likely to take. Going further, based on information about customers taking advantage of promotional specials, casinos can stock the beverages and foods these customers prefer based on previous visits. “SAS Patron Value Optimization can also predict what incentives might prompt a customer to return to the casino based on their value,” said SAS’s Natalie Osborn. “For some it might be a free meal, but for high- rollers a free room could make them your destination.” By analyzing past attendance patterns, the product might also advise not to hold a promotion for a specific time frame so as not to overtax the property and create dissatisfaction among customers by not having enough rooms or other amenities available, Ms Osborn added. Predicting Greatness Stics Predictive Analytics solutions also help businesses leverage the masses of information they collect and store, transforming data into insight for busy professionals who need answers, not complexity. These analytic solutions create profitability models that help casino managers make better decisions by integrating more information to make distinctions among customers. For casinos, this solution enables them to focus on increasing profit by analyzing data to separate the good customers from the less lucrative players and to target them with promotions to increase their patronage and play. That includes looking beyond average daily win to overall profitability of the customer, and projecting future profitability. Fine-Tuning Smaller casinos are the target market for LaserPointCRM, a database optimization tool that requires no onsite hardware or software and no incremental staff to operate. IntroducedbyTheFinePointGroup, a Las Vegas consulting and management firm, this cloud-based SaaS (software-as-a- service) product enables casinos to upload their customer information to Fine Point and receive business marketing solutions answers (the company hates the word “report”) by return e-mail. Building on the customized database marketing solutions that Fine Point has been offering for the past five years to casino operators in the US and Canada, LaserPointCRM is a solution in a box, said Randall A. Fine, founder and managing director. “It is not a ‘tool’ that gives casino marketers one more thing to add to already busy schedules, but an answer for how to drive more business in ever-more- competitive markets,” Mr Fine explained. “Given that it leverages scalable cloud-based software, we are able to offer it at a fraction of our customized, high-touch consulting services. And it allows both large and small players alike to put the best, and most targeted, communications into the hands of consumers.” According to Mr Fine, LaserPointCRM promises 10 times the customization of typical casino direct mail programs, 15% increases in revenue and profits, and a 50% reduction in the time a property spends to manage direct mail programs. And the base product is priced less than the cost of a typical senior-level data-based analytics system, Mr Fine added. As of February 2013, LaserPointCRM has been installed at six tribal casinos in California, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Washington; and at the Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi, Miss. Profitable Break The new kid on the block is Intermezzo Inc., which has begun to introduce a full line of ClubLinq products designed to help casinos sort their patrons and then promote future business based on known preferences. An advantage for casinos is that the programs are designed to promote and enable redemption of offers electronically, which greatly trims related costs, said Jeff Baldi, president and CEO of Intermezzo. Already available is ClubLinq Identity, which processes patron information for a website content management system. ClubLinq Offers, which will be available this month, provides a “green” option to patrons to receive direct mail promotions in their e-mail in-box. ClubLinq Redemption, set to roll out soon, will enable a secure method of patron expenditure for merchandise and services through the casino’s proprietary source system. “By enabling patrons to opt-in to offers ranging from free slot play to room discounts over the Internet, casinos can save big on the costs of marketing, printing and mailing, putting more revenue in profit,” Mr Baldi noted. James J. Hodl is an Illinois-based freelance writer and editor. He can be reached at jhodl@att.net. Reprinted with permission from Casino Journal Tech Talk The Patron Value Optimization system from SAS Institute used predictive analytics to help fine-tune casino marketing programs. Stics Predictive Analytics solutions help transform data into insight. The Fine Point Group’s LaserPointCRM helps casinos drive more business in ever-more-competitive markets. The ClubLinq product from Intermezzo processes patron information for website content management systems.