Australian Casinos 2000 and Beyond

Introduction | Why Gaming Has Expanded so Rapidly | So, who is the current market for all these games of chance and why do they play? | What then does all this mean for the casino of the year 2000 and beyond? | Can this current formula survive the future in Australia? | What though of the internal product of the casino? | What other things will change? | Why is this? | Will this be allowed to continue till the eventual extinction of table games? Is a casino still a casino if it doesn’t offer table games? | Conclusion |

Several factors exist. Firstly, the games initially appear complex and are intimidating to learn, as the skilled staff and “knowledgeable” players go about their business. Secondly, the atmosphere around a table is often tense and uninviting. Thirdly, entry level, low limit table games are often crowded and uncomfortable. Fourthly, the stakes are often relatively high and it is unlikely that a person wanting to trial the product will get perceived value out of a $20 or $50 purchase of $5 chips as this only gives them 4 or 10 units with which to play and these may quickly be exhausted. Fifth, social changes have occurred which no longer see families sitting around playing cards or Monopoly at night to while away the time. And lastly, casino managers have sought to maximise profit from their operations which has led to more machines and less, labour intensive and thus more costly to operate, table games. A combination of all the above factors has resulted in a decline in participation on table games. In many U.S. casinos the ratio of machines to table games is in the order of 40 to 1 or more. In Australia, at the moment, the ratio is more like 10 to 1.