As a casino operator, what are your main priorities in these troubling times?

As a casino operator, what are your main priorities in these troubling times?

The safety and welfare of your guests and employees, right? Wrong. Your main priority is, and always has been, survival and profit of your business. That seems callous under the circumstances of COVID-19 and having to try to encourage both employees and guests back in the casino. But if you cannot survive financially then you aren't going to last operating long. Your employees will lose their jobs, your guests will go to other venues. New safety measures are additional directives that your stakeholders must comply with the interest of each other's health and wellbeing.

New Procedures

To act responsibly and ensure the utmost is being done for the protection of stakeholders, then new procedures and policies will need to be introduced. Wynn casino has released their new policies ahead of the request of local government. They are well thought out and cover every step possible. Only one thing seems to be overlooked. Is it workable without sacrificing productivity? Firstly, let's take into account that business will be slow, only half the slots and tables will be available, tables limited to under half the amount of usual players and slot players will no longer be able to play multiple slots simultaneously. Additionally, the tables games and slot employees have been tasked with all the housekeeping of keeping everything sanitized. Take a moment to consider that a venue such as Wynn relies on volume and lots of it. Due to the huge volume of guests, they have been able to put concerns pf productivity on the back burner. Who cares if the roulettes spin rate is under 20 spins when it should be at 40? What does it matter if the blackjack hand rates are 50 hands per hour when it should be 90? The large volume of players along with the fact that they are on vacation and will stay and spend until they go home ensures the casino makes a healthy profit. Now dealers and supervisors will be required to both clean the pit equipment and police social distancing. The surveillance department will be charged with observing and reporting on infractions to these procedures.

What are the answers?

The solutions are easier than you think.

• Analyse existing table games dealing and supervisory procedures and alter in removing unnecessary aspects whilst adding optimised procedures that will increase productivity.
• Surveillance observations to be segregated into:
• Business as usual observations and reporting as previously,
• COVID-19 observations and reporting. Separating the observations will simplify analysis and effectiveness
• Measuring your business productivity is key. With the additional workloads, the business is going to impact negatively and as an operator, you need to know where.