Adult millennials are set to succeed baby boomers as the primary group visiting casinos around the United States. The difference between baby boomers and millennials is technological advancements, which puts the millennials less interested in the standard gambling options available at casinos.
Studies have found that millennials from 21 to 34 years of age feel that slot machines are boring and they would rather visit a nightclub instead of having a seat at a table game at the casino. Most millennials have a budget for travel and want to enjoy the adventure of gambling, but find that they would rather spend their money on theme parks or enjoying touring an exciting city.
Spectrum Gaming Group Managing Director, Michael Pollock, stated that the rise of millennials will not be live the previous shifts in generations. This one is considered massive and has casino executives as well as manufacturers of gaming looking to adapt the gaming industry to entice the next generation to gambling.
During a recent webinar, Pollock discussed the long-range impact of the millennial generation to casinos. Millennials make up around a third of the population in the United States, totaling around 84 million, which is more than the 78 million of baby boomers who currently visit the casinos.
Millennials are educated and are the most tech-savvy, which makes them uninterested in the older technology of gaming venues. Millennials are more apt to take a leisure trip and spend around $1.3 trillion a year, based on figures by the Boston Consulting Group.
Because the millennial generation has grown up with the internet and mobile devices, they have experienced gaming online in some form or fashion. This can include daily fantasy sports and online sports betting. Millennials are more apt to wager on e-sports, which can consist of team competitions for video games such as Call of Duty.
MMGY Global, a marketing service firm for travel and entertainment, saw Vice Chairman Peter Yesawich stating that the millennial generation will be the driving force behind leisure travel over the next three to five years. When comparing this generation’s preferred activities, gambling ranks very low among the choices. The first choice is to try new cuisine, visit a theme park or enjoy an outdoor adventure.
Casinos should not focus on millennials so much that other customers are overlooked, but should consider offering different game options or amenities that will appear to the younger audiences to bring them into the venues. Many manufacturers are focusing on developing gaming options to entice players, making options reminiscent to video gaming, an interest of the millennial generation.