WHAT ATTRIBUTES ARE SOUGHT BY CHINESE CASINO VISITORS WHEN THEY VISIT A CASINO

Understanding what attributes are sought by casino visitors during their visit to a casino can enable casino operators to enhance the quality of service elements. This study assessed the important casino attributes that casino visitors seek when visiting a casino. The study also seek to identify the major segments of casino visitors with similar preferences for casino attributes, and determine whether difference(s) may exist between segments in terms of trip behavior and socio-demographic characteristics. Using the benefit segmentation approach, quantitative data were collected from 371 Chinese casino visitors. Four distinct segments of Chinese casino visitors were identified; namely games customers, casual tryout customers, employee service customers, and casino goers. Two segments were actually concerned with gaming specifically. Based on the findings, we established that casinos need to identify strategic segments and allocate adequate resources to achieve the competitive advantages of each segment. Casinos also need to develop innovative products or services for particular segments whose members may not see gaming as the main reason to visit casinos. This research highlights the need to use benefit segmentation to understand the visitors to casino properties.