Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino ranks highest in gaming customer satisfaction among casinos in southern Arizona, according to the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction StudySM released last week.
The study measured overall customer satisfaction based on performance in five key measures (listed in order of importance): gaming, facility, cage cashier/ticket redemption machine, arriving/parking and beverage service.
Casinos in Cochise, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Yuma counties were included in the study, which was based on 1,287 responses from gaming players who visited an Indian casino in southern Arizona between December 2008 and May 2009.
“The highest-ranking Indian gaming casinos combine Las-Vegas-style excitement with the convenience of being local,” said Michael Drago, director of the global hospitality and travel practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “In the current economic climate, where ‘staycations’ are increasingly popular, Indian gaming casinos are a particularly satisfying entertainment option.”
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino ranked highest with a score of 748 on a 1,000-point scale and performed particularly well in four of five measures: gaming; facility; cage cashier/ticket redemption machine and arriving/parking. Following Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in the rankings were Casino Del Sol in Tucson and Desert Diamond Casino-Pima Mine Road located in Sahuarita.
The study found that the gaming experience makes a substantial contribution to overall satisfaction. Slot and other machine games are approximately three times as important as table games.
“Although other aspects of the casino experience are important, customer satisfaction with gaming continues to grow in importance and is the key differentiator in this highly competitive market,” said Drago.
The study also finds that satisfaction with gaming declines considerably when customers are unable to play the games they want, when they want and at their preferred denomination.
“Slot machine players, in particular, are very loyal to their preferred games,” said Drago. “By carefully evaluating the quantity and mix of their machine-based games, casinos may be able to maximize availability, minimize wait times and improve satisfaction levels. In turn, highly satisfied customers play for longer periods of time and return to play more often.”
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