Professional Services Offered
Wells Gaming Research (hereinafter referred to as WGR) is a highly respected
provider of a wide-range of research and advisory services for the casino gaming
industry.
Casino Player Count Service™
WGR's Casino Player Count Service™ has become the standard for
measuring relative player count performance within the casino gaming industry.
Our player count service is widely used by casinos, as well as by equity analysts
who track public gaming companies. WGR's weekly online player count reports
are accompanied by a host of powerful, user friendly analytical tools that make it
quick and easy for a client casino to monitor the competition. Client casinos can
log on to WGR's website and evaluate their competitors using the following
performance criteria:
- Casino rankings based on player count volume
- Number of table game and/or slot machine players
- Percent distribution of players
- Gaming capacity inventory for both table games and slot machines
- Percent distribution of market capacity
- Percent of capacity utilized
- User defined market fair share percentages
Fair Share Goal Setting Targets for User Defined Markets
One of the newest and most exciting features of WGR's Casino Player Count
Service™ is fair share goal setting for user defined markets. WGR's
online player count service automatically calculates the number of players
required for a casino to reach a series of fair market share targets
(for example, 100%, 105%, and 110%).
Gaming Capacity Inventories
WGR updates the gaming capacity inventory statistics for the player count
service on a quarterly basis. Client casinos can easily monitor capacity
adjustments for both table games and slot machines for their casino, as well as
for their competitors. WGR's website also provides a capacity trend analysis
feature.
Equity Analysts
Equity analysts use WGR's Casino Player Count Service™ reports
to monitor player counts for individual casinos owned by public companies,
and to track entire market areas. WGR's player count statistics are also given
consideration by equity analysts when forecasting quarterly casino revenues.
Data Collection for WGR's Casino Player Count Service™
WGR's field representatives physically count casino players five or more times
per week in 207 casinos located throughout the U.S. and Asia. WGR's current player
count service areas include California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Asia.
Casino Feasibility Studies
WGR's databases contain a detailed history of casino player counts collected in
eleven major gaming markets located throughout the U.S. This exclusive player count
information provides WGR with a proprietary resource that is unmatched for projecting
player volume, which is a key variable in the revenue function.
WGR has conducted casino feasibility studies and financial projections for a number
of new casinos including those proposed for:
- Mississippi - Tunica.
- Nevada - Las Vegas (the Strip, the Offstrip, and North Las Vegas),
as well as for Reno, Henderson, and Jackpot.
- Nova Scotia - Halifax and Sydney.
- Oregon - Ontario
Casino Gaming Market Studies
WGR's databases contain over 540,000 casino player counts collected between 1990 and
2010. Capacity information is collected and updated regularly on each casino's inventory
capacity mix of slot machines and table games. The player count data allows WGR to track
individual casinos, groups of casinos, and casino markets more closely and accurately than
any other organization except the state gaming regulatory authorities.
WGR has developed a custom gravity modeling system designed to forecast casino
revenues while taking into account the impacts that new or expanded competing casinos
could have on the project. The model is customized to include the appropriate trade area
and competitive casinos for each project.
Major market studies include:
- Las Vegas, Nevada area (Strip, Offstrip, North Las Vegas, and Henderson)
- Reno and Sparks, Nevada
- Minden/Gardnerville, Nevada
- Carson City, Nevada
- Northern California
- South Lake Tahoe
- Mississippi (Tunica, Natchez, and Vicksburg)
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Iowa (Spencer, Ottumwa, Emmetsburg, Waterloo, Davenport, and Bettendorf)
- Sugar Creek, Missouri
- Kansas (Kansas City, Wichita, Dodge City, and South-Eastern Kansas)
- Southern Indiana
- North-East Kentucky
- Deadwood, South Dakota
- Spokane, Washington
- Arizona
- Minnesota
Competitive Gaming Equipment Inventories
WGR conducts capacity inventories of slot machines, electronic player tracking systems, and
other gaming equipment located in casinos throughout the U.S. The client selects the casinos
to be inventoried. Then, WGR conducts the equipment inventories and does the comparative
analyses. WGR's clients include both casinos and major slot machine manufacturers. Slot
machine inventory projects include:
- 122,000 slot machines located in 63 casinos in the U.S. and Canada (inventories are
conducted twice each year).
- 38 Tribal casinos in California.
- 18,000 slot machines located in eight large Las Vegas casinos.
Litigation & Legislative Support
WGR provides a host of gaming expert witness related services to attorneys in the form of:
- Financial and market analyses
- Expert testimony and depositions
- Analyses of opposing expert reports
- Development of questions for depositions
- Development of exhibits for use in court
- Competitive analyses for anti-trust issues
- Exhibits, documents, and expert testimony for legislative issues
Marketing Research
WGR has conducted a wide variety of gaming related marketing research studies for casino
clients, as well as for proprietary internal use. For example, WGR has analyzed:
- The demographics and gambling characteristics of golfers on a nationwide basis.
- The gambling and demographic characteristics of local residents in both Reno and
Las Vegas.
- The growth of various forms of gaming in Reno's four major feeder markets
(California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia).
Marketing Surveys
Recent market research surveys include:
- 600 Las Vegas Strip visitors for a casino client
- 465 slot directors for a slot manufacturer
- 900 gaming establishments for a slot manufacturer
- 600 telephone inquiries to casino slot departments regarding online slot
machine systems
Market & Financial Due Diligence
WGR is well positioned to assist casino buyers in evaluating gaming markets in terms of:
- Competition
- Financial and operating performance
- Improvement potential of casino acquisition candidates
Financial Benchmark Studies
WGR conducts financial benchmark studies for existing casinos. Both revenue and expense
line items are compared with a casino's peer group of competitors. Differences are flagged.
One such study greatly aided the Client in improving its financial performance and in
turning losses into profits.
Special Projects
WGR conducts special projects on an ongoing basis. Some examples include:
- Casino market supply and demand analyses
- Slot and table game trends
- Casino player trend analyses
- Utilization analyses (table games including Caribbean Stud and Let-It-Ride, as
well as slot machines and automatic shuffler)
- Competitive analyses of slot machine inventories and utilization
- Table game instruction programs
- Average bets by table minimums for blackjack and craps
- Player counts by ethnic groups
Other Casino Gaming Services
Slot Payback Certification
WGR provides verification and certification of win percentages for slot machines and video
poker machines. Casinos have successfully used the win percentages in advertising
campaigns.
Pedestrian Traffic Counts
WGR has conducted pedestrian traffic studies to determine pedestrian volumes, directions,
and other characteristics of pedestrian traffic behavior in targeted areas in both Las Vegas
and Reno. Two specific locations were the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and
Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas and on Virginia Street in downtown Reno.
Special Event Attendance
WGR conducts attendance counts at special events, primarily in Nevada (Reno, Las Vegas,
and Laughlin) for convention authorities and other clients. WGR has conducted attendance
counts at most of Reno's special events.
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