G2E Panelists Say Younger Casino Customers Are More ‘Promiscuous’ Than Ever

^{(L to R) Moderator Justin Schek, Saverio Scheri, Christopher Abraham, Anika Howard, and Gene Johnson, panelists at “The Evolving Casino Customer: New Expectations and Behaviors.” (Photo: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)}

LAS VEGAS – Operators may have to work even harder to get players in the doors of land-based casinos than they ever had before, according to gaming executives at the Global Gaming Expo this year.

The discussion happened during a panel titled "The Evolving Casino Customer: New Expectations and Behaviors,” moderated by Justin Schek, featured panelists Saverio Scheri (Principal at Panamint Gaming), Christopher Abraham (Chief Marketing Officer at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno), Anika Howard (CEO of WondrNation), and Gene Johnson (Executive Vice President at Victor Strategies).

Together, they examined what today's average casino customer actually wants, and how operators can keep pace with those shifting expectations. The conversation built on themes raised at last year's G2E, where industry experts discussed how Gen Z is reshaping expectations around the non-gaming side of the casino experience.

Casinos once were able to focus only on the gaming experience and expected to see revenue gains from focusing solely on that. But now operators are competing with online gaming, which can cannibalize customers' attention and keep them from heading into the casino.

"It's not just about sitting in front of a slot machine passively hitting a button all the time, the customer today wants the full experience," panelist Saverio Scheri said. "That's why you’re seeing this fundamental shift, unfortunately, away from gaming and into other types of entertainment."

This year's panel took that conversation a step further, noting that the gaming floor is no longer the only part of the property competing for a customer's attention.

Non-Gaming Amenities Drive People Onto Property Over Online Play

Gambling continues to be a major reason people visit casino resort properties around the country, but it's not at the heart of the casino experience as it once was.

Experts on the panel agreed that customers increasingly want their casino property to give more reasons to stay. That can look like offering great dining or deals at a steakhouse, visiting a spa, or seeing a show while they're at that property. Abraham, the chief marketing officer at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, cited data from a 2025 report indicating that 45% of players at land-based casinos spend more time engaging with non-gaming amenities than on the casino floor itself. Those amenities can include spas, entertainment, or restaurants.

The Las Vegas Strip has built a whole ecosystem around the casino, so visitors have lots of reasons to spend money on property here without sitting down at a slot machine. Many people come to the city for an entertainment experience, like seeing a show at the Sphere or watching an NFL game at Allegiant Stadium. That’s where dining, shopping or visiting a spa at the casino can become an add-on to the primary reason when gambling may be a smaller focus in the trip.

The same dynamic is playing out on a bigger level in regional casino markets like New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and Michigan. The variety of online casino options continues to grow, so land-based casinos are competing for a player’s choice, whether it’s the one on their phone or across the street. A physical casino has to offer a compelling value proposition to provide customers with something an app can't necessarily replicate.

“In many cases, they can be promiscuous,” said Scheri. “They're looking and seeing opportunities everywhere and we don't necessarily know how many offers they are looking at. The benchmark has shifted from what your competitors are doing from a casino perspective to what customers can experience in general.”

The panelists compared this to the convenience consumers experience when interacting with other industries, such as food delivery apps. Customers can order almost anything right at their fingertips via apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash, the same way they can move between competing entertainment services with just a few taps on their phones. Their expectations for convenience don't necessarily disappear when they walk into a casino.

"There are online players that will never come into the casino and that will always come in because that's their preference," Johnson said. "But there are players that really need that experience and connection, who are always going to be core land-based players."

Personalization Is the Name of the Game

The panelists also said that today's players want to have a customized experience when they visit a brick-and-mortar property.

A few years ago, a broad offer such as $20 in free play might have been enough to keep the customers coming. Now, operators have access to vast amounts of data on how individuals spend their time and money.

"The customization of offers that guests are seeing now has vastly evolved from what it was just even just three years ago when everyone received the same offer or everyone just received free play," Scheri said. "Now, guests are starting to say, ‘hey, this offer was designed for me, they know I like the steakhouse.’"

Operators can tailor benefits to what individual customers enjoy, since it doesn't necessarily make sense to offer someone a free show when they're showing greater interest in dining. The panelists agreed that the goal is to make the customer feel recognized instead of “just feeling marketed to.”

Personalization typically relies on the use of a player's card, which the panelists are saying that could be something the industry does away with down the line. Repeatedly presenting a card, they noted, can leave guests "constantly feeling like they have to prove who they are over and over again," adding friction for the sake of a casino's internal processes.

"The card's a little clunky these days, honestly,” Abraham said. “In due time, we’ll look to move away from players' cards to a better biometric, like a fingerprint or something similar, for every time they come into a restaurant or establishment.”

Biometrics could eventually allow a casino to recognize a customer at a restaurant or another amenity without requiring them to repeatedly present a physical card. But if a customer feels like they're constantly being tracked without receiving anything in return, personalization can feel intrusive when they know so much of their data is being analyzed.

Players Getting Younger and Pickier

Gen Z’s deep connection to technology is giving casinos more to consider in their approach.

One panelist cited data from the AGA showing that the average age of a gambling customer has fallen from 50 in 2019 to 42 in 2024, continuing a trend discussed at last year's G2E panel on Gen Z expectations.

Still, the generational divide isn't as sharp as it might seem. Operators can't afford to focus exclusively on younger guests.

"If you think of an average 65-year-old player today, that player can still be very connected in the same way that someone that's 25 is connected," Scheri said.

The panelists indicated that casinos have to focus on tailoring the experience to each customer rather than doing what’s best for a single demographic. After all, the 80/20 rule still holds, indicating that a relatively small portion of customers accounts for a significant share of casino revenue.

"Let's stop for a moment and say, where is my money coming from?” Scheri said. “It's still the 80-20 rule. 80% of my revenue is still coming from 20% of my customers. You have the analytics now to easily zero in on those customers that are most profitable.”

As Scheri put it earlier, today's players can be "promiscuous," chasing the best offer available rather than staying loyal out of habit. Loyalty to a single property is no longer something operators can take for granted.

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