IT Makes Harrah's Stronger (More Appealing, Too)

Nobody is talking about the computing power- the size of the server farms or mid-range iron, the fast networks integrating everything - that constitute the backroom operations of Harrah's but for the world's largest gaming entertainment provider, it is undoubtedly colossal. That computational strength has been parlayed into benefits in such visible areas as cash flows, security, automated gaming operations, marketing and customer relationship management (CRM).

From a CRM viewpoint, the biggest achievement has to have been putting the information gathered about over a hundred million visitors annually at over fifty casino hotel entertainment properties across the U.S., in Canada, South America, London, Scotland, South Africa and Macao. An ironclad commitment to making each patron feel unique and special took a giant step forward with the joint introduction of intelligent loyalty cards and installing the hardware on the floor to make CRM work in real time.

By registering on line and on casino premises, new and old patrons alike voluntarily supply their personal information, age, origin, occupation and other demographic profiling data to Harrah's. From then on, the chain makes sure to capture every return visit, games played, amounts bet and lost to the house.

This makes administering a system of frequency rewards and comps based on dollars bet (and lost) absurdly easy. The most seamless application to date has been on the slot machines. Most of Harrah's slots now have card readers in which players insert their personal loyalty card while playing that machine. Since each slot is effectively an intelligent terminal networked to the house server and the central database in Tennessee, the casino knows exactly when the player has reached a new rewards level. The corresponding perk or comp can then be announced right on the terminal or hand-delivered by a pit assistant.

Besides responding alertly to player activity, the slot machine/terminal can also be used to flash announcements of new incentive schemes the patron may not know about yet, reminders about other games he has tried in the past (even in other Harrah's properties) and a show that is about to start.

Lest the action at the table games be neglected, intelligent card readers have already been installed. All it takes is a swipe of one's loyalty card and the system already knows that Mr. Joe Smith from Peoria has started play at the mid-stakes Hold 'em Poker table.

Already in test are additional sensors under each player's place at the table. These can read the RFID-embedded playing chips and hence, tote up the action at the table. The system is still slower than humans but such an obstacle is amenable to software and sensor sensitivity solutions. Conceivably, therefore, casino management can remotely monitor Joe Smith's bets, wins and losses at the table. What a welcome surprise it would be then to get word to the dealer and let Joe know that the last hand he just played put him over the top for a cash-back and dinner comp!

Rewards program members who come and register themselves with their user name and password via a PDA or tablet PC gain the ability to gamble both live and online. And the system can deliver alerts, such as that a similarly-equipped colleague or family member has just hit the jackpot several tables away.

All in all, the power of automation has contributed to enlivening the patronage experience of loyal customers. And there is no end in sight to creative applications of a massive patron database continuously updated in real time. Combined with highly segmented direct marketing campaigns, the Harrah's chain has continuously increased its share of customers' gaming budgets.