ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 6, 2006 - As casinos continue to invest money
into their facilities, a new survey shows that in the past 12 months, over
half (59%) of U.S. adults say they have not visited a casino, while half
(51%) say they are not at all likely to visit a casino in the next 12 months.
Perhaps this is because people say they look for an entertainment experience,
and not just gambling. Among those who say they are at least somewhat likely
to visit a casino in the next 12 months (49%), three-quarters of them are
planning on going to their restaurants, 40 percent are planning on attending
an entertainment activity/show and 35 percent are planning on shopping,
compared to 69 percent who are planning to play slot machines (including
video poker), 27 percent who are planning to play table games and 13 percent
who are planning to participate in other gaming activities.
Further evidence that people are looking more for an entertainment
experience is found in the low level of participation in Loyalty/Players
Club card programs. While four in 10 (41%) adults have been to a casino
in the past 12 months, only one in four (24%) adults participates in Loyalty/Players
Club Card program.
These are the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,172 U.S. adults
surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between June 7 and 13, 2006.
Many will go the distance to visit casinos
Of U.S. adults who have visited a casino in the past 12 months, 42
percent made only one trip, while almost half (47%) have made two or more
trips in the last 12 months. Developers of new casinos may bear in mind
that people are also willing to travel to these destinations. Among those
who have visited a casino in the past year, over half (54%) have traveled
100 miles or more to get there, while less than one-quarter (22%) of casino
visitors have traveled less that 25 miles and 23 percent traveled between
25 and 99 miles.
"Casino/Resorts have found a way to enrich the value of experiences
they offer visitors, and in the process they are capturing a larger 'share
of wallet' of entertainment spend," according to Jim Quilty, Vice President
of Travel and Tourism Research at Harris Interactive.
Some other findings include:
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Those in the West are the most likely to have visited a casino in the past
12 months (52%) and over half (55%) are likely to visit a casino in the
next 12 months. Perhaps this indicates the draw of Las Vegas! Southerners
are the least likely to say they have visited a casino in the past 12 months
(31%), while 36 percent of adults in the East, and 47 percent of adults
in the Midwest have visited a casino in the past 12 months.
-
Among those who have visited a casino in the past 12 months, Southerners
travel the farthest -- slightly over two-thirds (68%) traveled over 100
miles when they visited a casino, while over half of Easterners and those
who live in the West (58% and 57%, respectively) traveled over 100 miles.
The Midwesterners have it easy -- among those who have gone to a casino
in the past 12 months, only one-third (34%) had to travel over 100 miles
while 39 percent traveled under 25 miles.
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Among those who have visited a casino in the past 12 months, Generation
Xers (ages 30-41) are the gamblers. Only four percent of them had visited
a casino and not gambled, as compared to 14 percent of the other generations
who had visited a casino. On the other side, 10 percent of Gen Xers and
Baby Boomers (ages 42-60) said they had gambled 10 times or more as compared
to eight percent of Matures (ages 65 and over) who said that and compared
to only four percent of Echo Boomers (ages 18-29) who had visited a casino
in the past 12 months..
Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between
June 7 and 13, 2006 among 1,172 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for
age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted
where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in
the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for
respondents' propensity to be online.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include:
sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed);
measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately
or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals),
interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that
result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a
finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words
should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it
is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not
other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure
probability sample of 1,172 adults one could say with a 95 percent
probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2
percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into
account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and
therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National
Council on Public Polls.
J28028
Q915, 920, 922, 930, 936
The Harris Poll(R) #53, July 6, 2006
By Regina Corso, Research Director, Public Affairs and Policy Research,
Harris Interactive(R)
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research
firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights
and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions
which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris
Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running,
independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods.
The company has built what could conceivably be the world's largest panel
of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves
clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its
wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network
of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides
its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel
development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation.
More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com.
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