More patrons trigger better casino service post-pandemic, survey finds

In 2023, more gamblers fostered better services at casinos, a survey hosted by the Macau Gaming Research Association (MGRA) aimed at generating Gaming Service Index (GSI) has revealed.

An online symposium was held yesterday morning to announce the results of the survey. The survey was conducted by SGS Hong Kong, commissioned by MGRA.

The survey employed mystery customers, who during the third and fourth quarter of last year evaluated the services provided by seven frontline departments – Table Game-Dealer, Slot Machine, Cashier, Security, Membership, Shuttle Bus and Cloakroom – at 12 local casinos with higher representation, according to the survey host. The 12 casinos were Grand Lisboa, StarWorld, MGM Macau, Sands, Wynn Macau, Grand Lisboa Palace, Galaxy, MGM Cotai, Venetian, Wynn Palace, City of Dreams and Studio City.

A total of 864 datapoints were collected.

Following the return of normal travel in 2023, there have been reports on both online and offline platforms about the drop in service quality in non-gambling trades, such as dining and retail.

Asked by the Times for an interpretation of the aforementioned finding in contrast to the service quality drop in other industries, Hannah Koo from MGRA suspected that it was caused by the past several years of business standstill in the casinos.

“Probably after three years of emptiness, casino workers were elated to see customers returning,” Koo said. She also said that previous editions of the same survey had shown that the most suitable number of gamblers at a single table – which would trigger the best service quality – was between seven to nine. Any number higher or lower than this would negatively impact service quality.

Her interpretation is that before the pandemic, some croupiers would rather sit at an empty table and do nothing rather than serve just a handful of gamblers. When the number increased to between seven and nine, the croupier’s motivation to provide service would improve.

Elaborating on Koo’s comment, Cheryl Tso from SGS underlined that service quality in the gambling industry may not be directly comparable to other industries. Customers in other industries may look for different qualities than those in casinos.

She added that although improvements in service quality have been recorded, extended studies are required to determine if this is a foundational or sporadic change.

Despite the participation of representatives from several local casino operators, no additional opinions or interpretations have been provided, even though Koo invited contributions.

When asked by the press about whether evaluations were affected when croupiers were disturbed by hustlers, Tso admitted that some gamblers disliked disturbances and this could contribute to their choice of casino.

As for the GSI, the survey hosts discovered the index had risen to a historic high in 2023, reaching 145 points. The base point was 100 in 2013.

The index is further separated into two indices: Macau Peninsula and Cotai GSIs. Last year, the Macau Peninsula GSI went to 144, which was a historic high. Meanwhile, after years of fluctuation, the Cotai GSI rested at 154, equivalent to the level in 2019.