Dealing to Asian Customers

By Bill Zender

With the increased interest in Far East gambling due to the expansion of gaming on the island of Macau, more local casino operators are taking a new interest in marketing to domestic Asian gamblers. If Asians players are wagering unbelievable amounts of cash across the green felt lined tables in Macau, maybe their North American cousins have a desire to gamble in a similar manner as well. This desire to attract the domestic Asian market has created a multitude of questions concerning Asian players that for the most part have gone unanswered. Because of my past experience in Asian gaming I have been bombarded lately with a number of gaming questions which include why are Asians good gamblers, what games do they prefer, what superstitions concern them, and how do I effectively market my casino to that culture? Following are some random thoughts about these concerns on the Asian gambling culture and what the domestic casino operator needs to take into consideration when marketing to these different Asian players.

Who is considered an “Asian” player and why are they considered good casino customers?

Actually, anyone who has ancestry linked to Asia or the multitudes of island countries close to the Asian continent is considered “Asian”. Just like other areas of the globe Asians have their own traditions, suspicions, and idiosyncrasies just like other people with lineage traced to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. What makes the Asian player extremely attractive to the casino operator is their natural high propensity for embracing many forms of gambling.

Unlike many Western cultures who view gambling as “sinful” and socially unacceptable, Eastern cultures view the act of gambling something of value on an uncertain event as part of life. Many look upon luck in gambling as a measure of their self worth and a tool for predicting their immediate future. In many cases an Asian family supports members of their family who gamble on a regular basis. They will financially support the unlucky punters poor fortune, while enjoying the benefits when the relative revels in a lucky streak. In most instances Asian families think nothing of selling off items of value such as property and even homes to pay the gambling debts of an unfortunate gambling relative. In the Western culture ongoing gambling loses indicate pathological and addictive symptoms regarding their gaming habits, many Asian cultures look at this as just another factor to deal with in life’s normal process.

Most Asian cultures have a high propensity to gamble, but based on my experience in Asian gaming, the cultures with the greatest desire to gamble are the Chinese and the Southeast Asians (includes Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, and Hmongs). The Koreans and the Filipinos both possess an intense interest in gambling, but not as great as the Chinese and Southeast Asians. Probably the Asian culture with the lowest interest in gaming is the Japanese. Their beliefs are more “Western” in nature and they tend to value the middle class existence. In the Western cultures the two class extremes that tend to have a greater desire to gamble are usually the poor and the rich; the middle class is more interested in the possession of material objects such as mini vans and four bedroom homes, and look at gambling as a frivolous waste of resources. However, in the past several years the increase in Pachinko Parlors in Japan has indicated that the Japanese may not be too far behind in the risk department as compared to their other Asian neighbors.

• What are the games of preference of the Asian customers?

Last year I was requested to present a seminar on the operation, procedures, and protection of the game of Pai Gow tiles for one of the Las Vegas Strip casinos. They had been flirting with expanding their casino marketing efforts to include both local and California Asian gamblers, and were considering adding the Pai Gow tile game to their live games on the casino floor. In between seminars I was able to chat with several members of upper casino management and my first question was, “Why do you want to put the game of Pai Gow tiles on the casino floor?” Their reply, “Because we want to attract more Asian play”. It suddenly became apparent that management had not done their due diligence regarding Asian marketing and game preference. If management had done their research they would have realized that the game of Pai Gow tiles is far from being the most attractive game for the regular Asian gambler.

The most desirable casino game is baccarat. It fits well into their cultural expectation for a game of chance. Once the cards have been shuffled and cut they are placed into a dealing shoe, and since the game is played with a “third card draw rule” making hand outcomes “predestined”, gambling on the outcomes can be directly related to the bettor’s fate. This belief is evident when a card is drawn in error by the dealers; the players feel their fate has been tampered with and in many cases will refuse to wager on the remaining cards in the shoe. Presently, the game of baccarat is the most prevalent game on the casino floor in Macau, played on approximately 85% of all Macanese live gaming tables.

The second most popular game is Pai Gow Poker (PGP). PGP is a close substitute for the game of Chinese Poker, also known as “Thirteen Card” or “Good, Better, and Best”. PGP consists of 7 cards that are used to construct two hands of two cards and five cards. Chinese Poker is played using 13 cards that are used to construct three hands of three cards, five cards, and five cards (highest combination plays as high hand of five cards). The problem with 13-card Chinese Poker is the game is quite slow and can only be played by four gamblers at a time (before backline wagering). PGP is also very popular with the Filipino community as well as interest from more traditionally “Western” customers since the card values are the same as traditional poker.

In Asia the games of Sic Bo (three dice game) and Fan Tan (wagering on the number of “buttons” in a random draw) are very popular and usually are preferred by Chinese and Southeast Asians over PGP. However, in North America neither game has gained player appeal. Fan Tan is much too slow for most casino operators, and based on regulatory concerns with game protection, Sic Bo can not be played in the traditional manner. In Asia Sic Bo is played with the dice container (covered) shaken before betting. In Nevada, although the dice container is still covered, the dice must be shaken last after completion of all wagering. This mandated procedure is quite contrary to the Asian concept of predestine fate or luck.

The last game on the list is Pai Gow tiles. The reason for this limited acceptance is that Pai gow tiles is a very difficult game to play and the game’s playing strategy is only understood by the more experienced gambler. Because the hand strategy is complicated many gamblers steer clear of Pai Gow because they are afraid of embarrassment or “losing face” from setting the Pai Gow hands wrong. The act of “losing face” in the Asian culture is a constant concern and needs to be thoroughly understood by all “Western” oriented casino management before any venture into marketing Asian players in implemented.

What are some of the superstitions related to Asian gaming?

Cultural traits and superstitions are not limited to the Asians customer’s fear of “losing face”. Asians cultures have a great respect for a balance in life and the life force that they perceive as been part of their everyday lives, as well as a great respect for numerology, or the influence of numbers. The balance of life known as Feng Shui, and the influence of the life force known as “Chi” (chee) is the foundation of their gambling superstitions. Some of the basic superstitions the gambling operator should be aware of are:

• Don’t touch the player on the shoulder or upper back; touching the player in this portion of the body is an intrusion of the persons “soul” and will drain the “luck” from his or her body.
• Don’t put your foot or hand on the player’s chair. This is also perceived as drain on the players luck.
• Never place Asian gaming tables near a shoe shine stand or near restrooms located near the front of the casino. Shoe shine stands use black shoe polish which is considered the “color of death”. This also holds true to other symbols that utilize the color black including the use of a black background with signage. In the Chinese culture having the restroom in the front of the house indicates bad luck. It’s much easier to place the Asian gaming tables far away from the restrooms then it is to move the restrooms themselves.
• Don’t place Asian games on the floor where an isle connects the gaming tables directly to an exit. Asians believe that the life force “Chi” will be sucked away from them if Chi has a direct route out the door. Asians will not gamble if they’re in an area of the building that is perceived as a “breezeway”.
• Do place Asian games as close to the casino cage as possible. The Asian player places a high respect on the value of money and believes they are luckier when gaming close to where the money is kept
• Never, ever carry a book into the pit where the Asian games are located. The Chinese word for “book” sound very similar to the word “lose” and they perceive the presents of a book near their gaming table as an indication that bad luck is near as well.
• The numbers 4 and 14 are very unlucky in the Chinese culture. The word for the number 4 sounds very similar to the word for “death”. Many Chinese and Southeast Asians will not gamble or conduct business in a place that has the number 4 in its address. Hotels and Inns in the Far East have omitted the number 4 and 14 in their floor numbering scheme; even more so then the Westerner would do with the number 13.
• The number 8 is a good number. A home for sale with a series of 8’s in the address will go for a premium in the Asian community. The number 8 is an indication of continued prosperity.
  

What does management need to do to attract and keep Asian customers?

In most cases Asian players will be attracted to a casino where they know they will be treated with respect and believe they are welcome. This basic customer relation rule usually will be perceived as more important than most marketing promotions, and is much less costly. In many cases the Asian player is treated poorly by non-Asian dealer, who will sometimes mock the players causing a “loss of face”. Be sure to instruct your dealers as to the proper methods of addressing and communicating with the Asian players. An ounce of prevention in this area will do surprising wonders when starting an intense Asian marketing program.

Respect is one popular feature, and acknowledgment of your interest in their beliefs is another. The casino needs to acknowledge the traditional Chinese holidays such as Dragon Boat and the Harvest Moon Festivals, as well as the most important date, Chinese New Year. Doing little special things such as passing out Moon cakes and New Year “Lee See” red envelopes, will create a good bond between you and your Chinese customers. Other demonstrations of acknowledgment would be to hold a “Lion Dance” during the first several days of the Chinese New Year and by placing Tangerine trees around the Asian gaming pit area (the eating of a fresh Tangerine during New Years will bring prosperity).

During the rest of the year a bond can be created through lesser acknowledgements. When making change for a $100 bill give the Asian customers eight bills, four $20’s and four $5’s (when change a $100 chip give the player three $25 chips and five $5 chips). Another common chip conversion would be to give the player four $100 chips and four $25 chips when breaking a $500 chip.

Believe it or not, expensive promotions usually are not very effective. Most Asian players are interested in gambling and don’t place much value on giveaways, drawings, or gambler programs. In most case the expensive promotions are created by an Asian host who is more concerned with his or her appearance in the local Asian community then they are with developing a productive marketing program for their casino. Like all Asians, your Asian host is concerned with “losing face”. Many will try to create grandiose promotions or special events that provide the host with perceived “importance” that does not translate into increased play or popularity for the casino.

Another point to consider; when the Asian host has to tell his or her players “no” it tend to cause them loss of face. A wise move by the casino is to never allow the Asian host to establish or extend a line of credit. By assigning the responsibility for credit to other casino executive, not only will the casino keep the Asian host from making emotional credit decisions, management provides the Asian host with a buffer zone allowing the host to establish an “us against them” situation with his player. “I had to push my boss real hard, but this is what I got for you”. By taking credit decisions and responsibilities away from your Asian host you place your operation in a win-win situation.