"It’s your feedback that motivates me every day..."

Well last month I asked for it and you most certainly delivered. . . Feedback that is!

In my first blog, I asked to hear what’s on your mind to help us to improve, to create fun entertainment experiences and provide value to you. I was overwhelmed that so many of you took the time to express your feelings – the good and the bad. I truly appreciate the feedback as it is these comments for better or worse that give us the opportunities to critically improve our products and services to better serve our guests.

I’ve also shared your feedback with our property general managers and asked them to take these comments to heart and solve the problems of greatest concern.

The majority of what I read was about our slots. Questions and comments ranged from “Did you tighten your slots?” to “pay out/hold percentages” to “Are you bringing new games to the floor in this economy?” and then the exact opposite of “what happened to the old machines that I loved?”

I can assure you we have not “tightened” our slots or video poker games, in fact the opposite is the case. When it comes to video poker, the pay table is published right on the game itself so even a new video poker player would know if there was a change for the worse. As it relates to reel slots and video reels, we have added the bonus feature of our new Jumbo Cash Reel Bonus program that awards hundreds of additional free play bonuses ranging from $5-$10,000 to players at all Station Casinos and Fiesta properties, thus extending your playing time without even having to hit a jackpot. If you’re a slot or video reel player, why would you play anywhere else?

What’s most important to us when making slot/video poker decisions is to give you value for your money and time on the device. Additionally, we pride ourselves on always being ahead of the competition and providing you with broad and exciting new offerings of the latest and greatest games. Here’s some answers to your questions:

MYTH VS. REALITY

The ability to change the game outcome in the “Back Room” is a myth.
Slot machines are highly regulated by the Gaming Control Board and have randomly generated outcomes. While we have some flexibility in setting the pay tables/hold percentages, changing game setups is rarely done. We select highly competitive pay tables when setting up the machines, constantly survey our competition and make sure that we offer a wide range of product. Station still offers the same great pay tables as it always has.

New slot product
I’m pleased to announce that we recently installed more than 200 new machines across the company in the last two months and we will continue to add new games as the manufacturers like IGT and WMS release them. Stop any slot person on the floor to show you what’s new. (Read Hot in Las Vegas Slots: Optimum Play at Station Casinos for more about the latest slots.)

Old favorites
We can tell what our guests like/don’t like by how much the machines are played. If we see a demand for its return, we’ll certainly do what we can to bring it back. Which brings me to our new “Gamblers’ Den” at Palace Station. A lot of you have asked to bring back some of the great video poker games of the past that have seemed to disappear across the whole Valley. Games like 4/6/9 Jacks or Better or 4/10/16 Deuces Wild, even 5/7/9 Double Bonus Poker are just some of the “oldies but goodies” that are available. I invite you to give them a shot. Don’t forget, sometimes, we simply move the machines around, so your favorite slots may still be on the floor. If you can’t find your favorite game, just ask one of our friendly Guest Service Attendants and more than likely they’ll lead you to it.

Other suggestions included:

• Focus Groups and Town Hall Meetings – Great idea! It’s how we get better. We host focus groups all the time to get feedback to help us grow, improve and even test new products. I’ll look into ways we can open up that process for more people to participate.
• More senior citizen programs beyond once a week for guests on a fixed income- We love you guys and Senior Wednesdays is our attempt to provide you with specials and events that are value-oriented and fit the senior lifestyle. Look forward to additional senior-centric events throughout the year.
• Bring back the Jumbos – I know, I know, we love the Jumbo products too and although the original Jumbo Jackpot is taking a break right now, there’s still lots of Jumbo offerings out there for you to enjoy including Jumbo Bingo, Jumbo Keno, Jumbo Poker and even Jumbo Reel Cash Bonus.
• Find ways to bring back old customers – We never ever want to lose a guest, but I could use some additional feedback in how we lost your loyalty along the way. Please let me know. We’ll do everything we can to get you back in the Station family.

I was also touched by the support from so many of you; comments like “thanks for your continued to service to the locals,” “it’s great that once again Stations leads the way” and “congratulations for reaching out to the community to get our real feedback.”

It’s your feedback that motivates me every day to make our properties THE entertainment destination of choice for you. I appreciate everyone’s candor and hope this is just the start of hearing from you. I am committed to being accessible and wanting to know what’s most important to you.

PS – For those of you wondering what my kids thought of my blog: let’s just say that I definitely surprised them, in a very good way.

Sincerely,

Kevin L. Kelley
Chief Operating Officer