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| Arkansas Adults Take 2.16 Million Casino Gambling Trips in 2002 According to National Survey |
| HARRAH'S ENTERTAINMENT LOGO
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. logo. (PRNewsFoto)[JL] LAS VEGAS, NV USA | |||
State Gamblers Average 5 Casino Trips Per Year; Tunica is Top Destination
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More than 432,000 Arkansas
adults gambled at an out of state casino in 2002. The findings are reported
in Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2003, a
comprehensive study of gaming enthusiasts in the United States which includes
specific data on gamblers in Arkansas and the Little Rock/Pine DMA (Designated
Market Area).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021220/LAF055LOGO )
Arkansas casino players averaged 5 casino trips to gamble in 2002 -- a
total of 2,162,000 casino visits for the year.
The Survey, commissioned by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET), is
available at http://www.harrahs.com. The findings are based on three nationwide
studies -- The Roper Reports, conducted by Roper ASW, and the U.S. Gaming
Panel and A Night in the Life of a Casino Gambler, both conducted by NFO
WorldGroup.
The top casino destination for Arkansas gamblers was Tunica, Miss., which
captured 80 percent of all casino trips.
Gamblers from the Little Rock/Pine Bluff DMA made a total of 1,011,000
casino visits in 2002. The 233,000 Little Rock/Pine Bluff-area casino players
took an average of 4.3 annual trips.
The casino gambling participation rate (percent of adult population that
gambled in a casino in the last 12 months) was 23.1 in Arkansas and 23.7 in
Little Rock/Pine Bluff. The national participation rate was 26 percent.
"The Harrah's Survey findings should inform the public policy discussion
about gaming in Arkansas," said Gary Loveman, president and CEO of Harrah's.
"A large number of Arkansas citizens as well as residents in surrounding
states partake in casino entertainment and would enjoy playing at a gaming
destination closer to where they live. Gambling dollars along with hotel and
entertainment spending are flowing to other states, when they could be
boosting tax revenues, jobs and capital investment in Arkansas."
NATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HARRAH'S SURVEY
Casino Visitation
-- More than a quarter of Americans age 21 and older - 26 percent or 51.2
million - gambled at a casino in 2002.
-- The number of casino trips in 2002 was 297.2 million.
-- On average, gamblers visited a casino about once every two months - 5.8
trips per year.
Player Demographics
-- The median household income of casino gamblers - $50,716 - is more than
20 percent higher than that of the overall U.S. population - $42,228.
-- Americans in upper income brackets have the highest casino gambling
participation rates (percentage of adults who gambled at least once in
a casino in the last 12 months) and those in the lowest income brackets
have the lowest rates. More than a third - 34 percent - of individuals
with annual household incomes in excess of $95,000 gambled in a casino
in 2002, while only 21 percent of those with annual incomes of less
than $35,000 gambled in a casino.
-- The typical casino player is middle-aged and more likely to be female.
The median age of casino gamblers is 47. The male-female ratio of
casino gamblers is 46 percent/54 percent.
-- Among Americans, the highest casino gambling participation rate is in
the 51 to 65 age group (30 percent of casino gamblers).
-- Casino players are more likely than non-gamblers - 46 percent versus 41
percent - to hold white-collar jobs.
Where Casino Players Live
Five states generated more than one-third of casino trips in the United
States during 2002, with 17 percent of casino trips originating in California
alone. Other findings include:
-- Illinois generated the second-most casino trips (15,020,000); Nevada,
New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Missouri
round out the top 10 states.
-- Florida became a top 10 state for the first time, supplying 10.5
million casino trips (4 percent of the U.S. market share) despite a
lack of convenient gaming destinations for residents.
-- 31 states each generated more than 2 million casino trips last year.
Arkansas (roughly 2.2 million trips) was added to the list in 2002.
-- The highest casino gambling participation rates occur among residents
living in the West (35 percent) and North Central (29 percent) census
regions.
-- Of the 26 states with casino participation rates greater than the
national average of 26 percent, only nine are east of the Mississippi.
Money Management
Casino gamblers tend to be more experienced investors, and their financial
portfolios are more varied than those of non-gamblers.
-- 39 percent of casino gamblers view themselves as intermediate or
knowledgeable investors (versus 29 percent of non-gamblers).
-- Gamblers like relatively aggressive investment options that provide a
greater opportunity for long-term earnings, including mutual funds and
stocks. The biggest differences between gamblers and non-gamblers occur
in retirement/pension plan investing (50 percent of gamblers versus 40
percent of non-gamblers) and mutual fund investing (23 percent versus
15 percent).
-- 46 percent of gamblers share the main responsibility for investment
decisions with someone else in their household as opposed to 38 percent
of non-gamblers, who are more likely to say someone else has most or
all of the responsibility.
Travel & Entertainment
Casino players tend to be more active and willing to try new things when
it comes to travel and entertainment.
-- 51 percent of gamblers go out for entertainment at least twice a week
(versus 37 percent of non-gamblers).
-- Gamblers average 7.6 meals out a month versus 6.6 for non-gamblers.
-- Based on reported travel activities in the past year, gamblers are far
more likely to engage in a variety of vacation and outdoor
experiences: trip to the lake/shore/beach (64 percent for gamblers vs.
49 percent for non-gamblers); took a camping/hiking trip (26 percent
vs. 16 percent); took a trip to a historical site inside U.S. (25
percent vs. 18 percent); went on resort vacation (24 percent vs. 8
percent).
-- Gamblers are more likely to have taken a vacation of 5+ days in the
past year (63 percent versus 47 percent).
-- Both gamblers and non-gamblers (68 percent equally) seek
safety/security first in their approach to travel. Gamblers are more
likely to try new places (61 percent versus 47 percent). Non-gamblers
are more budget conscious when they plan travel (54 percent versus 48
percent for gamblers).
Consumer Choice & Lifestyle
Gamblers are more likely to spend money on travel, new cars and special
friends, but the typical casino player is more selective in his or her
shopping habits.
-- 13 percent of casino players plan to buy a car within the next two
years (versus 9 percent of non-gamblers).
-- Even though gamblers have higher incomes than non-gamblers, they look
for deals. 62 percent of gamblers often or fairly often shopped at the
store with the best prices (versus 52 percent of non-gamblers).
Gamblers are more likely to use coupons (56 percent versus 51 percent)
and buy in bulk (47 percent versus 35 percent).
-- Non-gamblers are more likely to attend a place of worship at least once
a month (63 percent non-gamblers vs. 52 percent gamblers).
-- 50 percent of gamblers reported having a date on a "romantic occasion"
during the past month as opposed to 40 percent of non-gamblers.
A Night in the Life of Casino Gambler
On a typical night at the casino:
-- Most gamblers (53 percent of respondents) like to stay in an upper
floor room with a view at a casino hotel.
-- Buffets by far are gamblers' favorite restaurants in casinos (57
percent). And 54 percent of gamblers typically take two passes at the
offerings.
-- Hearts are gamblers' favorite card suit (40 percent) followed by spades
(31 percent).
-- The song that best captures the casino atmosphere according to gamblers
is "Viva Las Vegas" (34 percent) followed by "All Night Long" and
"Celebrate" (both 24 percent)
-- Soda (36 percent) is the preferred drink when gamblers are playing
casino games.
-- Cherries (37 percent) are gamblers' favorite classic slot machine
symbol.
Games of Choice
Slot machines and electronic gaming devices, particularly quarter slots,
are the most popular casino games among Americans.
-- 74 percent of casino gamblers prefer to play slot machines and video
poker. 14 percent prefer table games. Blackjack/21 is the favorite.
-- Slot machines are most popular for both men and women. 81 percent of
women gamblers prefer slot machines. 67 percent of men prefer the
slots.
-- 20 percent of men prefer table games, while only 8 percent of women do.
Table games are most popular among young adults and least popular among
older adults.
About Harrah's Survey 2003
"Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2003" is based on
three nationwide studies:
Roper Reports
Roper ASW administered face-to-face interviews to a nationwide sample of
2,000 men and women, 18 years of age and older, in respondents' homes. The
Roper ASW research used in compiling this Profile was conducted in four waves
between January and December 2002. The margin of error is approximately +/-3%.
U.S. Gaming Panel
NFO WorldGroup mailed a survey questionnaire in 2002 to a panel of 100,000
adults (25,000 adults per quarter) 21 years of age or older within the
Continental United States. The survey generated 64,753 respondents from which
NFO identified the U.S. Gaming Panel, a nationally representative sample of
16,438 casino players. The margin of error is approximately +/-1%, and can
vary between +/-2% and +/-5% depending on sample segmentation.
A Night in the Life of a Casino Gambler
NFO mailed a survey questionnaire in June 2003 to 3,300 individuals 21
years of age or older who were pre-identified as having gambled in a casino in
the prior 12 months. The survey generated 2,523 returns. The margin of error
is approximately +/-2%.
Founded 65 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. operates 26 casinos in
the United States, primarily under the Harrah's brand name. Harrah's
Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its target
customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products,
unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
Additional information about Harrah's Entertainment is available at
http://www.harrahs.com.
SOURCE Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
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Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021220/LAF055LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Brent Burkhardt for Harrah's Entertainment,
+1-410-986-1303, or +1-410-299-2528 (cell), bburkhardt@tbc.us
NOTE TO EDITORS: Harrah's Survey relating to specific states are
available on http://www.prnewswire.com.
