Hamilton New Zealand: divergent attitudes when the casino came to town.

Another finding to note is the divergence in attitudes toward the casino by those who have visited--who were favorable toward the casino--and those have not--who were consistently negative. Those differences were in many cases statistically significant. We found significant differences on such survey questions as the following: having a casino in Hamilton could encourage children to gamble; the casino will attract more traditional vices like prostitution and loan sharking; and it could increase crime and traffic congestion. All of these drew higher mean scores from those who had not visited the casino than from those who had done so. Along the same line, women scored higher agreement ratings than men to those three negative issues, as well as to the proposition that there are too many casinos in New Zealand (see Exhibit 5).

Our analysis of the positive attitudes toward the casino showed statistical significance along the same lines--men and those who visited the casino were more positive than women and those who did not visit. Hong and Jang (2004) found similar divergences in their study of Korean attitudes. Thus, men and visitors agreed more strongly with such questions as the following: the casino will bring more international tourists to Hamilton; the casino is good for the economy; it will attract more companies to move to Hamilton and generate more jobs; and it will provide more colorful nightlife to Hamilton.

As marketers, it is no doubt more beneficial to retain current customers than to create new ones. Having said that, it may, on the other hand, limit the growth of the business if it does not keep generating new clientele and keep making efforts to win even skeptical customers. The negative attitudes of people who have not visited the casino indicates a need for an appropriate marketing strategy toward those residents. While it may not be possible to bring them into the casino, given their disapproval of gaming, the management could further promote the casino's entertainments other than gambling. Perhaps this will encourage more people to make a visit to the casino, but it may at least blunt some of the negative attitudes, with the realization that the casino is more than just a gaming venue. In particular, managers might consider a strategy of promotional activity targeting women. Another implication based on the findings is that casino management needs to strengthen the weak positive perceptions of people who have not visited the casino, perhaps by stressing the positive experiences of people who have visited the casino and using those experiences as a marketing tool. Above all, the casino needs to show that it is a good citizen with continuous community welfare activities--in particular, showcasing its efforts to offset gambling addiction and to prevent the sordid criminal enterprises (notably, loan sharking and prostitution) that many residents associate with gambling. We believe this study provides clear indicative direction to the casino management in Hamilton to develop its strategies based on perceptions of local patrons and others who have not visited the casino.

Research Implications

While our findings echo those of a number of studies conducted internationally, we have seen little research of this kind within New Zealand. Thus, we see this study as providing material to readers and researchers for studies comparing perceptions of local Hamilton residents to those of other casino operations. We must caution that our study cannot claim to be wholly conclusive. Despite a reasonable sample size, we note the danger of subjectivity and response bias among our respondents. Nevertheless, the study has been the first substantial attempt to research casino perceptions in New Zealand. The study offers an opportunity for other researchers to compare and contrast resident perceptions on casino business with other studies conducted in different parts of the globe.

References

Awe, S. C., K. Keating, and D. G. Schwartz. 2002. Studies in chance: A selective guide to gaming industry resources. Reference Services Review 30 (2): 169-75.

Brindley, C. 1999. The marketing of gambling on the internet. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 9 (4): 281-86.

Compulsive Gambling Society of New Zealand, Inc. 1996. Submission on gaming review, www.CGS.con.nz.

Department of Internal Affairs. 2000. Gaming reform in New Zealand: Towards a new legislative framework. http://www.dia.govt.nz.

Gonzales, A. A., T. A. Lyson, and K. Whitney Mauer. Forthcoming. What does a casino mean to a tribe? Assessing the impact of casino developments on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Social Science Journal.

Hamilton City Council. 2007. Community profile, www .hamiltoncity.co.nz.

Hinch, T., and G. J. Walker. 2005. Casino markets: A study of tourists and local patrons. Tourism and Hospitality Research 6 (1): 72-87.

Hong, S., and H. Jang. 2004. Segmentation of early casino markets: An exploratory study. Tourism Management 25:801-5.

Israeli, A. A., and A. Mehrez. 2000. From illegal gambling to legal gaming: Casinos in Israel. Tourism Management 21 (3): 281-91.

Johnson, J. 2006. An analysis of the obligations of gambling entities under the FATF's anti-money laundering recommendations. Journal of Money Laundering Control 9 (1): 7-18.

Kang, S. K., C. K. Lee, Y. Yoon, and P. T. Long. Forthcoming. Resident perception of the impact of limited-stakes community-based casino gaming in mature gaming communities. Tourism Management.

Koo, J., M. Rosentraub, and A. Horn. 2007. Rolling the dice? Casinos, tax revenues, and the social costs of gaming. Journal of Urban Affairs 29 (4): 367-81.

Layton, A., and A. Worthington. 1999. The impact of socioeconomic factors on gambling expenditure. International Journal of Social Economics 26 (1/2/3): 430-40.

Lee, C. K., Y. K. Lee, B. J. Bernhard, and Y. S. Yoon. 2006. Segmenting casino gamblers by motivation: A cluster analysis of Korean gamblers. Tourism Management 27 (5): 856-66.

MacLaurin, T., and D. MacLaurin. 2003. Casino gaming and tourism in Canada. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15 (6): 328-32.

New Zealand Ethnic Groups, Encyclopedia of the Nations: Asia and Oceania: New Zealand. 2006. http://www .nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/NewZealand-ETHNIC-GROUP.html.

Park, M., X. Yang, Ho-Chan Lee, and A. Stokowski. 2002. Segmenting casino gamblers by involvement profiles: A Colorado example. Tourism Management 23 (1): 55-65.

Shoemaker, S., and D. Zemke. 2005. The "locals" market: An emerging gaming segment. Journal of Gambling Studies 21 (4): 379-410.

Siu, R. ChiSen. 2007. Is casino gaming a productive sector? A conceptual and cross-jurisdiction analysis. Journal of Gambling Business and Economics 1 (2): 129-46.

Smith, A. D. 2004. Controversial and emerging issues associated with cyber gambling (e-casino). Online Information Review 28 (6): 435-43.

Stevens, R., and M. Beristain. 2004. Canadian guide to gaming industry resources. Reference Services Review 32 (3): 320-28.

Wheeler, B. W., J. E. Rigby, and T. Huriwal. 2006. Pokies and poverty: Problem gambling risk factors geography in New Zealand. Health & Place 12 (1): 86-96.

Asad Mohsin, Ph.D., is associate director, international, and associate professor in the department of tourism and hospitality management at the University of Waikato Management School (amohsin@mngt.waikato.ac.nz), where Tim Lockyer, Ph.D., is chair and associate professor (Lockyer@waikato.ac.nz).

(1.) Pearson chi-square = .000.

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates