The gaming industry
The gaming industry has recently received a lot of attention due to the millions of young people who gamble for free money. In instance, the majority of states have developed casinos, which draw sizable audiences, particularly on weekends (Wong, 846). Notably, casinos provide a place for enjoyment for the public because they include bars inside and gathering areas for friends. Additionally, casinos provide a momentary escape from reality, particularly for people who are under stress (Wong, 849). When players are competing against another player for a significant sum of money, the casino provides the much-needed adrenaline benefits. There is a thrill that comes with playing a game that is likely to leave one a few bucks richer. Every player goes to the casino hoping that they will play a fair and a successful game that will make them winners of easy cash. Some players go to the casino’s to only try their luck; there are days in a person’s life when they simply feel lucky, and they, therefore, need to make their dream a reality (Barberis,47). Some people go to the casinos to deal with their personal stress and others to mingle and perhaps find their life partners there. Casinos, therefore, have different personalities, and one cannot explicitly group them into one group. To adequately understand the dynamics of a casino, it is, however, important to observe the people that frequent the pubs. Women are most likely to frequent the casinos just like the men (Chandler, Susan, and Jones). The purpose of this research proposal is to evaluate the demographic factors of the casino attendees with the primary focus being estimating the games they are likely to play in there. The information can be useful to the casino owners to establish the best games to set up and even their targeted customers who would ultimately reflect on the positive financial returns.
Literature Review
This section will include information from other books and journals previously researched on this topic.
Older Couples
Carran, Margaret, and Griffiths contend that the gaming industry evidently preys on the older generation for their source of income. Research shows that the older people are gullible since they lack feasible investments and they would rather spend their fortune in gaming (Hannum). In fact, such people have built their houses, educated their children and worked successfully in their careers and hence have zero reservations when it comes to spending their cash. The older couples are likely to visit the casinos to relax (Hannum). It is not unlikely to find people above sixty years of age in the casino holding hands while with matching outfits trying out their luck. Such a couple is likely to carry a bag where they can also store their win. The casino, therefore, allows them to reconnect and savor the goods times. The old couple is therefore not driven by the free money but the concept of walking away from life stressors and enjoying each other’s companies, free drinks, and the pleasant environment. Such a couple is likely to have engaged in gaming while younger and it could have routinely become part of them (Shou-Tsung, and Chen 290). The old couples have over time garnered experience in the various games present in the casinos, but they are likely to play in the different slot machines.
Fresh Graduates
A casino is perhaps a favorite place for the just employed youth between the ages of 25-35 years old. The age group is likely to be well groomed and decently dressed while at the casino. The young people are less likely to have their cash but instead, spend it on gaming (Shou-Tsung, and Chen 293). At the beginning of every month, therefore, the young employees storm the casinos and play their bets on different games with the hopes of winning. Such people are likely to spend almost half of their money in gaming and also in trying to impress their age mate. The casinos also offer an excellent opportunity for the young guys to mingle and perhaps look for potential lovers (Wong, 851). It is evident from their dress code that the youths are after something more than money. While the flashy clothes and the accessories may be a show off to the other players, it is a ploy to attract the opposite sex and make them look capable. The ladies within the age bracket are likely to be sexily dressed and oozing appeal, perhaps to draw attention from their mates. The fresh graduates would probably play the blackjack, the slot games, play station and even video games (Shou-Tsung, and Chen 298).
Social Players
This group comprises of people who love enjoying other people’s company (Caroline, St. Pierre, and Deverensky 547). In fact, such customers are less likely to play all the games and instead focus on observing the other players and what they are doing. According to Carran, et.al., the social players are likely to be drunkards who like to spend their free time drinking and mingling with strangers. The social player is likely to play the blackjack since they possess a bragging ability but end up losing most of the times since they cannot keep up with the concentration (Hannum). The drunkards are among the loudest slots in the group, and they also end up risking a huge chunk of cash in the casinos. The casino’s management loves the drunkards since they are not conservative with their money and they hence end up making so many dollars for the companies (Hannum). The blackjack is, however, a skill game, and it requires one to possess high skills at it to play which the drunkards, unfortunately, lack at the time or rather good sense of judgment.
Research Question
1. What kinds of people visit the casinos?
2. What motivates the participants in the casinos?
3. What age group visits the casinos?
4. What are the typical games at the casino?
5. Does the management at the different casino target the social players and the drunkards the most?
Hypothesis
The gaming industry provides opportunities for the youths who may desire a means of leisure and to connect with their peers.
The casino may not have a specified age group since one is likely to find various age groups within the casino, even the children.
The casinos are a platform where people can unwind, win easy cash, release their stress and even find potential soul mates.
Some of the games played in the casino include the blackjack, poker, roulette, Spanish 21 and the five-card draw. The participants choose the games based on their age, experience, and even mood.
Most management within the casino desire the drunkards because they easily splurge their money on the various bets which ends up making the company so much cash.
Research Methods
This section indicates the technique employed to collect and analyze the data (Tayie).
Design
This research will be a qualitative design with the study design being observation and interviews. The focus point will be the new MGM casino.
Sample
The observation and the interviews will be conducted on a Friday night because one is likely to find most people there since it’s the beginning of a weekend. People are also quite spendthrift during weekends hence that is likely to bring out their best characters. The researcher will analyze behavior from all ages to avoid being biased.
Collection
The primary method to be used in this research will be observation and questionnaires. The researcher will seek for consent from the management to ensure that no personal rights are violated. The data collection will begin at eleven pm through the Friday night. The researcher will engage two research assistants to help with the interviews and collection of data.
Data Analysis
The data collected will be analyzed using SPSS and Excel.
What level of review will this study qualify for?
Since this is a human subject research, it will require a review from the IRB web page (“Levels of Review”). The reviews will be in the exempt research level because the interviews are anonymous and therefore present a minimal risk to the informants (“Levels of Review”). The research also has a passive observation which qualifies for the exempt review.
Ethical Consideration
The research is likely to infringe on people’s right to privacy. The primary research method used was observation and noting down people’s behaviors and conclusions. People that may go to the casinos to unwind and mingle may feel disrespected especially because the researcher is observing them for the purpose of recording the information somewhere which may even involve the taking of pictures. There may be a challenge watching the informants since most of them lack the knowledge that they are being observed. It would thus be prudent to speak to the management and seek consent before one embarks on making their observation. The interviewer may also ignore some subtle hints from the informants such as observing certain taboos, respect for the elders and even some cultural values. Some society may not condone the act of young people watching their intimate moments and even recording them in public places. The interviewee, therefore, ought to establish a good relationship before asking for sensitive information from the informants. It is also important that the researcher seeks consent from the administration and the audience before embarking on their field survey. The researcher ought to also observe the culture of the informants to ensure that they respect it. It is also important to ensure that the researcher maintains utmost confidentiality by either disguising the names of the interviewees or the particular casino since the frequent revelers may feel that they are the objects of study.
Validity Issues
The information gathered from the research proposal may be biased and hence not valid. For instance, the researcher may categorize the behavior of one old couple as a representation of the other customers that frequent the casinos which may never be the case. Moreover, the dress code of an individual may not always reveal the character of the person. Most people dress depending on their moods and the environment and hence that cannot justify their choice of a game. The researcher may, therefore, need to evaluate the behavior if the informants over a one week period to adequately draw a pattern of their behavior and ensure that they are objective in their findings.
Appendix
The research will entail the use of textbooks; online peer-reviewed journals, and articles on gaming and casinos. The researcher will focus on one particular casino to have a pattern of information which will also validate the research being conducted. Some of the research questions in the questionnaire will include:
- Why do you come to the casino?
- What kind of people do you find here?
- On average, how much does every client spent per particular game?
- Do casinos have consideration on the use of drugs while playing?
- Which game has most participants and is likely to fetch in more cash?
- Do the casinos allow children in, if not, how do they deal with parents who go to the clubs with their children?
Works Cited
Barberis, Nicholas. “A model of casino gambling.” Management Science 58.1 (2012): 35-51.
Carran, Margaret, and Mark Griffiths. “Gambling and social gambling: An exploratory study of young people’s perceptions and behaviour.” Aloma: Revista de Psicologia, Ciències de l’Educació i de l’Esport 33.1 (2015).
Chandler, Susan K, and Jill B. Jones. Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places. Ithaca, N.Y: ILR Press, 2011.
Hannum, Robert C. “A Guide to Casino Mathematics.” UNLV Gaming Studies Research Center (2003).
Las Vegas; An alternative approach.” Journal of Hospitality Markeing & Manangement 19.8: 842-865.
“Levels Of Review”. Research.uci.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
Tayie, Samy. Research methods and writing research proposals. Pathways to Higher Education, 2005.
Temcheff, Caroline E., Renée A. St. Pierre, and Jeffrey Deverensky. “Youth gambling and delinquency: Legislative and social policy implications.” Gaming Law Review and Economics 15.9 (2011): 539-552.
Wong, Hinlan. “A study of the video game industry in US metropolitan areas using occupational analysis.” (2011).
Wong, A. Ipkin, and H. I. Fong. “Veronica (2010). Examining casino service quality in the Asian
Wu, Shou-Tsung, and Yeong-Shyang Chen. “The social, economic, and environmental impacts of casino gambling on the residents of Macau and Singapore.” Tourism Management 48 (2015): 285-298.
