Branding of Gambling Industry - Report Example

Branding Introduction When defining a resort, it is crucial to that there is no standard definition to the term ‘resort.’ According to the Australian context, the definition of resort goes together with ‘destination’ (Prideaux 2009). A resort can be defined as a destination or individual property or locality which serves both foreign and local tourists who are on holiday (Prideaux 2009). Many people like taking a break from the hassles of life to recollect their thoughts and their peace of mind. Leisure and hospitality are prominent businesses all over the world. People go for holiday spots for a variety of reasons some include the need to bond with those close to them or even to gamble away some of their money in casinos. The basis of this paper will be on the gambling resorts with an aim of getting a better picture of this industry, which attracts the higher and lower classes in equal measure. Gambling Resorts Gambling is the activity where two or more people each place at risk something they hold as valuable. This valuable commodity is called a stake. In gambling, there is always the hope or anticipation of winning something greater and the risk of losing all that one has wagered in the event that he/she looses the gamble (Collins 2003). Gambling or gamming resorts are hotels established specifically to handle this activity within legal confines. The state is highly involved in the entire process of registration and regulation of the players within this industry. Gambling establishments operate in a number of ways. There is the monopoly, oligopoly and free competition (Leonard 2007). Within the monopoly, there is geographical monopoly, and there is legislative monopoly. The management of the gambling resorts will lie under any of the above-mentioned categories. A similarity of all the gambling establishments is that they come up with a purpose of catering to the entertainment of the local residents (Leonard 2007). The result is that the people living around these establishments are the majority. However, this does not exclude the tourists who are attracted to popular gambling destinations like Las Vegas Strip, Monaco among others (Mill 2008). Potential of the Gambling Resorts Despite the hazards that come with the gambling resorts, there is a lot of potential that these establishments bring to the environs and ultimately to the nation. Eight years after the gambling resorts were opened in Atlantic City, they were able to attract 30 million visitors. They were also able to rake in an estimated 5 billion dollars a year 1 billion of which had already gone to the state. There was further investment in the infrastructure of the area around the casinos (Simon 2004). At the same time, it is worth mentioning that two-thirds of the city’s revenue came from the casinos. At the same time, gambling employed over 40 thousand people within the establishments. The potential of the gambling resorts can be seen in the performance of some of the highest grossing resorts Inn the world. The Las Vegas in which the famous Las Vegas Strip rests is said to be the centre of the gaming world (Mill 2008). Its revenue in 2003 was at $4,806 while Atlantic City recorded $4,480 in the same period. This indicates the immense potential that the gambling resorts have in terms of being a source of revenue to the state coffers. This information points to the potential of the resorts in terms of generating revenue to the state and people. This potential means that the authorities that register and coordinate the gambling institutions cannot afford to lose Hazards of Gambling Resorts Gambling is an engaging topic to handle. This is mainly because of the moral question on whether or not it is right. There is a considerable amount of restrictions that are on gambling establishments the world over. There are difficulties such as obtaining the licences, ample land in areas where it is, and the infrastructure to cover all the people who will come to the establishment for gambling activities (Ireland et al 2009). There is a reservation by many countries to allow the establishment of these businesses. This is due to some of the issues that come up such as possible loss of all a person owns in the games. As a result of the risks involved in gambling, it is always a quandary whether or not to allow the casinos that engage in gambling to set up shop. Another reason why the casinos are not a good thing has to do with the crime rates. They tend to go up whenever such resorts come up (Simon 2004). The danger has to do with the fact that the resorts attract a certain wealthy clientele. This clientele are the ones who in turn attract the poorer members of the society to attempt to steal the property of the rich by any means possible. According to Mississippi’s evangelical Protestants, the vice of gambling has taken a toll on the state’s residents (Herman 2006). This breakdown of the society is one of the follies of the introduction of the gamming resorts. A vast majority of people has lost a substantial chunk of their property. It has even the potential of turning people to overnight paupers because of addiction that the gambling establishments expose to their clients. Case Study of the Four Largest Gambling Cities The gambling scene is quite crowded since almost all cities in the world allow it to go on in their jurisdictions. The City of Las Vegas has held the title for a while but according to TripAdvisor (2013) and Casino Answers (2013) this city has overtaken by the city of Macau. According to Casino Answers (2013), the top four cities are Macau at the top, followed by Las Vegas then comes Aruba and finally at number four is the City of Melbourne, Australia. Brand Personality Scales This is a theory that looks at just how human a business is. When it advertises itself, the features such as charisma, identity, personality among others are crucial. This is because it is features like these that give a brand a life that then appeals to those whom it targets (Franzen and Moriarty 2009). Without these traits, the brand is bland and will hardly appeal to the people. This means that the brand will not sell and the result will be a failure or an unmemorable brand that people forget once it is out of their eyes. When looking at each of the four resort cities that encourage gambling, this article will focus on the manner in which they have branded themselves. It will look at how appealing or lack thereof a brand is in terms of its appeal. The different gambling resort cities are to market their brand using different methods such as the natural environment around them. Others will attempt to include human traits such as the liveliness of their hotels and cultures. This theory, having borrowed from theories on human personality will explain how the brands succeed (Hansen and Christensen 2003). 1. The City of Macau The City of Macau is in China though it has a high level of autonomy. It has made strides in terms of constructing hotels that have a distinct similarity to Las Vegas. It has a number of unique features. Among them is that it has the largest casino in the world. This has allowed it to outdo the city of Las Vegas. According to Lonely Planet (2013), one of the attractive features of this city is the cuisine that it offers. It is a mixture of the Chinese, Portuguese and a sample of African dishes. All this keeps the visitors interested in the country since they are to stay once they get a taste of the cuisine. Another unique feature of the city of Macau is the fact that it is largely still exclusive in nature. According to Casino Answers (2013), the city has the allure that comes with unconquered territories. There are few people who can boast of having patronised the resort city since it is still relatively new. The exclusiveness means that the city guarantees the visitors a piece of mind as they go about their business since the security is at a high level. The city also has relatively affordable accommodations Casino Answers (2013). This is an incentive to attract tourists within the middle classes. The city has accommodations that can suit these individuals. The hotels built here are capable of hosting a large number of people at once. The environment is conducive for people to live and work in the urban without much interference from the state. 2. The City of Las Vegas The City of Las Vegas is in the State of Nevada in the U S. It is the gambling capital of the world (Mill 2008). This makes the city quite an attraction for visitors who come to spend their money. It as well attracts investors who come to invest their money to provide these services at a fee. This city has branded itself as the gambling capital of the world meaning that substantial many cities in the world have established themselves along the line of Las Vegas. An example of such cities is Macau which has much like Las Vegas. The city of Macau, also styles herself as the Las Vegas of the East (Lonely Planet 2013). This unique nature of the city makes it extremely attractive to the people from all over who come to get to feel the allure of the city. The city also has the reputation of being one place where the fastest weddings are (Moehring and Green 2005). Though most do not last long, it is worth noting the lack of too much red tape. When two people in love want to tie the knot, they will head to this city to do so. This has the tendency to attract a large number of tourists who come to get married. In the process, they find themselves in the fury that punctuates the city thus visit one of the many gambling establishments. A vast number of people are out to have a good time in a luxurious setting. This is a setting where he/she can live life on the fast lane. Suffice to say they cannot be disappointed when they visit Las Vegas. The city boasts of facilities such as the Lake Las Vegas which is an exclusive resort community with two Jack Nicklaus golf courses. It also has luxurious hotels such as the Ritz Carlton and The Hyatt, fashionable shops and a multitude of villas and condominiums that attract a specific high end clientele. This means that the city has the reputation of being the playfield of the wealthy. This form of advertising has the potential of attracting a large crowd of people with money they are willing to spend on the decadence offered in the sin city. It also means that the city has a large pool of clientele who come to the many establishments within it. It also means that the city is simply by word of mouth. The people who come to visit on a four-day-three-nights basis will eventually return home (Ainlay and Gabaldon 2003). Upon their return, they regale their friends with tales of the enjoyment they had at the strip. This has the effect of ensuring that the endless stream of new and return clientele is. It is worth noting that the tax laws within the city of Las Vegas are much more relaxed than they are in many other states, in America. This means that the city of Vegas has become a haven to investors in desire of making more out of their cash. An example of such a person is Howard Hughes who came to invest in the city owing primarily to its relaxed tax laws (Ainlay and Gabaldon 2003). This means that the city has a favourable environment which allows people who are there to invest or simply spend what they have earned. This, therefore, means that a person who wins money from gamming will not be compelled to deduct a large chunk of it to the state as taxes. 3. Aruba This is an island that has white sandy beaches surrounding its Western and Southern Coasts which are from fierce ocean currents (Colón 2011). This means that the tourists who visit the Island get to sample this beauty. For people who love to spend all day just lying around, this island has given them the perfect opportunity to holiday as they wish. This is a strong marketing tool as it allows the Island to set itself apart from both Las Vegas and Macau mentioned before. This is the people who visit the island get to spend a lot of the time basking in the sun. As a result of her arid nature and high temperatures, the Island has another advantage. She can offer her clientele a tropical atmosphere. The people will run away from the cold summers of Europe and North America and find all the warmth that the island has to offer. It, therefore, gives the island an edge over the other gambling destinations that rival her. The tropical feeling that one gets in the island means that they are by the trappings that the island has to offer. It means that the island has a large inflow of clientele out to sample one of her many attractions. 4. City of Melbourne, Australia Australia as a country is renowned for her Sydney Opera House, the Tasmanian devil and the deserts which have unusually high temperatures. Australia has also Melbourne, the fourth largest city that offers gambling resorts to the clientele that come to the city. There are different manners of branding. This includes both the creation of the brand as well as the maintenance of the brand (Asperin 2007). When looking at the Melbourne gambling scene, there are a number of features that help the city to stand out. Looking at the official website of Melbourne, there are plenty of features to enjoy once one is in the city. This includes some of the places to visit as well as the nightlife that one will experience once they are in the city. Like Aruba, Melbourne also has beaches due to its location along the Coast of Australia. This means that it also affords the traveller or tourist an easy access to the ocean with all the activities that go with this such as surfing and basking in the warm sun. The hotels and gambling establishments have been constructed along the sea side. This is to ensure that they attract as many of these visitors as they possibly can to ensure that they benefit from the tourism. There is a clientele that does not have the money to afford to stay in the upmarket hotels that are extremely expensive. This should not be a problem as there are websites designed to assist them track down cheap hotels. For about US $ 120, one is of accommodation (Hotelsio 2013). This is an added advantage since it allows the traveller to plan early in advance. This website allows the traveller to be able to locate all the hotels within the area in which they will be visiting and gambling. This needless-to-say means that the tourists will be able to plan their movements, as well as their money. Future Prospects: Recommendations There is immense potential in the gambling business. The financial potential of hotels is vast. The state should avail more land to accommodate the investors who come to set up gambling establishments (Plunkett 2005). This is by the fact that the land is a critical to the investments. It is the foundation on which the hotels are. The need, therefore, is to organise the land policies to allow investors to access the land to build the resorts in the future. Since gamming has gone online, there is the need to ensure that there are laws that regulate this trend. At the same time, the laws need to rope in all the players, in the gamming industry, to ensure that all of them are (Barth 2009). This means that all the players within this industry no matter what their stake is must be regulated and not allowed to act in a rogue manner. This act will primarily ensure that the businesses operate within set standards. As a result of the potential of illegal money being used within the casinos, the laws must be strengthened much more to ensure that the criminals do not use the casinos for money laundering activities (Muller et al 2007). This law will also ensure that organised crime gangs do not get access to ownership of the casinos for the purpose of furthering illegal activities. In Macau, there have been a set of steps that have been taken to ensure future prosperity of the gambling destinations. This has created an expectation for better things to come (Page 2003). It also means that the destination is opening itself up and shedding fears of interference from the administration in Beijing. The reassuring steps taken by Macau will serve to set the clientele and investors at ease. The need to embrace technology can be extended to the gamming resorts. The capacity of the resort to allow people to enjoy their facilities even without having to be there physically will be an added advantage (Papathanassis 2011). Equally, the issue of the potential of the casinos to bring prosperity whenever they are means that they are a tremendously vital resource (Pierce 2008 and Ainlay and Gabaldon 2003). This means that they must be allowed to exist but within set standards. As a result of the results learnt from the success stories like that of Las Vegas, it is clear that there is immense potential of gambling resorts (Schwartz). This is because they have the potential of turning desolate places into productive areas. This has and tested in Las Vegas, and Monaco. This means that a country has the choice of turning arid areas into resort cities the world over. Conclusion The article has looked at four different resort cities in the world. These have been remarkably prosperous in terms of having turned around the landscape. As a result of the popularity of the gambling scene, a lot of individuals are to participate in all it has to give. The surrounding environment benefits immensely. This is because there are a lot of complementary services that allow the gambling resorts to thrive. These complementary services offer employment opportunities to people. Bibliography: Ainlay, T. Jr. And Gabaldon, J. D., 2003. Las Vegas: The Fabulous First Century. San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing. Asperin, A. E., 2007. Exploring Brand Personality Congruence: Measurement and Application in the Casual Dining Restaurant Industry. Ann Arbor: ProQuest Information and Learning Company. Barth, S. C., 2009. Hospitality Law: Managing Legal Issues in the Hospitality Industry. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Casino Answers. 2013. Top Ten Gambling Destinations. 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