RM Online - Let the casino games begin

Casinos seem to be sprouting like mushrooms all across the United States, in both rural and urban areas. And while casino equipment has been around the party rental industry long before casinos were seen outside of Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City, it's likely the gaming industry has affected the rentability of casino equipment.

"I've seen recently a trend toward more interest in professional-type casino equipment," according to Carol Pope, sales and marketing manager for Rental Suppliers, a distributor in Richmond, Va. "Our rental customers are no longer content with little roulette wheels and tabletop equipment because there are more and more companies now that do strictly casino-style parties."

And while this equipment is certainly not quite as elaborate as something you'd see in Las Vegas, it is certainly evocative of what you'd see in any casino. "This trend has been consistent for the past six years or so," Pope said.

By far the largest rental application for casino equipment today is for fund-raising activities, and that has been steadily increasing, according to Carolyn Spence, president of Expo Games, Lexington, Ky.

"Most of the applications are for fund-raisers as well as events for corporate charity organizations," Spence said.

"We're seeing a lot of organization-based fund-raiser casino nights," Pope agreed. "It presents a huge marketing opportunity for rental stores."

When you consider that the clients who might be renting tables and chairs for a corporate Christmas party could also be the same ones that sponsor a fund-raiser, it provides excellent marketing opportunities.

Counterpeople at party rental stores, therefore, are in a perfect position to cross-market different types of events. One of the keys is to really know what's going on in a company's yearly calendar. Another key market for casino equipment is school fund-raisers. These events are planned way in advance, so a little networking will put you ahead of the game.

"We have several local party rental owners who send out flyers for corporate private parties, basically taking a proactive role and suggesting ideas," Spence said. "For example, I just attended a customer's party at a private school in Lexington. This particular school throws a very formal event, and every year the money raised increases."

"We are also seeing a lot of promotion to schools and private industry for fund-raisers," Pope said. "Companies are willing to put up good money for that and throw a casino night in conjunction with an auction, for example, because they really make their money on events like that."

The mainstay products that are rented for these events are roulette wheels and gaming tables such as craps and wheel of fortune.

"We do a lot of business with promotion wheels because the products are so versatile," Spence said. When the wheels are used, play money is typically awarded, which, in turn, is used to claim prizes. Another option is to put the prizes right on the wheel.

Pope also sees a lot of business with the wheel of fortune games, which are especially popular for giveaways.

They also help with marketing be-cause the company can put its name on the top of the wheel - a nice bonus for grand openings.

Hot products for Expo Games include roulette wheels, crap and blackjack tables as well as some side games like Big Six, Ace, Deuce Jack and Triple Crown, a popular race horse wheel game, Spence said.

"We still sell a lot of layouts [basically a cover for a traditional 6-foot table that has games like craps or blackjack]," Pope said. "Party rental companies don't always want to spend $2,000 for a blackjack table, but the layouts only cost from $20 for felt, up to $200 for wool. They usually rent those 10 times, and they can even be washed."

Expo Games, recognizing that many party companies might be reluctant to launch into casino games in a big way, offers a startup kit, which was a special at recent trade shows.

"It's made up of a variety of all games, and we figure out what it takes to have a party for different amounts of people," Spence said. "It is designed to make it easier for a new company that is just getting into casino equipment."

There also are add-on sale opportunities since the rental company can offer other accessories for sale. "Most companies usually sell cards, dice and chips," Spence said.

Sound like an inventory nightmare? It's actually not, Spence said. "Chips, for instance, are stored in containers that contain 20 chips, so it's very easy to account for what you have. It's really a very fast inventory process."