There’s plenty of good money to be made by having a niche. Casinos are expert at this. They appeal to their particular demographic. Boyd Gaming has three casinos in Downtown Vegas; Main Street Station, The California, and Fremont. 60-65% of their revenues come from visitors from Hawaii. It’s been this way for decades. Boyd markets in Hawaii, offers package deals, and makes sure Hawaiians can get superb Hawaiian food while visiting. Not surprisingly, Hawaiians keep coming back.
There’s a lesson here for anyone selling a product or service. Focus on niches. Treat your customers well and give them deals. They will reward you. In Vegas (and elsewhere), you do not need to be the biggest and most upscale to make money. Casinos in Downtown Vegas are deliberately prole. They don’t compete with, say, Wynn on the Strip, where rooms start at $199 a night and go way up from that. By contrast, Main Street Station rooms start at $33.
Here’s what really good marketing can do. From the comments:
Having grown up in Hawaii, I love the food, staff, and visitors. In the 1990’s it was impossible to get Hawaiian style food so eating at the Cal was part of my vacation. I have also ran into friends in the casino more times then I can count. I also have friends with golden arm plaques that I look at every visit. In fact classmates of mine are planning our 50th birthday year at the Cal next year.