Slots venues bet on locals - Broward pari-mutuels don't expect influx of tourists bent on gambling

Any concerns that legalized slot machines will bring a horde of gambling tourists to South Florida are overblown, experts said Tuesday.

Top officials of the four pari-mutuels that will get slot machines starting later this month said they wouldn't spend a bundle trying to lure out-of-towners to Broward County to gamble.

"I don't expect us to be a tourist destination, per se," said Blake Cumbers, vice president of development for Boyd Gaming, which is acquiring Dania Jai-Alai, in Dania Beach. "We won't be catering to an overnight customer."

At a forum Tuesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, officials from the four gaming venues, including Dania Jai-Alai, Gulfstream Park, Pompano Park and Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming Center, agreed ttheir primary focus is the South Florida resident.

Starting with lighted signs in the airport lobby, each hopes to reach visitors as they arrive in town and inspire them to visit a pari-mutuel before they return home.

One marketing expert said that is the right approach. Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and chief executive officer of Orlando-based Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, said the classic debate is whether to try to prompt interest in gambling before tourists arrive or after.

Only 5 percent of vacationers cite gambling as the primary purpose of their trip. Many vacationers pick a destination and decide what to do when they get there, he said.

"The smart money is you use your resources to try to get people to spend time with you once they arrive," Yesawich said. "Its almost an impulsive kind of behavior."

True gambling destinations such as Las Vegas have far more to offer both casual and hard-core gamblers. South Florida will only have four venues, which will be limited to 1,500 slot machines and 16 hours of daily operation.

Those limits will keep South Florida's "racinos," as they are sometimes called, from becoming too big of a tourist draw.

"Efforts to try to get people to think about this place as a destination for gaming are not very prudent," Yesawich said.

To get the most from their marketing, the pari-mutuels are thinking small.

Dania Jai-Alai plans to advertise primarily in local media seen by tourists, including broadcast, print and outdoor advertising, Cumbers said. Magazines and hotel books aimed at visitors are another alternative.

Gulfstream Park has done a limited amount of television advertising in the Northeast during its four-month racing season, said President Paul Micucci. But it also emphasizes local marketing, including programs for hotel concierges that reward them for referrals.

At Pompano Park, General Manager Steve Wolf advertises in Great Locations, a pocket-sized guidebook. "We plan a very, very ambitious billboard campaign, starting Dec. 1," Wolf added.

Pari-mutuels will also use direct mail. Cumbers expects a large crossover between patrons of Boyd's Borgata casino in Atlantic City, N.J., and its South Florida facility. Using a national database, Boyd will target past customers for travel to South Florida.

Wolf said Pompano Park's parent, Isle of Capri Casinos, also has a database of about 3 million customers and he hopes to add 15,000 names a month through promotions at events, such as the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

He said eventually Isle of Capri would make a more ambitious bid for visitors. The track is doing a $150 million redevelopment.

"As we expand the property," he said, "we're going to be able to expand our financial resources to do a proper campaign for tourists."