The following blog post & infographic was written & designed by Maggy Stewart, Graphic Designer & Marketing Coordinator at RMS.

View the infographic here

According to a recent poll of Central New York residents conducted by Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) using the RMS ViewPoint panel, the majority (59 percent) of respondents voted Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York their favorite New York state casino. Del Lago Resort & Casino came in second at 9 percent, followed by Vernon Downs & Casino (5 percent), Yellow Brick Road Casino (4 percent), Seneca Niagara Casino (3 percent), Saratoga Casino and Raceway (2 percent), Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track (2 percent), and 16 percent listed ‘other’ as their favorite casino. Waterloo, New York residents can expect their traffic to remain on the rise as 53 percent plan to visit del Lago Resort & Casino within the next 6 months.

When asked which New York state casinos respondents had visited in the past, 76 percent had visited Turning Stone Casino, followed by Vernon Downs & Casino (28 percent), del Lago (27 percent), Yellow Brick Road Casino (27 percent), Seneca Niagara Casino (19 percent), Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track (10 percent), Saratoga Casino and Raceway (7 percent), Akwesasne Mohawk Casino (5 percent), Batavia Downs Casino (5 percent), Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino (5 percent), Tioga Downs & Casino (4 percent), and other New York state casinos (12 percent).

“Syracuse has long been recognized as a top national test market, and as the metropolitan area’s demographics closely mimic those of the entire country, we wanted to gather data from this market to better understand how the growth of the casino landscape in New York state has affected the local economy,” said Sandy Baker, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at RMS. Respondents surveyed were asked about their gambling and gaming preferences, favorite attractions, spending habits and motivational factors.

Seventy-six percent of respondents have been to a casino in the past two years, and 92 percent have gambled at a casino in the past two years. The majority of respondents (60 percent) have been to a casino two to nine times over the past year. When asked what motivates respondents to visit a casino, 68 percent go to gamble, 67 percent dine at restaurants, 64 percent go for the entertainment and performances, 26 percent attend weddings or events, and 21 percent visit for the night life and clubs.

According to respondents, distance and travel time have the greatest influence when it comes to choosing which gambling establishment to visit. Night life and casino loyalty programs had the least influence. And then there’s the games: 87 percent of respondents listed slots as the most popular casino game they play. Thirty-one percent play Blackjack, followed by Roulette (26 percent), Bingo (22 percent), Keno (13 percent), Poker (13 percent), Wheel of Fortune (8 percent), and Craps (8 percent). During each visit to a casino, respondents typically spend $50 – $250 (65 percent), and up to $100 (65 percent) on casino gaming.

To view a detailed infographic depicting the full survey results, please click here. If you would like to participate in upcoming RMS ViewPoint polls and surveys, sign up here.

The RMS ViewPoint poll consisted of 623 completed surveys. Respondents consisted of RMS ViewPoint Research Panel members, as well as the general community. For more information on the ViewPoint Research Panel, check out RMSViewPoint.com.

RMS is a full-service market research firm located in Syracuse, NY. If you are interested in learning more about our research capabilities, please contact Sandy Baker, our Senior Director of Business Development & Corporate Strategy at SandyB@RMSresults.com or by calling 1-866-567-5422.