UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Fall 2011
Chinese Culture and Casino Customer Service Chinese Culture and Casino Customer Service
Qing Han
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Han, Qing, "Chinese Culture and Casino Customer Service" (2011).
UNLV Theses, Dissertations,
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Chinese Culture and Casino Customer Service
by
Qing Han
Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Tourism Management
Dalian University of Foreign Languages
2007
A professional paper submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the
Master of Science in Hotel Administration
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
Graduate College
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
December 2011
Chair: Dr. Bo J. Bernhard
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ABSTRACT
Chinese Culture and Casino Customer Service
by
Qing Han
Dr. Bo J. Bernhard, Examination Committee Chair
Associate Professor of Hotel Management
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
With the tightened competitive conditions in the gaming industry, it is essential for casino
management to focus on customer service. Chinese customers are very important for the Las
Vegas gaming market. Even though the games offered by the casinos are the core value that
Chinese customers seek when visiting a casino, a warm, comfortable and intimate service will
enhance their gaming experience as well. Understanding important Chinese culture factors such
as superstitions, gaming characteristics and communication styles can help casino employees
enhance the quality of the service they are able to offer to Chinese customers, thereby increasing
satisfaction and retention.
3
PART ONE
Introduction
The hospitality industry is all about customer service. While many factors might
influence a player’s decision to play in and return to the same casino, customer service definitely
plays an important role in the player's re-visit decision-making process.
Chinese gamblers are well known for playing longer and betting bigger than other
demographic groups (Dumlao & Farrell, 1998). Indeed, a large number of high rollers in Las
Vegas are Chinese or have Chinese ancestry. About 80 percent of Las Vegas’ biggest whales are
from Asia, most of them baccarat players from China and Hong Kong (Rivlin, 2007).
The potential of Chinese customers is already widely recognized in the gaming industry.
Understanding how Chinese cultural factors can affect the needs and expectations of visitors will
lead to an increase in the quality of customer service, and therefore to an increase in customer
satisfaction and retention rates as well.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine what cultural considerations need to be
observed by casino operators in order to enhance their casino customer service toward Chinese
gamblers.
Justification
Due to the financial importance of Chinese casino players, the findings of this research
will have important implications for casino operators in Las Vegas. It has been reported that due
to the large amount of Chinese players’ visit, Chinese New Year is now the second-biggest
gambling holiday of the year in Las Vegas, after only Super Bowl weekend (Benston, 2007).
China's large population and high level of interest in gambling activities, along with increasingly
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simplified international travel policies, have made China a very attractive target market for Las
Vegas (Kim et al., 2004). Based on estimates from the United Nations, the Chinese are destined
to become the dominant foreign tourists in Las Vegas, surpassing the number of visitors from any
other country (Benston, 2008). Many major casinos in Las Vegas are already making an effort to
appeal to Chinese guests, including redesigning large portions of a casino floors to cater to their
tastes. Some Las Vegas casinos already have representatives in China to attract more Chinese
players, and Chinese-speaking dealers and servers are not rare on the casino floors, especially in
the high limit baccarat salons. However, with the competition from Asia such as Singapore and
Macau, which surpassed Las Vegas’s gaming revenue in 2007 (Cheung, 2007), and the domestic
economic downturn, all these efforts will only be worthwhile if the team is fully prepared to
properly serve these customers when they arrive at the casinos. Therefore, if a Las Vegas casino
intends to maintain and increase its market share of Chinese players, it is necessary to thoroughly
understand those Chinese players’ culture, needs, and expectations, as well as how to use these
factors to enhance the level of customer service provided.
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PART TWO
Introduction
The literature review included a brief history of Chinese gambling and the impact of the
Chinese on Las Vegas, as well as Chinese culture, Chinese gambling characteristics, Chinese
communication styles, and casino customer service.
The Chinese and Gambling
The Chinese are known worldwide for their high interest in gambling activities, and a
quick look through Chinese history shows that the Chinese people have a long documented
history of gambling. The first record of gambling can be traced back to the Xie dynasty and the
Shang dynasty, about 4,000 years ago (Lam, 2009). The oldest form of gambling game in China
is the Keno, similar to the modern day lottery. China’s first modern casino emerged in the
Shanghai International Settlement and Shanghai French Concession. Many popular games such
as Pai gow, fan tan and mahjong that are now played worldwide are believed to have originated
in China (Godot, 2010; Glionna, 2006; Lam, 2009).
Despite this long history, there have also been times when public commercial gambling
has been banned by authorities that recognized the damage that of pathological gambling could
cause to the society, but shortly after, it was legalized again, due to the financial importance of
gambling to the economy. Even in 1949, when the newly established government of the People’s
Republic of China (P.R.C.) completely ended commercial gambling in Mainland China (Devoss,
2009; Lam, 2009), a state-run lottery system was established about 20 years later, generating
billions of dollars every year to fund government organizations (“Mainland China,” 2008).
The Chinese traditionally enjoy and cherish gambling as a social activity. For a long time,
regardless of the official attitude of the government towards commercial gambling, the majority
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of Chinese considered gambling an accepted practice at home and a social event, even among
the young, that brings people together for excitement and interaction (Bjorkell, 2008; Glionna,
2006). Games like Mahjong, deeply ingrained in the Chinese, that people play with their family
and friends, often for money, can be found played in every corner of China is not considered
gambling (Latour, Sarrazit & Hendler, 2009).
In 1999, after almost 450 years of colonial administration in Macau, Portugal handed the
administration of Macau back to the Chinese, making Macau the only entity on the Chinese
mainland where gambling is legal (Portal do Governo da RAE de Macau, 2004). In 2002, the
new Macau government ended Stanley Ho’s 40-year monopoly concession; five outside gaming
licenses, three from America, were granted to build competing resorts and casinos. Along with
the growing Chinese economy and the P.R.C government’s eased entry for the Chinese to Macau,
in 2006 Macau surpassed Las Vegas in gambling revenue as the biggest gaming city in the world
(Cheung, 2007; Devoss, 2006; Smock, 2006). “It took 50 years to build Las Vegas, and this little
enclave surpassed it in four,” said Philip Wang, MGM’S president for International Marketing
(Devoss, 2006).
It’s hard to put an exact number on the tremendous amount of money contributed by the
Chinese every year to the gambling industry around the world. According to the China Center for
Lottery Studies at Beijing University, an estimated more than 600 billion yuan-- about 87.84
billion USD-- in gambling money goes overseas from China every year (Qian & Zhang, 2010).
Many countries near the Chinese border, such as Myanmar and Vietnam, are building large-scale
casinos to attract Chinese gamblers to spend their money, while forbidding the locals to enter. In
Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, Chinese gamblers are the
major overseas visitors for their casinos. A spokesperson from Marina Bay Sands told China
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Daliy, “With its growing middle class population, China is an attractive market for us. We
consciously cater to the needs of Chinese guests, from the way they like to be greeted to the way
they like their food served” (Yip, 2010, p. 1). The Chinese reputation for being gambling
enthusiasts is growing all over the world.
The Chinese and Las Vegas
Because of many Chinese gambling movies and TV dramas, in which Las Vegas was
frequently featured as the final destination, the paradise and the ultimate city of gambling; Las
Vegas is very well known among the Chinese. However, the relationship between the Chinese
and Nevada actually can be dated back to the early 1860s, when Chinese immigrants made up
two-thirds of the workforce that built the Pacific Central Railroad, which helped to connect
Nevada to the rest of the country (Demirjian, 2011; Doolittle, 2009). Now, 150 years later,
Chinese people still play a very important role in the Las Vegas economy. For decades, the city
has gone all out to celebrate Chinese New Year, the most important holiday of the Chinese. The
holiday ranks among the busiest times on the Strip, after only the Super Bowl weekend, bringing
thousands of domestic and international tourists to Las Vegas and generating millions of dollars
in the city’s economy, particularly in gaming. The celebration of the holiday attracts higher-end
customers from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, who spend more than the average
tourist, especially on the casino floor games like baccarat (Benston, 2007; Finnegan, 2011b).
That’s why while properties like Caesars Palace has celebrated the Chinese New Year for more
than 35 years, newer properties like the M Resort have started to celebrate the holiday as well
(Finnegan, 2011a).
Two decades ago, when Baccarat was first played in Las Vegas, there were few tables to
choose from. During the 1970s, there were reportedly only 15 tables in all of Las Vegas, and
8
most of these tables were open only part time, during busy shifts (Whiting, 2010). Today, it is
easy to spot a baccarat table in casinos throughout Las Vegas, and even the smaller-scale local
casinos are offering mini baccarat (Oberman & Pirosch, 2010). This is significant because
baccarat is extremely popular in China, and is the favorite game of high rolling Chinese tourists
in Las Vegas. Baccarat players wagered $10.7 billion in 2010 on the Strip, a 24% increase from
2009, making baccarat the only Nevada game that is growing despite the economic downturn
(Benston, 2010b; Benston, 2011a). Its revenue has grown by $280 million since 2007. In March
2010, on a same-store basis, while the total gaming revenue declined by 8.0%, baccarat and mini
baccarat revenues were up 57.2%, peaking at $1.2 billion. For the first time last year, baccarat
generated more revenue than blackjack, the most-played table game in Nevada casinos (Besnton,
2011b; Oberman & Pirosch, 2010).
With the increased recognition of the importance of Chinese customers and their
preferences, several changes have been made in recent years. The MGM Grand changed their
main lion mouth entrance only a few years after building it in order to avoid a Chinese bad luck
symbol. Other properties have redesigned a large portion of casino floors, adding Chinese
furniture (Rivlin, 2007). Caesars Entertainments imported carved wood from China to house
hundreds of baccarat tables and Pai Gow poker, which is based on ancient Chinese dominoes
games. In the Encore Las Vegas, red is the dominant color on the casino floor. Butterfly patterns
are everywhere, and the floor numbers in the elevator panel from 40 to 49 are missing as a
concession to Chinese superstition.
Gambling Across Cultures
According to Per Binde's (2005) study of gambling across cultures, extensive
ethnographic and historical evidence strongly suggests that gambling is not an universal
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phenomenon and does not exist in all cultures in a similar way. Gambling is a social, cultural and
economic phenomenon, an extremely flexible way of redistributing wealth, which is embedded
in the socio-cultural systems of societies. Factors like the presence of commercial money,
societal complexity, type of social and economic system, risk and uncertainty, religion and belief
systems, cultural diffusion and contiguous areas of gambling and non-gambling can promote or
restrain gambling activities.
Types of social and economic systems play a remarkable role in explaining why people
gamble. Friedman’s savage utility function explains that people wish to use the cost of, for
example, a lottery ticket to win the extra money to help them move to a higher social class.
However, others have argued that Friedman’s savage theory ignores the utility value of gambling
itself, such as the excitement of winning and risking, entertainment, buying a dream of wealth
and prosperity, and showing possession of wealth (Binde, 2005).
Lenski (1970) argued that an environment in which there exists a high degree of
uncertainty would imply a higher probability of the appearance of games of chance; but Pryor
(1976) argues that many cultural groups, such as the Australian Aborigines, have little control
over the environment they live in, but no games of chance exist in their culture. Hardness of
environment has no correlation with gambling. It is suggested that, theoretically, gambling is
encouraged in societies in which people’s individual risk taking behavior is culturally construed
as a positive characteristic (Binde, 2005).
Gambling and religion are often believed to be opposed; however, that is not the case,
because the relationship between gambling and religion is either a state of concord or of conflict.
However, most of the time, gambling and religion go well together because there are several
factors, such as mystery, fate, the unknown, destiny, getting something valuable from mysterious
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higher powers, and the wish for a better life. In some societies with religions, such as Islam and
Buddhism, it is more likely the societies will outlaw gambling; however, history shows that
criticism and prohibition does not necessarily stop people from gambling. Gambling has often
continued underground (Binde, 2003; Binde, 2005).
Townshend (1980) suggested that the complexity of a society is closely related to the
presence of the types of games and the games of strategy. It is believed that the more complex a
society, the more the types of games and games of strategy are present (Binde, 2005).
It is also believed that societies with indigenous gambling appear to be a cluster
geographically (Binde, 2005). Tylor (1880) also suggested that people from different regions but
who have cultural contacts will tend to like to play similar games (Binde 2005).
Chinese Superstition Culture
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, superstition is “unreasoning awe or
fear of something unknown, mysterious, or imaginary, especially in connection with religion.”
The Chinese tend to be superstitious, and many of these superstitious beliefs have existed for
thousands of years. Common superstitions associate colors, numbers, animals and objects with
good or bad luck. Studies about superstitions and how superstitions can influence people’s
behavior show that traditional Western superstitious beliefs do not apply to the Chinese. The
ideas and values in different cultures may result in superstitions that take different forms and
have different influences on people’s lives (Li & Ching, 2009; Ouedraogo & Mullet, 2001).
In the study done by Li & Ching (2009) of Chinese superstitious belief scale, six
dimensions: homonym traditional customs, power of crystal, horoscope, feng-shui, and luck for
gambling, were rated, along with 25 superstitious thoughts, none of which were cross-loaded on
another. The results show that all six factors’ values of Cronbach α were above 75. This strongly
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supported the idea that many Chinese superstitions affect the daily lives of Chinese people in
various ways. Below is a brief introduction to the common superstition practices among the
Chinese.
Feng-shui
Feng-shui literally means wind (feng) and water (shui). It refers to the ancient Chinese art
of creating harmony between inhabitants and their environment (Tsang, 2004). Feng-shui has
gone global in the business world as many Western companies have employed feng-shui expert
as consultants (Li & Ching, 2009; Tsang, 2004). For Chinese people, it is believed that the
position of a building and the interior design and arrangement of furniture can influence what
happens to the people inside the building. It studies the influence of environment on human
fortune. The purpose of feng-shui is to improve good environmental influences of a living space
on its occupants and to avoid the bad ones (Tsang, 2004). As mentioned earlier, MGM changed
its lion mouth entry because walking through a lion's mouth is considered bad feng-shui, and will
bring people bad luck. Most Asian visitors were reluctant to enter; and soon the lion was
replaced with a more traditional entrance.
Homonyms
Numerical homonyms. Unlike Western cultures, which believe in lucky 7 and unlucky
13, in traditional Chinese superstition the numerical digits 8 and 6 are associated with prosperity
and good luck and the digit 4 is associated with death and unlucky. The pronunciation of the
word for 8 in Chinese is “ba,” which very close to the pronunciation of the word “fa”(meaning
prosperity), and the number 6 symbolizes smoothness of an event and success in Chinese.
However, the number 4 has a similar pronunciation to the word “si” (meaning death), and is
unlucky. These beliefs affect the decision of many Chinese people when they choose a telephone
12
number, a license plate, or the floor on which to buy an apartment. Even in the business world,
these beliefs affect the decision when pricing products and avoiding bad digits when numbering
the floors and rooms of apartment buildings (Li & Ching, 2009; Simmons & Schindler, 2003).
This explains why, in Encore Las Vegas, the floor numbers from 40 to 49 are missing.
Word homonyms. In Chinese superstition culture, many Chinese words symbolize good
or bad luck. For example, during the Chinese New Year, people eat fish to represent the Chinese
saying of “nian nian you yu” meaning that you will have more than you need it in the coming
year, because the pronunciation of fish (“yu”) means extra in Chinese. And one should never
give a clock as gift to someone, because in Chinese clock is pronounced “zhong,” giving the
word for clock a pronunciation similar to that of “song zhong,” meaning handling the funeral
affairs of seniors, which is an unlucky term for people still alive. Some people who buy lottery
tickets eat “zongzi,” because “zong” sounds like the word for “win.” These superstition beliefs
are all generated from homonyms between Chinese (Mandarin) words, and people are very
careful when using the specific homonyms to pursue good luck or avoid bad luck (Latour,
Sarrazit, Hendler, & Latour, 2009; Li & Ching, 2009).
Traditional customs
Some practices in Chinese culture are considered to represent good luck and bad luck as
well. For example, people worry about bad luck and put a mirror at the front door to reflect bad
luck away. It's also said that a bed should never face a mirror (Simmons & Schindler, 2003).
Houses should be completely clean before Chinese New Year’s Day and on the Chinese New
Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment need to be put
away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will
be swept away. The color red color represents luck and fortune; during Chinese New Year,
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wearing red cloth and decorating living space with red will bring happiness and fortune to the
coming new year (Li & Ching, 2009).
Luck in gambling
Similarly, gambling luck is associated with specific practices in Chinese superstition
culture. As the chance of winning in gambling can’t be controlled physically, Chinese gamblers
look to the metaphysical solution promised by many of their superstitious beliefs. Even though
not all who practice them necessarily believe in them, they are nonetheless accepted either
because of mere superstition or as a cultural tradition.
Many gamblers believe that picking the right numbers can affect their fortune when
gambling. For example, they purposely avoid hotel room numbers ending with 4 (sounds similar
to death in Mandarin) and 58 (sounds similar to “won't prosper”). Instead, gamblers select
auspicious hotel room numbers like 84 (similar to “prosperous till death”), 1388 (similar to
“prosper for a long time”), 168 (similar to “prosper all the way”) and 998 (“prosper for a long
time”). However, picking the wrong number or combination of numbers can be a source of
misfortune and very unlucky. For example, if a gambler takes a bus with the licenses plate of
1358 (similar to “won't prosper in one's lifetime”) or carrying cash in the amount of 9958
(similar to “won't prosper for a long time”) can be a reason to blame when they lose money in
the casino (Lam, 2005).
Not only numbers, but certain words are considered unlucky to say to someone before
they go to gamble or during any gambling event. For example, book (sounds like “lose” in
Chinese) or read book (sounds similar to “lose in gambling”) are words that need to be avoided
for many superstitious Chinese gamblers. Many baccarat players shout out loud the word “ding”
in Mandarin when peeling cards to stop bad cards from appearing. They also shout out other
14
words like “cheui” or “jin” in Cantonese to blow away the number they don’t want or reduce the
size of the number(s) (Lam, 2007).
Chinese gamblers sometimes also preform ritual practices to get as much blessing and
luck as they can from their gods, especially the fortune god. Offering fruits, lighting up a joss
stick or making prayers are some of the practices they do before gamble (Lam, 2005). Wearing
red underwear to gamble is a practice that is commonly believed to bring good luck to the
gambler, since red represents good luck and happiness. Going to urinate or wash hands is
believed to help change someone's luck who has been losing money, but one who has been
winning should definitely not wash their hands, because it can wash the good luck away.
Shoulder touching is inappropriate when someone is gambling, because it is believed to bring
bad luck to the gambler (Galletti, 2002; Lam, 2005; Lam 2007).
Many Chinese gamblers also avoid entering casinos from the main gate as they believed
it has been blessed by the Feng-shui expert to favor the casinos. Some gamblers are also very
careful about which seat they choose to sit down at around the tale, because they believe the
Feng-shui of each seat is different which can seriously affect their luck. Also important to
consider are which direction the table is facing, the surroundings of the tables (close to the
entrance, next to the toilet, etc.) and the design and decoration of the casino (Galletti, 2002; Lam,
2005).
Gambling Characteristics of People from the Chinese Culture
Several studies on gambling motivation across cultures have indicated that compared
with players from the Western culture, players from the Chinese culture have their own
characteristics. It is believed that Chinese gamblers often take a higher risk compared with
players from Western cultures (Ozorio & Fong, 2004; Raylu & Oei, 2004). Ozorio & Fong
15
(2004), using a Macau sample, found that the average bet-to-income ratio among the Mainland
Chinese was 0.72, significantly higher than other groups of visitors even though the Mainland
Chinese spend less money per gambling visit. The reason behind this is suggested to be that,
because of China’s emerging focus on capitalism and the economic booming, there is a positive
relationship between gambling risk taking and investment risk taking. People participating in
gambling believe that these risks are instrumental to the realization of profits to improve their
living conditions in the shortest possible time (Latour, Sarrazit, Hendler, & Latour, 2009; Ozorio
& Fong, 2004).
The Chinese take gambling seriously. When money is involved, there is less interest in
the process of gambling but more concern with the result. This supported by the study done by
Raylu & Oei (2009) about cross culture gambling motivations, which indicated that the Chinese
group showed significantly higher levels of anxiety and stress than did the Caucasians, and lower
levels of fun and excitement. Additionally, for most Chinese, the point of gambling is to use their
mastery of the games to show off their gambling skills and gain monetary excitement (Lam,
2007; Latour, Sarrazit, Hendler & Latour, 2009; Ye, 2010).
Chinese gamblers also show a greater illusion of control as compared with players from
Western cultures. This is most likely a result of the Chinese luck-oriented culture. They believe
that certain practices during the gambling process, for example, sitting at tables which they
believe to be lucky, comparing predictions and real outcomes to test their skills, and trying to
peel cards to change gambling outcomes or get the number they want. Belief that gambling
results can be predicted and controlled is common among the Chinese (Lam, 2007; Ye, 2010).
Chinese gamblers prefer intellectual and highly engaging games, games that can provide
the players with social values, such as baccarat-- rather than individual games such as slot
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machines (Lam, 2007; Latour, Sarrazit, Hendler & Latour, 2009). This behavior is believed to
stem from a communal background that emphasizes social interaction and their culture’s views
of luck, fate and destiny. Even the few Chinese players who prefer slot machines like the ones
based on chance rather than those that, like video poker, require some decision making (Latour,
Sarrazit, Hendler, & Latour, 2009).
In sum, Chinese players tend to show a higher illusion of control (Raylu & Oei, 2004);
more risk-orientation, influenced by Chinese luck-oriented thinking instead of probabilistic
thinking (Keren, 1994; Ye, 2009); less need of emotional satisfaction in gaming; lower levels of
pursuing fun and excitement, higher levels of avoidance of stress, anxiety, and depression; and
less desire for learning and accomplishing (Chantal, Vallerand & Vallieres,1995; Raylu & Oei,
2009; Ye, 2009).
Chinese Communication Style
China is a high-context communication style culture. A high-context culture
communicates with implicit messages whose meaning can only be inferred from the context, and
the receiver of the message reads between the lines (Fang & Faure, 2010; Galletti, 2002).
Research conducted by Gao and Ting-Tommey (1998) on Chinese communication has
shown that there are five distinctive characteristics of Chinese communication: implicit
communication (hanxu), listening-centered communication (tinghua), polite communication
(keqi), insider-communication (zijiren), and face-directed communication (mianzi).
“Hanxu” means to contain and to save. It suggests an implicit and indirect Chinese
communication style. To be hanxu, one does not spell out everything but leaves the unspoken to
the listeners. “Tinghua” refers to a listening-centered communication style. To the Chinese, not
everyone is entitled to speak, thus a spoken voice is equated with seniority, authority, age,
17
experience, knowledge, and expertise. “Keqi” generally means polite, courteous, modest,
humble and well-mannered. The polite communication style is a basic communication principle
in Chinese everyday communication. “Zijiren” means insider, as opposed to “wairen,” outsider;
the Chinese tendency is to become highly involved in conversation with the insider, but rarely
speak to strangers (outsiders). The insider effect suggests that the type of relationship determines
what is communicated and how information should be transmitted. “Minazi” is the face or image
of a person’s in-group moral reputation as well as his or her prestige. The Chinese relationship-
oriented culture determines that face permeates every aspect of interpersonal relationship in
Chinese communication (Gao & Ting-Toomey, 1998; Fang, & Faure, 2010).
However, China’s enormous economic development and direct contact with foreign
technologies, cultures and lifestyles during the past three decades have significantly affected
Chinese values, behaviors, and communication style. Nevertheless, neither the traditional
Chinese cultural values nor communication characteristics have disappeared. Rather, both the
traditional and new cultural values and communication characteristics are more and more visibly
coexisting in today’s Chinese society.
Casino Customer Service
It is widely recognized that high quality of service and enhancing customer satisfaction
are important factors in the success of companies in the hospitality industry (Barsky & Labagh
1992; Choi & Chu, 2001). Other studies also indicate that customer satisfaction and service
quality are the two main factors of customer behavioral intention to recommend and repurchase
(Choi & Chu, 2001; Getty & Thompson, 1994).
In the gambling industry, games offered by the casinos represent the core service that
casino players seek (Brady & Cronin, 2001). However, it is hard for casino players to
18
differentiate between casinos at the same level, especially in a mature market like Las Vegas. The
games and amenities offered by same-level casinos are similar. What one large casino has, all
other large casinos have as well. For casinos to stand out and prosper in an environment of
increased competition, they must provide a better guest experience (Baird, 2002). Apart from the
games offered, all the other services, such as the service delivery provided by the employees and
physical service environment, can work to enhance the service experience of customers in a
casino (Wong & Fong, 2010).
In high-contact settings such as the service market, it is common that customers consider
supplemental services, such as the physical service setting and the service delivery process, to be
more important than the core service (Wong & Fong, 2010). Furthermore, these service–related
elements also play an important role in allowing a firm to differentiate its value from others and
provide a special position among their customers (Bitner, 1992).
Research suggests that the main reason for the Chinese to visit casinos is gambling (Fong
& Ozorio, 2005). However, according to the study done by Wong & Fong (2010) examining
service quality in Macau, while Chinese customers perceive the game service as the fundamental
element to their gambling experience, comfort and hospitality are crucial as well. Thus, offering
a variety of games is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for service satisfaction. Chinese
casino customers regard a superior service environment as valuable, and intimate interpersonal
interaction from the service they received could surpass their customer service expectations and
thus, enhance their satisfaction level.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for casino management or staff to have little
knowledge of their Chinese customers, for example, offering cocktail services during the peak of
the games, expressing displeasure at some superstitious baccarat behaviors such as shouting
19
“ding” when peeling cards or rudely forbidding them to squeeze the cards (Lam, 2007). Despite
the money to be made from Chinese high rollers, in Las Vegas, except for the Asian gaming pits
and restaurants at several casinos and Asian inspired décor at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, no
public marketing effort has targeted the Chinese in recent years. There are no Chinese character
signs at McCarran International Airport to welcome Chinese tourists, and no casinos have gone
out of their way to hire Chinese-speaking hosts or other casino employees who can better
converse with the Chinese (Benston, 2011a). The result of this lack of knowledge will only
creates a negative image, reflect poor customeAr service, and show an absence of cultural
sensitivity (Galletti, 2002; Lam, 2007).
Conclusion
The literature review shows us that financially, Chinese customers are extremely
important to the Las Vegas gaming market. Chinese cultural factors such as superstitions,
gambling characteristics and communication styles demonstrate that Chinese customers have
different needs, expectations, and service requirements than those of the customers from Western
cultures. In order to increase the satisfaction of Chinese guests and in turn, increase patronage
among the Chinese customers, learning how to adjust the customer services offered by casinos to
meet and or surpass their different needs, expectations and service requirements is the key.
20
Chinese Customers Information Sheet
The Chinese have a long and rich culture, and many cultural factors affect their daily lives. When it
comes to gambling, the Chinese have their own distinctive characteristics and communication styles
that are associated with their culture. Thus it might be difficult for casino staff who are not familiar
with the Chinese culture to deliver superior casino customer service without first learning about
some common Chinese cultural considerations and communication styles.
This small and easy to carry information sheet has been created to help casino staff acquire a better
understanding of some common Chinese gaming culture considerations and communication styles
in order to enhance the service quality offered and increase the customer satisfaction, and in turn, the
retention, of Chinese customers.
While many common features of Chinese culture pertaining to gambling and communications are
given here, this information sheet cannot possibly include all the Chinese cultural factors that are
associated with gaming. Information should be added accordingly by staff members or management
who deal with Chinese customers frequentl
Superstitions
Elements
Good Luck
Bad Luck
Color
Red, Yellow/Gold
White
Number Homonym
6,8,9
4,7
Number Combination
Homonym
18-definitely prosper; 84-prosperous till death; 168-prosper all
the way; 518- I will prosper; 988-prosper for a long time;
1388-prosperity in one’s lifetime; 5189-I will prosper for a
long time;
14- will die; 58-won’t prosper; 958-won’t prosper for a
long time;1358-won’t prosper in one’s lifetime;
Words Homonym
fa cai -prosper; gong xi fa cai-hope you will prosper; yelling
“ding” or “jin” when playing baccarat
shu/si (sounds like lose), gan (similar to lose it all)
Feng-shui
west side of a room; being able to see a door; avoiding the
main entrance of a casino; room with plenty of sunlight;
bamboo
sitting next to a door or window; fly swatter next to a
casino cashier
Traditional Customs
don’t urinate when on a wining streak; carrying or bring lucky
items like: qi lin (imaginary animal), jade ring or sea salt; put
coins under casino carpet; pray to the fortune god for blessing
being touched on the shoulder when gambling; gambling
against a pregnant woman; males having sex before
gambling; dropping chopsticks
Red symbolizes good luck, good fortune, auspiciousness, happiness, and prosperity. Some players believe that wearing red cloth, especially
red underwear, or having red accessories can bring you good luck. Yellow and Gold signifies neutrality and good luck. Yellow was the color
of imperial China, and it holds the meaning of authority, power and nobility. White is the color of mourning. White is associated with death
and is use predominately in funerals in Chinese culture (Galltie, 2002; Lam 2005).
Number Homonym: 4 (similar to death) and 7 (signifyer of death) are bad and unlucky; 6, 8 and 9 are good and lucky; other numbers are less
important. Two or more continuous numbers, such as 44, 74 or 444, are worse than a single unlucky number alone; similarly, two or more
consecutive good numbers, such as 66, 88 or 888, are better than one lucky number alone (Yang, 2011).
Number Combinations Homonym: Combinations of numbers, when similar to certain pronunciations of words or sentences, is also given
specific meanings (Lam, 2005; Yang, 2011).
Words Homonym: words like “shu” (Mandarin) or “si” (Cantonese) means a book is a homophone of “loss;” carrying or looking at a book
(carrying or bringing loss) where people are taking risks such as gambling is considered to invite bad luck and loss (Huang & Teng, 2009).
Feng-shui: it is believed that Chi, or positive energy, flows more intensely in some places than it does in others, and these spots where Chi
influence is greater can be of strategic importance for a gambler’s good luck. For example, the west side of a room and the spot where you
can see a door have better chi, or energy flow, and thus are good spots for gamblers (Cheong, 2010).
Some traditional customs in gambling might not make sense for people who are not from the Chinese culture, but they are commonly
practiced among a lot Chinese players (Huang & Teng, 2009).
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Casino Service Preferences
Items
The Chinese prefer
Games
baccarat, paigow (highly engaging, chance based games)
etc.
Casino
Environment
comfortable, easy to converse with players as well as the
dealers; private (especially for high rollers)
Accommodations
rooms /floors with lucky numbers; rooms facing north;
rooms with good Feng-shui;
Food
easy to access, quick and comforting
Beverage
non-alcoholic drinks; for example, water, hot tea or juice
Games: Baccarat is the Chinese people’s favorite casino games, however, game like slot machines that are less engaging or require decision
making are not very attractive to them (Lam, 2007); the communal background that highlights social interaction and their culture’s views of
luck, fate and destiny stimulate this behavior (Latour, Sarrazit, Hendler& Latour, 2009).
Casino Environment: the Chinese play longer, have higher illusion of control and a perceived inability to stop gambling, and like to show off
their gambling skills; they often practice certain behaviors like peeling cards slowly, showing other players their cards, discussing and predict
each others chances of winning. Thus a comfortable, easy to communicate environment is preferable (Benston, 2011a; Lam, 2007 & Ye,
2010).
Accommodations: number homonym and Feng-shui are important when assigning rooms for the Chinese; when losing occurred, these factors
might be main sources of blame (Lam, 2005).
Food: The Chinese can play games continuously for a long time. While enjoying good food is a very important part of Chinese culture, when
gambling, foods can the least important issue. So a quick, easy to access, comfortable and satisfying food option is necessary.
Beverage: Chinese take gambling very seriously; they care about the results more than the process. Drinking alcohol while gambling is not a
smart move even if it is free, because the Chinese believe that alcohol might lead to a loss of control over the game. They normally choose
non-alcoholic drinks like hot tea or water while gambling (Benston, 2011a; Latour, Sarrazit & Hendler 2009).
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10 Major Dos and Don'ts when encountering Chinese customers
Do
Don't
1. Be polite, modest and well mannered
1. Show too much emotion
2. Respect their history, culture and economic accomplishments
2. Use too many gestures during conversations
3. Be friendly and interpersonal
3. Be too direct and straightforward
4. Offer ways to save face when they lose money
4. Decline favors or requests in public or in front of their subordinates
5. Be quiet and a good listener when dealing with wisdom, authority, and
expertise
5. Rudely stop them from squeezing cards too hard while playing
6. Be dependable and reliable
6. Be impatient when they peel cards slowly while gambling
7. Mix friendship with business
7. Express displeasure of players' ritualized behaviors
8. Respect the elder
8. Interrupt during the peak of games by offering drinks or other services
9. Show understanding of their superstitions, ritualized thoughts, and
behaviors
9. Touch players’ shoulders while they are playing
10. Establish connections and long term relationship
10. Express unpleasantness when they don’t tip
There are five distinctive Chinese communication characteristics: implicit communication, listening-centered communication, polite
communication, insider-communication, and face-directed communication (Fang, & Faure, 2010). These characteristics are the core values
and factors that need to be paid special attention when interact with Chinese customers.
The impact of Chinese superstition culture on Chinese people’s gambling behavior needs to be given attention as well; some typical practices
such as the Dont's (5,6,7,8,9) should be commonly acknowledged.
Chinese are from a non-tipping culture. People who have never been exposed to foreign cultures might not know that they are expected to tip
the service staff when good service is provided.
Conclusion
It is important to consider the financial importance and potential of Chinese customers to
the Las Vegas gaming market. Casino operators need to focus on improving customer service in
order to differentiate their value propositions and entice customers to visit and return to the same
property. A better understanding of Chinese cultural factors such as superstitions, communication
styles and gaming characteristics is necessary for casino employees to properly serve them and
thus increase satisfaction and patronage (Galletti, 2002; Wong & Fong, 2010). However, these
Chinese cultural considerations can be hard for employees to determine from observation, thus
an information sheet that is easy to carry and access, but packed with useful information and tips
like the one above can come in handy for casino employees.
Recommendations
In order to efficiently communicate and interact with Chinese customers and offer the
appropriate, warm, intimate, and interpersonal service that can surpass Chinese customers’
expectation and increase their satisfaction, an ongoing staff training that addresses these Chinese
cultural issues needs to be created. It is also necessary to hire multi-lingual staff members and
interpreters to supervise casino operations and assist staff training. Meanwhile, hire a Feng-shui
expert to consult and make necessary changes in the casino to make sure it don’t go against the
basic Feng-shui rules so that Chinese customers can feel more comfortable playing there.
Adding Chinese characters to major signs, direction boards, restaurant menus, and game
instructions will work to reduce the culture shock, enhance customers' understanding of the
service they receive and most importantly, to make them feel extremely welcome and
demonstrate the recognition of their importance to the casino.
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