By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-07 21:57:06 | Updated at 2026-10-08 03:56:30
6 hours ago
In a rare glimpse into the gambling industry, leaked audio obtained by the Daily Caller revealed how professional insiders keep gamblers hooked using new technology and carefully tailored operating strategies.
Thousands of gambling industry professionals gathered at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1; they discussed industry regulations, casino operations, gambler experiences, and new strategies and technologies that target first-time gamblers to ensure return play.
During a G2E panel headlined, “From First Play to VIP: Creating Loyalty That Lasts,” participants discussed the importance of retaining gamblers on their first visits to a casino, as well as reducing the “friction” around gambling via mobile apps that allow easier and quicker access to cash, according to an audio clip obtained by the Caller. (RELATED: Young Gambling Addict Blew Through $100k On Sports Gambling — But It Didn’t End There)
Casino revenue has become heavily concentrated within a select tier of gamblers, with a mere 5 to 10 percent of high-value players driving approximately 80 percent of total earnings, explained CC Griffus, the Director of iGaming & Sports Betting Operations at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Michigan.
“Five to ten percent of your top players are bringing in about eighty [percent],” Griffus said. “We’re really trying to keep those ten percent around. If they do leave, then we’ve got some issues, right? Or we’re trying to get more … more from them.”
Griffus stressed that making strong first impressions is key for a casino or gambling venue, pointing out that “every VIP starts as a new player.”
Griffus did not respond to a request for comment.
The panel also featured Kelly Koffler, a casino gambling influencer, and Josh Duffy, co-creator of Slotaholic, a content channel geared toward slot machines.
Neither Koffler nor Duffy returned a request for comment.
Duffy emphasized the importance of shaping the casino experience so it feels like a player’s “second home.”
“This is their second home,” he said. “It could be their second home. And so how are you gonna make this environment friendly, fun, something you wanna return to?”
Duffy also noted that casino operators use “free play” promotions to boost attendance frequency. (RELATED: Prediction Markets, Casinos In Lobbying Duel Over Industries Rife With Consumer Debt, Addiction Issues)
“There are properties that do break their free play up into three periods a week,” he said. “And that is, of course, to encourage players to come in more frequently.”
To keep losing gamblers from leaving, Koffler argued that casinos must offer more compelling reasons to remain on the property.
“You have other things to do with the property,” she said, explaining how additional amenities prevent guests from cutting their visits short. “You shouldn’t want us to say, ‘Oh, I’m losing, I wanna go home.’ You should want us to maybe go to the spa.”
The panel also discussed a variety of perks that gambling venues might offer to encourage players to return, including extremely friendly and dedicated hosts, free drinks and personalized loyalty tiers.
Yet another strategy involves cashless payments to minimize what one panelist described as the “friction of financial transactions,” such as a gambler having to withdraw more cash from an ATM that charges fees. Griffus highlighted the sheer ease of money transfers between a gambler’s smartphone and a gaming terminal.
“It’s kind of scary,” she said.
A Sept. 29 panel, “What VIPs Actually Want From Your Platform,” featured Steve Fezzik, professional sports bettor and advantage gambler, and Mike Lavin, a three-time winner of the World Series of Poker and BetMGM ambassador. (RELATED: REPORT: Sports Gambling App Allegedly Uses AI To Target Those Most Likely To Lose Money On Bets)
Neither Fezzik nor Lavin responded to requests for comment.
Both Fezzik and Lavin’s remarks shed light on how sportsbooks and casinos push gamblers toward high-margin “sucker bets” that can easily drain their funds. They also appeared to acknowledge the value of casinos targeting the worst players who lose the most, referred to as the “biggest fish,” with tailored incentives better players cannot access.
At one point in the discussion, Fezzik said that a poker operation should focus on incentivizing the weakest players to keep them in the gambling environment. Lavin responded that while he could not directly confirm specific practices, casino operators present “selective bonus offers … to some players and not others” and that “some part of” what Fezzik described is “correct.”
He also cautioned against casinos and operators pushing gamblers toward continuous wagers when the odds are drastically stacked against them.
In that scenario, Fezzik said, operators are simply attempting to extract “every ounce of blood from a turnip.”
