Deborah Conte Santoro, Head of Customer Experience Marketing at Swiss Casinos, says delivering personalised rewards to guests is critical to providing an engaging and entertaining experience, and that there are plenty of upsides for the operator, too.
Just how important are loyalty schemes to retail and online casino operators such as Swiss Casinos?
They are really important as they allow us to show players just how much we value their custom. They also allow operators to provide a personalised and tailored experience, and to learn more about each player and their unique preferences. We see our Swiss Casinos Member Club as a major selling point and a way to communicate our brand values to players, while giving them a reason to return to our properties time and again – the retail casino space is incredibly competitive and consumers have plenty of choice when it comes to where they play in Switzerland.
Tell us more about your Swiss Casinos Member Club and what it offers.
The Swiss Casinos Member Club is a modern loyalty program that takes the player experience and customer engagement to the next level. We successfully launched it at our Schaffhausen property in 2024 and have since been rolling it out to all casinos across the group, with that rollout almost complete and marking a strategic milestone in the land-based casino sector. At the heart of the Swiss Casinos Member Club is the idea of rewarding loyal guests and offering them more than just a typical casino visit. Registration is quick and free at the front desk, with guests receiving a personalised membership card on the spot. This means they can start playing and collecting points straight away.
The card is linked to both slot machines and live games, and every game played earns reward and status points that contribute to a six-level system – Newcomer, Rookie, Explorer, Master, Hall of Fame and Legend. Players automatically progress from one level to the next as they reach the required number of points, and in a way that’s transparent, fair and easy to track. With each level cleared, guests unlock exclusive benefits, from free parking to invitations to VIP events and high-end rewards.
How do you ensure rewards are personalised and actually offer value to individual players?
The Swiss Casinos Member Club means players get individual recognition for their time spent at our properties. Instead of being an anonymous visitor, they receive a tailored gaming experience that reflects their preferences and degree of loyalty. The membership provides both emotional and financial benefits, with no barrier to entry as it’s free to sign up. Of course, the more they play, the more data we can gather on their preferences and from this, we can further tailor promotions and rewards.
How important is convenience in the way the rewards system is structured and accessed, and ultimately, how points are spent?
It’s really important, and that’s why we have made the points redemption system flexible and easy to understand. Guests can exchange their points for items in the Swiss Casinos Member Club reward shop, including things like parking passes or even luxury items. But they can also be used for food and beverage purchases in the casino, while continuing to earn points in the process. It’s a cycle of value and appreciation, and one that is incredibly easy for guests to access and take advantage of. Another benefit is security, with credit stored on a personal account and not on the physical card. This means no funds are lost in the event of a card being misplaced – although a replacement can be issued instantly, so there is no disruption to the guest’s experience.
Loyalty schemes offer a lot to players, but what value do they provide to operators?
From a business perspective, the Swiss Casinos Member Club is a powerful strategic asset that lays the foundation for data-driven customer engagement. This, in turn, allows us to continuously improve and personalise the experience we offer to each guest. More importantly, it allows us to move away from gut feeling and internal assumptions and toward a true, data-informed understanding of the guest’s perspective. From this, we can design customer journeys that deliver the best possible experience, tailored to individual needs. Of course, the more we can encourage players to return to our casinos, the better.
Swiss Casino also has an online casino. How does the Member Club bridge the gap between your physical and digital properties?
The Swiss Casinos Member Club goes far beyond the physical casino floor – it creates the technological and strategic backbone for delivering a seamless guest journey across all channels, both offline and online. Next year, we will be integrating the Member Club into our online offering, allowing players to earn points across both channels. The vision for Swiss Casinos is clear – to build a true omnichannel model where players benefit anytime, anywhere, across all touchpoints. This means the Swiss Casinos Member Club is more than just a loyalty program. It’s the next step in the evolution of modern casino operations – it’s personal, secure, flexible and fully prepared for the future.
