When it comes to delivering a great casino guest experience, many factors come into play well before the guest ever steps foot onto the property. From the moment they go to the website or call for a reservation, there are perceptions and opinions that will go into determining if their visit was positive or not. When it comes to determining what makes guests happy, it takes a full team from player development and guest services to food and beverage and entertainment to make everything flow smooth and keep the guests smiling, all orchestrated by the management at the property. Many of the leaders in the industry have earned their way to the top through years of various roles and responsibilities that helped them sharpen their skills to be qualified to get the most from their team and deliver the ultimate experience for their guests.
One of the icons of the industry who always seems to work with her team to deliver the best for her guests is LuAnn Pappas, CEO of Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Mississippi. She has blazed her trail for 39 years and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
We recently caught up with her to hear more about her career, management philosophy and some of the trends in the industry over the years.
Listen to the full-interview below:
G. Douglas Dreisbach: How long have you been in the casino industry what were some of your roles along the way?
LuAnn Pappas: It was 39 years in August. It’ll be 40 next year. I spent 30 years with Caesars Entertainment, it was Harrah’s before that, and I answered an ad in the Atlantic City newspaper 39 years ago, and that’s where my career began. I started on the grave shift in the gift shop.
GDD: In 39 years, what have been some of the biggest and most impactful changes you’ve seen in the gaming industry over the years?
LP: Looking back, most casinos used to be run by table game shift managers, and table games were what everyone talked about. That’s not the case today. It’s 80% slots, 20% tables, and that’s probably historically true in most gaming establishments. Obviously, with Vegas and the things that have happened there, there’s certainly a lot more cash than there is the gaming, and that’s, again, in the destination markets, not so much, again, in our regional markets. Obviously, technology has changed significantly and today the customers are more female than male. But if I had to pinpoint one thing, I would say the proliferation of gaming technology and more sophisticated reinvestment marketing systems.
GDD: So, your property, Scarlet Pearl is known for not turning down a bet. One mega bet was a couple of years ago when Mattress Mack made big bets on the World Series and the Kentucky Derby for promotion at his stores. Can you tell us how that transpired?
LP: We did. We took Mattress Mack’s bet when no one else would. It was the World Series and it went right down to the last game, last inning. You want to talk about not sweating money—it really was a fluke that it happened. Obviously, Mattress Mack had called a few places. I called the owners, and the owners are big believers in “We’ll take any bet, any time, any action.” If we had lost that bet, it would have been a loss of 14 million dollars to the property.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale (Astros Jersey) poses with Pappas after making a $3.5 million bet on the World Series.
GDD: Do you get sizeable bets on a regular basis in the sports book and/or in the casino?
LP: We have a couple big sports betters, and certainly, like every casino, you have your hand full of really big players. But we’re a local casino. They come a few times a month and live within 20 miles of the property, so that’s a big switch for me. Where I worked before, it was more evenly spread, local, regional, and national. But, we are a local casino and have done very well in the market. And when I say “the market,” I’m talking the Gulf Coast.
GDD: The Scarlet Pearl property layout with the vibrant casino floor with tall ceilings really provides an energetic and lively feel. Do you take suggestions from guests for layout preferences or other things like game play?
LP: Yes, all the time. As a matter of fact, we’ve taken a few of our top customers out to the gaming show in Vegas so they can look at the new machines or the up-and-coming products that are coming and we like to get their input, versus our input. They’re the ones that play the machines. They’re the ones that typically play at more than one casino. It has really worked out well for us because they actually are good at picking what’s new and up-and-coming.
GDD: Do you see a trend where some machines are more popular than others as far as reels or animations or celebrity themes?
LP: I think that is always going to be the case. It’s getting more and more challenging, because remember, we all have table games. We all have slots. We all have restaurants and hotel rooms. So, again, the more interactive the game is, the more appeal it has. Most successful games are games that casinos can’t own. We lease them. But nonetheless, you must have them, because they have high appeal. And the graphics are getting better and better. The interactive features are getting better and better, and the more you can offer games that have the three spins or multiple options, certainly multiples, the better off you are.
GDD: You mentioned that all casinos have their games, their restaurants, these kinds of things, and one thing that you have that separates you is the ability to make decisions quickly being family-owned, from the amazing Scarlet’s Steaks and Seafood, that has won several Southern Gaming Readers’ Choice awards over the years to other decisions. Why is that important and what value does it deliver to guests?
LP: Yes, we are unique in the fact that we are literally a family-owned casino, and the only casino the family owns. So, we’ve been very successful with our speed to the market. We can decide something today at 1:30 and institute that decision, barring any regulatory concerns, relatively quickly. So again, being nimble is the single biggest advantage we have. The second one is that we don’t have corporate oversight, so sometimes that can bog down progress. One of the missions that we have had since before we opened was that we were going to encompass three things, we are going to make sure that our employees are satisfied, that our customers are satisfied and that we are involved in the community. Beyond that, we are also going to be friendly, clean, and safe. As long as you are friendly, clean, and safe, that’s 50% of the issue right there.
We have been very fortunate, in that we go through auditions to work at Scarlet Pearl, and the auditions are done by a group of executives, from supervisors and above. So, we select you. Yes, you may want to come to work for Scarlet Pearl, but it is about your personality, and it is different. It is a family business. We’re able to do things differently, and it’s important to us that you’re as involved and engaged as we are.
You are correct. We’ve received many, many awards. Most of them are for our efforts in the community, as well as our customer service, and certainly our outlets. We’re blessed in that we own all of our outlets. They’re not leased or third-party outlets. We change all of our menus quarterly tying back to the ultra-high frequent customer. You certainly don’t want them to get bored with your menu offerings. And sometimes, when you get bored, you just go to another place to get something different to eat. So, we’re very cognizant of keeping that fresh and new and quarterly.
One unique thing we recently did was a customer introduced us to a family that owns Eagle Point Oyster. Oysters, especially raw oysters, are one of my favorite things in life. Clams would be the first one, but we don’t have them down here in the South. In any event, when we met with them at this customer’s house, it was a great evening. He brought out all his oysters and his team. They actually have an oyster bed right close to here, right off of Horn Island, out in the Gulf of Mexico, where they breed their own oysters. So, we decided that we will brand a Scarlet Pearl oyster. We can create the size and the salinity that we wanted and that was really unique. We are fortunate to be able to partner with a lot of local businesses, because we don’t have corporate contracts, and we’ve really put a stake in the ground about using as many local vendors as we can.
GDD: You are one of the few female CEO’s on the Coast, probably in the industry as a whole. But what does it mean to you to be such a great leader in somewhat of a male-driven industry? And how do you encourage other women to create their own paths in the industry?
LP: I think that’s a great question. Yesterday I talked to the local chamber of commerce, and that subject did come up, and yes, that’s correct. There’s only two of us on the Gulf Coast. But the percentage doesn’t really change, no matter whether you’re looking at the Gulf Coast or international or across the United States, which is sad. I can speak freely about it, given my age. I don’t hide it, obviously. I started in the business in 1985. I’m 66 years old, soon to be 40 years in the business, and I will tell you that I’m not so sure it’s changed that much. I feel that at this stage in my life, and I’ve had a tremendous amount of success much later in life, it is one of the reasons that I left the large corporations. It was an opportunity that presented itself that I otherwise knew I wouldn’t get, and not that I hadn’t tried. I don’t have the traditional CEO or general manager’s background. I certainly don’t have an MBA. As a matter of fact, I’m a certified court reporter and worked in juvenile intake, retail, and adult probation. So, that is my background. But I was able, fortunately, to come up through the ranks, and sometimes I believe, when that happens, you’re more in tune with what’s actually going on, because you’ve done that job. And I’ve had so many different jobs across so many different locations that, again, it was more like on-the-job training, but it turned out well. I think my mission, at this point, as I end my career—not that that’s going to happen any time soon, because I absolutely love what I do, is to make sure there are voices that are heard to say that women can do this job. It does require an unusual amount of time away from your family, nights, holidays, and weekends, but it is also a very rewarding and fulfilling career in as much as you meet a lot of people, you’re exposed to a lot of different situations, whether they be the situations relative to the challenges of your employees, the challenges in the community, or charitable causes. But again, my mission in life at this point is to make sure that everyone is aware that this needs to change, because women do bring something different to the business.
GDD: What is the best time of year to visit the Gulf Coast and Scarlet Pearl?
LP: For me, I would say it’s the first and the fourth quarter, because typically the first quarter in the South is good for golf and fishing, but you also have Mardi Gras. Then, obviously, as you go into the fourth quarter, you have events like Cruisin’ The Coast where this year they will have something like 9,000 cars with people that come internationally for such a wonderful, wonderful event. It is a staple here on the Gulf Coast. Then you have Ocean Springs, where in November, they have the Peter Anderson Art Festival. There is a lot to do on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The good news is, pretty much 12 months a year, the weather’s the same. Now, it goes without saying that it’s hotter than blazes in July and August, and then certainly you do deal with hurricane season every year, but overall, it’s really great weather 12 months out of the year, and there’s quite a bit to do.
GDD: Is there anything else you’d like to add for our readers and listeners to hear?
LP: I hope everyone takes the chance and opportunity to come see the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We have great restaurants, great culture, great history and a lot to do here.
For more information and reservations for Scarlet Pearl Casino resort, visit ScareltPearlCasino.com or call 1-888-752-9772.
