Accel Entertainment Illinois Gaming Blog

Accel Expert Forum: Success Stories from the Field

Written by Emily O'Malley | Mar 29, 2018 11:00:00 PM

If you own a business, you know that there are many things that factor in to your success, for instance, location, branding and marketing, staff and pricing strategy. What’s unique about the slot machine industry is that there are often many establishments within towns that allow video gaming, so setting yourself apart from the competition might become a challenge. We reached out to our Accel experts for their location success stories and here’s what they had to say:

Expert forum participants:
    • Jennie Rudisill, Relationship Manager, Accel
    • Jenny Odum, Senior Relationship Manager and Regional Lead
    • Bill Parrott, Relationship Manager and Regional Lead
Gaming Manager Turns Slot Business Around

Jennie Rudisill described to us a gaming location in a small town in Central Illinois that was facing the tough decision to close its doors last year. After much thought, the owner decided to hire a new gaming manager to focus on operations, social media marketing and customer service. In a short amount of time, the new gaming manager was able to drive more traffic to the location via social media and the utilization of punch cards as a way to keep customers coming back. According to Jennie, “they pay close attention to the customers and know their likes and dislikes, especially when it comes to gaming.” On top of the fantastic work being done to drive traffic, the gaming manager has maintained a close relationship with Jennie and is always asking questions regarding the gaming industry and compliance. As Jennie said, “It goes to show – one person can make a difference with a good attitude and work ethic.”

Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day?

One of our success stories comes from a gaming location in Peoria. Jenny Odum says the owner maximizes his hours of operation by opening at 6:00 a.m. He also added a kitchen and serves breakfast for patrons while they play. Since there are many 4:00 a.m. licenses in Peoria, this business model caters to employees of those establishments who are just finishing their shifts. This slot machine location is also very clean and inviting, which keeps customers coming back!

Read more: Why You Should be Serving Breakfast at Your Slot Machine Establishment.

Consistency is Key

Bill Parrott attributes the success of one of his locations to consistent hours of operation and remembering customer’s preferences. Bill notes that their objective is “to cultivate a comfortable all-around experience and that can mean different things to different individuals.” As a result, this location has a lot of repeat business. The location is a family-run, combination liquor store and tavern which is open seven days a week.  They also serve lunch and dinner and cater to a wide demographic.

Stay tuned for future success stories from Accel experts and locations!

Do you have a success story you would like us to feature? Give us the scoop at hello@accelentertainment.com. We’d love to hear from you!