Under the professional guidance and expertise of the independent consumer research consultancy Storecheckers, the pilot sessions drew on the experiences of a sample of customers that were representative of the MERKUR Slots player-base across the three metrics of age, gender and their frequency of venue visits.

Customer Experience Manager, Lola Wood who is working on the project alongside Storecheckers is delighted with the outcomes from both sessions. She explained: “The objective was to identify and act on those aspects of the customer journey that we can improve on. The Customer Experience Groups provide an opportunity for the leadership team to listen to what players are telling us and to understand their attitude towards gambling entertainment and their motivations for playing machines.”

The research has confirmed the importance of the MERKUR Slots venue teams who are key in delivering a positive experience. Lola explained: “What came out loud and clear was how much our players value the relationships they have with venue teams. Team members who know their customers, who have benefitted from a professional training programme and who are empathetic are central to the delivery of a safe gambling experience.”

Other topics raised included the range of budgeting techniques that are used by players from time limits to spend levels, the frequency of visits and the access to safer gambling messaging within venues.

Tony Boulton, MERKUR UK’s Director of Public and Political Relations added: “Knowing about the personal techniques used by players to manage spend, how venue staff complement and support those methods and the factors that impact the way they play are all important insights that will help reinforce our commitment to delivering a safer gambling experience across all of our venues.”