“Where Everybody Knows Your Game” is the new umbrella theme set to kick off in April at St. Jo Frontier Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri and rebrand the property as more colorful and customer-friendly. The move came as a result of a 3 percent decline in total adjusted gross revenue, from .5 million in February 2016 to .4 million in February 2017, according to Missouri Gaming Commission numbers. Revenue in the current fiscal year has increased only 1 percent, to .2 million. Also, admissions fell by 11 percent in February 2016 compared to February 2017, from 101,000 to 91,000. Admissions are down 14 percent for the fiscal year.
Vice President and General Manager Jim Simms said, “Actually business was pretty good for us. We’re pretty healthy where we are. We’re starting to see a lot of the business come back.” But with the planned changes, he said, “April is kind of a keystone month for us. We’re really rebranding the product. We’re trying to reinvent ourselves.”
The investments by owner Affinity Gaming of Las Vegas include renovating the bar on the casino floor and adding a new dining area there. Simms added more color has been added to the slot machines and many of the market’s leading games have been introduced. “We’re really making a commitment to having a new slot product. It’s typical for floor games to be updated every three months,” he noted.
Other changes include new employee uniforms, menu items at the restaurants and new $500,000 roofing.
Simms said, “One of the key focuses we have in 2017 is in customer services.” He said management will respond to issues patrons indicate in a survey.
Simms continued, ”This is all cutting edge. We’re trying to make it a little more fun. We really want to give a great guest experience. We’re really trying to make a splash in the market.”
In 2016, Affinity Gaming posted net revenue of more than $375 million.
