A Talk with JJ Woods on Casino Consultancy

WITH OVER 35 YEARS IN CASINO INDUSTRY, JJ WOODS WAS BORN IN IRELAND BUT LEFT IN THE 1970 TO LIVE IN LONDON AND START A CAREER IN BANKING. AFTER 4 YEARS IN BANKING, HE TRAINED IN THE CASINO INDUSTRY IN LONDON.

OVER HIS LONG CAREER, HE HAS DEDICATED TO THE DESIGN, SET UP AND MANAGEMENT OF CASINOS AROUND THE WORLD. JJ WOODS WAS THE CONSULTANT FOR THE COMPLETE SET UP OF THE CARLTON CASINO CLUB IN DUBLIN WHICH OPENED CHRISTMAS 2019.

HTTPS://WWW.CARLTONCASINOCLUB.COM/ HE WAS THE CHOSEN CONSULTANT FOR THE LARGEST RESORT STYLE CASINO IN EUROPE: THE TIPPERARY VENUE IN WHICH HE PARTNERED WITH PRICE WATERHOUSE ON THE PROJECT.

Please can you tell us how has been the experience of being a casino consultant for 35 years?

Well I started working in Banking in London in the late 70’s and after rising to the position of “operational reserve officer” which basically meant travelling from branch to branch to conduct training for other staff members, I started to realize that daytime work was particularly tiresome on myself and my energy levels were starting to decrease, So I started to look into night time work

“ It has overall been a wonderful journey”

and discovered Casinos! So I did my training in the London Casinos and then I started working abroad.

I was part of the management team that opened Russia’s first casino in Moscow after Gorbachev at the beginning of the 90’s. I have since opened Casino’s in South America, Caribbean and North Africa and pioneered the “Boutique Style” casino which used in several countries but in particular Ireland. I have consulted worldwide on gaming issues and appeared on TV & Radio, Conference speaking etc.

To sum up the above it has overall been a wonderful journey but unlike other job’s there are times when you spend long durations from your family, sometimes several months and there is good and safe countries that you visit and not so good and not so safe countries. I guess this includes people also as the gaming industry has some wonderful people within it but for obvious reasons it also attracts, shall we say the not so wonderful people.

In your view, what it takes to make a “Wow” casino in terms of its set-up and design?

I can answer that very simply. Of course, the design is important which hopefully will add to the “wow” factor. However, it never ceases to amaze me how much Casinos invest in the design and how little they invest in staff? Believe me the “wow” factor is 75% of your staff. I have over the years witnessed Casino with sawdust (wood shavings on the ground) make more money than Casino’s with echo chambers in reception, gold hand rails and all the trimmings. What makes the Casino successful is not the latest slot machine or fancy design but how the staff interact with the customers.

Today much to often we witness Casinos been run like fast food outlets “ Have a Nice Day “ etc once this happens we have lost our way .

The design is important as we must remember today Land based Casinos are fighting for their very existence due to the increased popularity of online gaming mainly due to the Covid crisis. It is interesting to note that some years back Hotels, Resorts etc were constantly enquiring about having a Casino installed at their property but today the Casino’s are phoning those properties and literally begging to install a Casino and that is how the industry has changed over the last 20 years. So set –up and design today will usually offer more than just one attraction and usually the Casino is not the main draw as there is a Spa, Beach, Water sports and the Hotel itself which will add to the experience.

We must remember that is what Casinos originally set out to do, we sold you an experience and we made it possible for you to leave the Casino happy even though you lost! Operators seem to have forgotten that principle but it’s true.

Finally if it’s a casino I have consulted on , I am old fashioned so I usually go for the tassel lamp shades above the gaming tables which are brighter than the surrounding lighting as I believe the gaming tables are like the stage and should be lit accordingly and the dealers are the actors ! Gaming people often say the casino staff should have been issued with Equity Card’s instead of a gaming License and that takes us back

“ We must remember that is what Casinos originally set out to do”

to the importance of staff as they make the experience happen.

What do you recommend to the casino operators and designers in Albania?

Of course the 1st thing I recommend is that they talk to a gaming consultant and the reason being is that the consultant will give an unbiased and fair judgement on all of their concerns. For example if an operator goes to a Casino Equipment supplier, the supplier will give them

“ I would also point out that not every game is popular”

every reason as to why they should buy their gaming apparatus because that is what they do, they are wanting to sell. However a consultant will have already done research on that particular gaming apparatus and will know if in fact the people in that country / region would be attracted to playing that type of game.

I would also point out that not every game is popular, it depends on the culture of the country and how the game is presented. For example Roulette in Ireland took some years to catch on because the culture was mostly card games as people played cards from a young age in their homes so they naturally leaned to playing Blackjack, 3 Card Poker etc when Casino’s opened some 20 years back.

Finally I would add than a themed Casino would always get my vote as this can turn the property into an exciting place to visit, An example of this would be one of my earlier designs which was called “Silks Casino” which refers to the garment worn by Horse Racing Jockeys and so the entire property was dedicated to the world of horse racing with special memorabilia on show and specially designed roulette wheels with famous horses names painted into the wheel etc.

What are the most problematic aspects when you deal with the casino operations management?

I would say that most people answering this never seem to mention this aspect but this is the truth believe me. The reality is it is the casino result or winnings if you like and behind the scenes this is going on constantly and the visiting customers have no idea or if they did it would be a very badly run casino ! So the cameras are constantly monitoring the Customers, the game, the staff and relaying the results to and fro from the various table games and all of the time analyzing the projected or final result, hence it is no surprise at the end of the evening when casino is closed as the management have a fair idea of how the Casino has performed. So the above for me is the most popular issue as operators will always ask a consultant how can they make more money from their casino and in truth whilst I cannot go into it here in any depth but the solution to make the casino more profitable is usually very simple so far to say that when I have been requested to do this it has always improved.

And finally, another most problematic aspect on the Consultancy side is when Staff are stealing or are in collusion with others to do so. Whilst this is not my favourite part of the consultancy request it is of the utmost importance as it can destroy a business and cause others to lose their jobs which effects their families and has far reaching consequences for the all concerned including the investors / owners . One of the most significant attributes that a casino can have is trust and when that is broken it can ripple and shake the foundations that the very business is built on.

Again it is difficult to elaborate any more on the issue here in this piece except to say, By the time the consultant gets the call the crime has already been committed and usually it has been going on for several weeks, months and sometimes years, which is why in Casino fraud /stealing etc you will only ever get a rough estimate of how much money was taken because they simply cannot come up with an accurate figure. In

“They felt they could put it to better use than the customer.”

my experience having consulted on the issue, you analyse trends and behaviours of staff and sometimes customers as many cases involve both and you spend an extraordinary amount of time on the camera system. In the majority of cases I have dealt with the person stealing did not necessarily need the money but it was because they felt they respected the money more than the customers did!

They felt they could put it to better use than the customer. This is why I say over and over invest time and money into the recruitment or training of good staff and tell them at the beginning that they will see large amounts of money being gambled and how do they feel about that ?

Talking about security of casinos, what are the security guidelines that you can share for a casino in terms of the security of players and casino employees?

This is a pivotal point for the successful operation or existence of any Casino operation, It reminds me of my days in Moscow when the customers had to hand in their guns to us on arrival and we returned them at the end of the evening, thankfully we have moved on but on that note I do remember in one establishment in Moscow when a guy pointed a gun at a player on Blackjack and explained he needed to take a card! Today I would vouch than the casino environment is one of the safest for all the people, staff and customers. One of the main reasons for this is because of the Reception’s role in meeting and greeting customers

“I already have visited Tirana and done a small consultancy on the possibility of a Casino”

“ We have really moved on regarding technology with camera surveillance and in truth every part of the Casino is monitored”

when they arrive and following the AML (Anti Money Laundering) entry rules and compliances.

There is very few countries today that do not have comply with AML Policy and I guess good or bad that has enhanced the security of the casino indirectly. We have really moved on regarding technology with camera surveillance and in truth every part of the Casino is monitored. As I said above most Casinos have to comply with rules, membership forms be it their own initiative or one that a government has enforced on them which make the casino a less attractive place for criminals to frequent. So in my opinion and in most parts of the world the casino is a safer option than most.

Do you think Albania will be added to the list of the countries where you have given your experience as a casino consultant?

I would like to think so, I already have visited Tirana and done a small consultancy on the possibility of a Casino located there some time back. It is indeed wonderful city and it opened my eyes to Albania as a country not to mention the fantastic coastal regions. In my experience Casinos have a direct connect to tourism and I see Albania benefiting from the proper roll out of regulated Casinos throughout the country. It will encourage more people to visit Albania and investors will look at resort projects more fondly if they a Casino installed. When I visited Tirana there was Slot Parlours (gaming machines) all over the city, In fact I had never seen so many gambling properties like this all in one city. This type of gambling preys on the young and vulnerable and gives gambling in general a bad reputation. I was very pleased when the Albanian government closed them down which was the correct decision. Albania can now become a reputable member of the International gaming industry and encourage businessmen and tourists alike to visit what is simply a beautiful country.