Macau gaming service index up 17 points

A mystery shopper survey found casino workers are more proactive and smiling more but also less tolerant with customers.

Macau.- The Macau Gaming Research Association revealed the results of its last Gaming Service Index corresponding to the last quarter of 2020.

The index improved by 17 points against the same quarter in 2019, reaching 130 points.

The Association said that due to the Covid-19 pandemic the last evaluation was based on only two rounds of mystery shopper surveys, which visited casinos in October and November.

The surveys assessed baccarat service at tables with between one and five players as well as performance in areas such as cashiers, cloakrooms, membership desks, security, slot machines and shuttle buses.

The study includes a “smiling index” which showed an improvement on the previous year. Casino workers seem to be smiling more, leading the index to jump 41 points year-on-year to 151.  

Given that casino staff are currently required to wear masks, the researchers evaluated other facial cues, GGRAsia reported.

Employees were also more proactive than in the last quarter of 2019. The proactiveness scale reached 150 points, up by 30 points on the previous year.

The only index that showed a decrease was the tolerance index, which fell by 13 points to 99 points.

The number of gaming jobs in Macau, as well as average salaries, have fallen during the Covid-19 pandemic.