Mike Tansley

Vice President of Table Games and Player Development Valley View Casino, San Diego

Las Vegas taught Mike Tansley to think outside the box. Way outside.

Between 2000 and 2005, the gaming veteran helped New York-New York diversify beyond simply replicating the Big Apple. It was a young, hip and flashy movement, a daring addition of locals psychology on the Strip.

“They were refining and re-energizing the entire place,” said Tansley, who served as its table games director and is now vice president of table games and player development for Valley View Casino in San Diego. “They wanted to bring the Vegas energy and Vegas variety to the building and have the people feel that everything they needed was under one roof. I was lucky to be involved in that.”

Indeed it was an interesting time. The Strip was undergoing a massive boom. Caesars Palace unfurled an expansion exceeding $500 million. Mandalay Bay emerged.  So did Wynn, Paris, Treasure Island and the Luxor. New York-New York wasn’t building, but merely tweaking its lineup.

It constructed a new Irish bar, imported piece-by-piece from Ireland. Zumanity, a racy Cirque du Soleil production, further exemplified the change. The property also exploited an ideal location, connecting with the Tropicana and MGM via bridges and walkways to anchor a cozy, lucrative area of the Strip.

“We cheated there,” Tansley recalled, laughing. “That corner is a cash cow. We not only had those properties connected to us, but as people came down toward Mandalay Bay and Monte Carlo, they stopped in our place. Right away we gave people cards, gave them a rating, showed them we would be a great place for them to gamble. One of the things we found out after a couple years is that customers felt we catered to them more than other places. We really did treat them like royalty, not just another number.”

How did the customer service concept avoid becoming cliché? Tansley said the property hired coaches to help employees open up to customers.

“They wanted the personal touch,” he said. “More dealer interactions, more slot interactions. They wanted to break down the old stereotype of getting the hands out, getting the rolls out. Instead, they wanted employees to be greeting every single player, getting to be on more of a personal basis with them.”

Hence, the “Sea of Blue” was born.

“Our uniforms were dark and light blue, and when the dealers came out, there was a giant wave of them wearing those colors,” he says. “The dealers were requested to go over to the slot and table-area games, greet the players and thank them for choosing the casino. It would be something like, ‘Hello. My name is Mike. I hope you are having a good time. Thank you for choosing New York-New York; we really appreciate your business.’ We got a lot of customer feedback from that alone.”

After knowing they were appreciated, customers dug their teeth into tangible upgrades like slot tournaments. The events helped the slot department produce an estimated 20 percent revenue growth for five straight years. Shopping sprees, mailings and promotions also came together. The casino posted strong numbers, and the hotel saw more than 90 percent occupancy. The results justified the considerable expense of building a high-limit slot area.

“I pestered my boss, and there were other people who were even more vocal about needing this,” Tansley said. “The issue we had was that we could not get the high player in. You have to justify the space, the time, the expense, etc.”

Some employee interactions, however, were difficult. New York-New York eliminated numerous box and floor positions, forcing Tansley to re-train executives to become rank-and-file employees working for tokes. Some handled it well and stayed on-board, while others opted for a severance package. Tansley considers the workers he re-trained some of his more gratifying accomplishments.

Gaming—and life—has taken him many places. The California native was a “nuclear brat,” traveling the country as his father worked for the government as a power plant instrument technician. He married “an Air Force brat,” which ultimately led him to gaming. Tansley’s brother-in-law was a dealer at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City and coaxed him into the business.

Twenty-five years later, Tansley is grateful for the nudge. His journey included stints at Bally’s in Atlantic City, riverboats in Illinois, a casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana and a cruise ship in Texas before coming to New York-New York.

“You learn something valuable everywhere you go,” Tansley said. “In Atlantic City, I learned a lot about compliance and game protection. In Vegas, there was a lot involving marketing and player development. There’s something thrilling about thinking how you are going to get the people in, how are you going to treat them, how are you going to retain them.”

For Tansley, it’s easy. Just think outside the box.

By Dave Bontempo

Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.