Hispanic audiences are a growth engine, not a seasonal campaign—especially in local/regional markets.
“Let’s just translate our ads” isn’t a strategy. Segment by culture, not just language, and build programs around real-life rituals like Sunday family outings and fútbol.
Cost-effective channels exist: Spanish radio, direct mail, and community events often outperform broad media—if you track them right.
Operational readiness is non-negotiable: bilingual staff, signage, music, and group perks make or break brand trust.
Always-on beats once-a-year. Build recurring, culturally relevant programs—not just Hispanic Heritage Month content.
If you’ve ever said, “We tried Spanish ads once and it didn’t move the needle,” you’re not alone. But according to José Villa, president of Sensis and chair of the Hispanic Marketing Council, that’s precisely the wrong takeaway from a failed first attempt.
In a recent conversation, José explained why most casinos fall short in their Hispanic marketing—and what regional properties can do differently, even with limited budgets.
The numbers tell a compelling story: Hispanic consumers represent $2.7 trillion in purchasing power and accounted for 71% of U.S. population growth between 2022 and 2023. More than 55% of U.S. Hispanics are now part of the middle and upper class.
For regional casinos, this isn’t just demographic data—it’s untapped revenue sitting in your backyard. José estimates that most casinos are capturing only 15-20% of their potential Hispanic market, even in areas with large Hispanic populations. And here’s the kicker: as Hispanic guests acculturate and become more bicultural, their propensity to gamble increases.
“They tend to become higher-affinity gamblers as they acculturate,” José explains. Additionally, the Hispanic market skews younger than the general population, offering a higher lifetime value if you establish relationships now.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in Hispanic marketing. It’s whether you can afford not to.
When a Spanish ad campaign falls flat, it’s rarely because Hispanic marketing doesn’t work. It’s because you didn’t do your homework first.
“That experience of ‘we tried a Spanish ad and it didn’t work’ is usually a reflection of you tried to reach the wrong Hispanic subsegment,” José explains. “The first key step they miss is understanding the multiple segments and the diversity in the market.”
The Hispanic market isn’t monolithic. It breaks down by:
Before you spend a dollar on media, you need to understand your market. José recommends a tiered approach:
“Modern tech has made it much easier to reach Spanish-dominant segments that were previously hard to access,” José notes. Mobile focus groups enable you to gather feedback from individuals who would otherwise be unwilling to drive to a research facility for 90 minutes.
As Josh LeDuff, CMO of Full House Resorts, emphasized in our previous conversation about authentic Hispanic marketing: “Pull 10, 20, 30 people in before you go invest in some big effort. There are some benefits beyond the input they will provide. Firstly, they’ll become your biggest advocates when you launch the program. The second is that it could easily sway you by making a minor change with a huge impact.”
Focus groups cost less than failed campaigns—and they might reveal operational insights (like Sunday availability preferences) that completely reshape your approach.
For regional casinos watching every marketing dollar, José highlighted several cost-effective channels:
Yes, many small Spanish stations don’t subscribe to ratings services. That makes media buyers nervous. But José sees strong ROI when casinos set up proper tracking.
“You’re not going to get the measurements before you do the buy,” he acknowledges. “You’re going to need to have in place a system to measure it post-buy. You’ll need to take a little bit of a leap of faith at first, but you need to make sure that leap has tracking and measurement attached on the backside.”
Use unique promo codes, dedicated landing pages, or time-boxed offers to prove results.
“Hispanics have double the response rates on direct mail compared to the general market in a lot of markets,” José reports. For regional casinos that are already strong in direct mail, this is low-hanging fruit—just adapt your existing capabilities for this audience.
Attracting Hispanic guests without adapting the experience is a form of marketing malpractice. José emphasizes that the details matter:
“Any casino that does that kind of adaptation or customization of the experience to the Hispanic consumer is going to be leaps and bounds ahead of others,” José says.
But here’s the critical point: operational readiness makes or breaks your marketing efforts. As Josh LeDuff put it in our conversation about operational execution: “Be sure that you’re operationally prepared to deal with the culture you’re marketing to.”
Your advertising might be perfect, but if Spanish-speaking guests arrive to find no bilingual hosts, confusing signage, or staff who don’t understand cultural communication styles, you’ve damaged your brand in that community. Read the complete operational playbook here for practical staffing strategies, technology solutions, and environmental adjustments that turn marketing promises into guest experiences.
Here’s José’s most contrarian advice: Don’t anchor your Hispanic marketing to Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Doing something in Hispanic Heritage Month is usually not super effective. It’s kind of tokenism—what we call Latino coding at the Hispanic Marketing Council. Most Hispanics don’t really care about Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s a corporate thing.”
Instead, build year-round engagement. Hispanic Heritage Month can be a supporting moment, but never the engine of your strategy.
José recommends this phased approach:
Phase 1: Size the Prize (1-2 weeks)
Phase 2: Audit Current Hispanic Guests (2-3 weeks)
Phase 3: Start With a Pilot (3-6 months)
“We find across all categories that you need to spend a little bit more time up front with the Hispanic market, but then they end up becoming much more loyal from a brand perspective in the long run,” José notes.
Hispanic marketing for regional casinos isn’t about having a Vegas-sized budget. It’s about doing your homework, being strategic with channel selection, tracking everything, and making guests feel at home once they walk through your doors.
“Don’t just assume,” José warns. “There’s a lot of things I can tell you: just don’t do these things when you start because you’re probably going to fail.”
Instead, research first, pilot smart, and build for the long term. The Hispanic market isn’t going anywhere—and for regional casinos willing to do the work, it represents one of the most significant untapped growth opportunities in gaming.
Want to dive deeper? Check out the whole podcast conversation and visit hispanicmarketingcouncil.org for free research and resources.
Ready to start? Begin by pulling your own database reports this week. How many Hispanic guests do you currently have? What do their play patterns look like? That’s your baseline—and your roadmap to growth.
Q1: What is Hispanic marketing for casinos?
A: Hispanic marketing for casinos involves culturally relevant strategies—like Spanish-language ads, bilingual staff, and targeted offers—to engage Latino guests.
Q2: Does Hispanic marketing work for small regional casinos?
A: Yes. With proper segmentation and affordable media like Spanish radio, even smaller properties can see measurable ROI.
Q3: Should casinos market in Spanish or English to Hispanic audiences?
A: It depends on acculturation level. Many campaigns perform best with bilingual or English-dominant messaging plus cultural cues.
Q4: What is the ROI of Hispanic marketing channels like radio and direct mail?
A: José Villa reports direct mail to Hispanic audiences delivers up to 2x the response rate of general market campaigns.
Q5: Why avoid focusing only on Hispanic Heritage Month?
A: One-month campaigns can feel tokenistic. Always-on strategies deliver better long-term results.
Q6: What are common mistakes in Hispanic casino marketing?
A: The biggest mistake is targeting the wrong segment without research. Another is failing to reflect culture on-property.
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