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There have been some good suggestions made here today to make sure the casinos know there is an ongoing interest in the Silver Strike program. Dave seems to have a lot of solid ideas and there are others as well, but let me add my 2 cents worth here.
Going to the major operators is worth a shot, but there is strength in numbers and right now the SSs number only about 1000 if what I see in this thread is correct. That's probably not many in their book.
My next comments are NOT meant to be slams; just observations that I hope will add some insight and maybe help a little.
I've been collecting strikes “seriously” for a little over a year now, I have bought Strikes on Ebay and Jackpot from a lot of you, and nobody has invited me to join the Silver Strikers. I do plan on doing it...eventually, but the point is, to increase your numbers, the club will need to get a little more aggressive in recruiting new members, AND perhaps doing a little marketing towards that end.
I only found out about this board, the Silver Strikers, and the club's website by accident. Another casino collector I know through another activity told me about them. And here too, this is not a slam but some constructive criticism — he had a bad experience at one of your conventions (his first). He came away with the distinct impression that some of you were perhaps a bit "stuffy" and not really interested in us small time, casual collectors.
Showing the casino operators that the club is actively engaged in increasing its membership, and the interest in Silver Strikes in general, might go a long way towards at least getting the program a reprieve.
There are several things that might help here.
I edit a regional special interest publication and have seen some of the back issues of your clubs publication on line...it’s GOOD stuff, get it out there! Some additional writing, and most importantly, showing that one guy who wins his first few strikes out of a machine that there is more — so much more, than what he's holding in his hand — would help.
My own story is a case in point. I won my first strike at the Luxor during the SHOT Show in 1995 and kept it, “this thing’s pretty cool,” thought I. I added a few more strikes from the Luxor over the next few years because I didn't know there were other machines in other casinos. (Had I known then what I know now...)
I only found out there were other casinos with Strike machines 18 months ago and didn't get serious about them until Feb of 06 when I won over 70 strikes (for about $500), in several different casinos, at another trip to the SHOT Show. Just an aside here, you Ebay "power seller silver strikers" need to take the lead on some of this. As someone else mentioned, I don’t get to Vegas or Reno any more than a couple of times a year if I’m lucky, most of what I have has been purchased from you!
I'm talking about generating interest at either the Point of Purchase and/or Point of Win if possible. The casino operators may be persuaded to help a little here. Perhaps just a sticker on the machines, or a URL printed on the caps, that can refer that awed “first strike winner” to look beyond what’s in his hand, and not just cash it in — or just throw it in a drawer at home and forget about it.
There are other ways too, but for now,
My turn for the fork...
Dan Frank
Gig Harbor, WA
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