Have a question that isn’t answered here? Send us an email (address in the footer) or just come to a Meetup and ask in person!
Is there a fee to join the group?
No.
Who should join?
Anyone is welcome, especially if you’re interested in learning about (or teaching!) topics related to analytics, data science, programming, big data tools, etc. There’s a wide variety of job roles and departments: Marketing Analyst, Database Engineer, P&A Specialist, Applications Developer, Big Data Architect, and many more. Although the titles might be different, these roles all share a deep reliance on understanding, processing, preserving, and interpreting data.
Can I speak at a future Meetup?
Yes, we are always looking for speakers and encourage people with an idea to develop a presentation for the group.
Can I find past presentations online, or shared code and documents?
Yes, we have a Github organization where you are welcome to create a repository if you have code to share. In fact, this web site is hosted there.
Does the group have any sponsors?
Not yet. If you’re interested in offsetting some of the costs of running regular Meetups, and would like to get your name in front of a bunch of talented analysts, please send an email to the address in the footer.
What if I don’t work for a casino?
Again, everyone is welcome. And of course, there’s a lot more to the industry than just casinos. Sports betting, online casinos, poker, revenue management, horse racing, as well as vendors, journalists, consultants, investment advisors, social marketers and more. In fact, if you work in one of these areas, having you speak and explain some of the unique challenges you face would make for a great talk at an upcoming Meetup!
Can you teach me to count cards?
Possibly. Practice at home with two decks. Turn the cards over as fast as you can, for every 10-J-Q-K subtract -1 to the count in your head, for every 3-4-5-6 add +1. Keep practicing until you always end the decks at zero. When you’re actually playing blackjack, keep the count in your head, bet the minimum, until the count goes very positive, then increase your bet (triple or more). For more info, The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble, is, in fact, a very good book.
Am I sneaking behind my employer’s back by getting together with employees at other companies, discussing projects, etc.?
Absolutely not! First of all, it’s pretty simple to strip away any confidential information like customer names and identifiers before discussing any project, or to speak in percentage terms rather than actual numbers, if they are sensitive. In a teaching situation, people tend to be more interested in the process rather than the end result. Secondly, meeting with one’s peers is a long-established way to advance the industry as a whole, as people learn from each other and bring those ideas back to their work. The casino industry is no exception, in fact, executives across all departments have advocacy groups, while the variety of analytical jobs and titles has previously made it difficult to organize. Here’s a brief list of some casino-related trade groups that your colleagues are surely joining and attending… no department is too small!
- Las Vegas Hospitality Association
- Nevada Restaurant Association
- Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association
- ASIS International (security)
- Las Vegas Innovation Marketing Association
- Nevada Resort Association
- Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association
- Nevada Professional Facility Managers Association
- Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals
- Clark County Bridal Association
- Society for Human Resource Management
- Restaurant Facility Management Association
- Meeting Professionals International
- National Association for Catering and Events
- Professional Convention Management Association
- International Parking Institute
Who deserves credit for this web site?
- The design of this site is copied directly from the Let’s Encrypt site. Please check out their site, they are pioneering widespread security on the web by offering free, easy-to-install SSL certificates for any web site.
- Content was written by Andy Goldberg, lead consultant at Centerfield Nine
- The Hugo static site generator is used to build pages.
- Many casino logos (on the home page) were created and designed by Reviews of Vegas Hotels
- Various miscellaneous icons and graphics came from Iconmonstr and SuperTinyIcons
- Free hosting from Github