Top Gun
His passion for the game made him a natural leader
by Dave Bontempo
Scott Molina knows perception affects reality. Trump Taj Mahal’s executive director of slot operations sees projected revenues by studying customers. When they line up to play games he purchased, the numbers are good. “It gives you a thrill,” says Molina. “Especially now, retention is paramount for the casino. It takes far more effort to acquire a new customer than to maintain a profitable player. You do all you can to make sure you don’t lose anyone.” Molina combines his knowledge of machine appeal with that of operating expenses, budgets and project plans. He knows that not all machines are created equal, even those with the same name. “All the operators in town can buy a Tiki Torch video game, but it has numerous configurations—the denomination, hold percentage, the amount of lines, the bet-per-line… The way you set that up, and the way you manage the floor, literally with hundreds of games and many configurations, will determine the difference between how we perform versus, say, Showboat.” Machine placement also adds to the equation, and aesthetics weigh heavily in bottom-line revenue. “The psychology is that people don’t like to sit next to each other, but they like it busy,” Molina says. “We laid out the slot floor to create activity, excitement and also comfort. Before, everything used to be one big row of slot machines, up to 30 games in a row. We’ve made the rows shorter (six, eight and 10), the aisles wider and put in better pathways to facilitate movement.” The games tell a story, and incorporate elements of virtual reality. “A big thing now is Sensory Immersion Gaming,” Molina says. “A person sees, feels and hears the thrill of the game. The slot chair actually moves. In one game, Top Gun, you feel like you’re in the cockpit. You get the sensation of flying a plane against an opponent in Surround Sound. You’ve got noise coming out the back of the chair, and it vibrates. It’s awesome.” Molina also understands how low-denomination games have contributed to the operation. Three years ago, penny slots comprised 4 percent of the gaming floor at his property. Now it’s 35 percent. Penny games allow more bang for the buck. Players can stretch their bankroll, increasing or decreasing their line bet depending on how well they’re doing. A Northfield native, Molina entered gaming in 1981. He broke in at Claridge, moved to Trump Marina in 1987 and has been at the Taj Mahal since 2000. His rise included jobs as slot technician, lead slot technician, slot tech trainer, slot performance manager, slot ops manager, director and, finally, executive director. Along the way, he was selected as Employee of the Quarter several times. The journey showed he was a natural leader. The 125 people who report to him see a boss who projects something more than efficiency. He exudes passion.
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.
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