Gaming: Casinos and gaming companies know customers want two things: fun slots, nongaming diversions.(B)(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)

Byline: Gerry Miriello

Casinos usually have the odds on their side. But with the dot-com crash and the economic downturn of the last year, luck wouldn't seem to be gaming's lady, right? Wrong. Gaming is as strong as ever.

Gaming sales in Nevada and Atlantic City, N.J., grew 5.1% last year, in line with prior year gains.

That's despite less building in Las Vegas, where the closely held Aladdin opened last year but no new projects are on the horizon.

Gaming firms win big by making play more attractive than other activities. New games, personal attention to customers and a host of entertainment options bring players back.

"We need to make losing fun," said Geoff Sage, CFO of casino operator and game maker Anchor Gaming. "If people like what they're doing, they're going to come again and again. The product is the game and the customer is the player -- not the casino."

In the short term, drive-to markets such as Las Vegas and Delaware racetracks benefit from a sagging economy. People tend to take shorter, cheaper vacations closer to home, says Michael Pollock, who runs Michael Pollock's Gaming Industry Observer.