04 October 2017

Interview with Pat Bassney, GM, Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino

from Casino Life Magazine
October 2017

Niagara Falls offers visitors a place where they can experience one of the world’s natural wonders, explore acres of pristine hiking trails and scenic terrain, and taste the simple goodness of the region’s orchards and award-winning wineries.

Casino Life Magazine
October 2017
The American side of the falls offers multiple gaming opportunities, with the Seneca Niagara Resort as the top choice.  Bill Healey recently caught up with Pat Bassney, General Manager of the Resort.

[Casino Life]  Could you give us an overview of your background with Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, and your responsibilities within the group?

[PB]  I am responsible for the overall operation of the casino and resort, its day to day operation and strategy for future years. I work with a talented team that love to take care of our guests and provide them with exceptional hospitality.

[Casino Life]  What has been your industry experience before Seneca?

[PB]  I began in Las Vegas a few years ago and my career has taken me to Reno, Atlantic City, and tribal casinos in New York with the Oneida’s, Mohawk’s, and now the Seneca Nation.

[Casino Life]  What impact are you expecting to have at Seneca?

Pat Bassney, GM
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
[PB]  My goal is to further a fine tradition of providing exceptional service to our guests while giving them the highest quality gaming, entertainment, and dining experiences. At the same time improving the benefits to the Seneca people with employment and growth of our gaming operations.

[Casino Life]  What are the target markets of Seneca Resorts?

[PB]  The key markets for our Niagara casino is the greater Buffalo area and surroundings as well as travelers from all over the world.  We are a premier resort destination just walking distance from Niagara Falls.

[Casino Life]  How do you describe your leadership style?

[PB]  I am a passionate and visible leader who enjoys spending time on the casino floor listening to our guests and our team members and ensuring they are enjoying their time with us.

[Casino Life] Seneca Resorts are positioned as all-round tourist properties in Western New York.  What are some of the iconic features within the property helping advance the property as one of the region’s leading entertainment destinations?

[PB]  In Niagara Falls we certainly have the falls themselves that are a wonderful backdrop to our
world class facility. Not only do we have more than 3,000 slot machines and 85 table games, but Seneca Niagara is a AAA Four Diamond rated luxury hotel and our fine dining steak house, The Western Door, is a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2017 winner. We have ten dining destinations for our guests to choose from fine dining at Koi and Koi Noodle Bar (our Asian cuisine), and la Cascata (our Italian fare), to the Thunder Falls buffet and more.  We can satisfy every palate day or night.

[Casino Life]  With guests being offered experiences away from the casino, could you highlight the value the non-gaming options add to Seneca Casino's overall operations?

[PB]  We are only steps away from the world famous Niagara Falls which is a wonder in itself. The surrounding region has many activities from the Maid of the Mist, jet boat excursions in the Niagara River, Cave of the Winds, and more. The world-class entertainers that we offer at our venues also bring guests from all over including across the border in Canada.  The resort also owns the Hickory Stick Golf course nearby which is an award winning course only minutes from the casino.


[Casino Life]   Which types of slot machine and multi-player slots does the casino offer?   What are the preferred slots machines?

[PB]  We offer Vegas style reel slot machines, video slot machines, video poker and electronic table games.  Our guests really enjoy playing the games that offer bonus rounds to include free games and progressives.  They also like themed games like Wheel of Fortune, Willy Wonka, Big Bang Theory, Buffalo and Lightning Link.

[Casino Life]  What types of table games do the casinos currently offer, and are they expected to
expand? 

[PB]  We offer Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker and a variety of novelty games. There are no plans to expand table games at the moment.

[Casino Life]  Does Seneca host gaming tournaments?  If so, what are the more popular tournaments?

[PB]  We offer daily and invitational slot tournaments.  We also participate in the Everi TournEvent of Champions that send some of our guests to Las Vegas.  Our Table Games hosts Blackjack and Baccarat tournaments quarterly. Both are very popular. 

[Casino Life]  How does social media play into the marketing mix?

[PB]  Social media is very important to us because this is where many of our guests communicate and we reach out to them using various platforms; Facebook, Twitter, our website, Integral, Yelp. We also have:  iPlaySeneca.com which is our social gaming website that many of our guests enjoy.

[Casino Life]  Some say a director’s desk can convey a lot about their management style.  For some, its organized chaos.  What’s on your desk, and what will it say about your management?

[PB]  First I have a commemorative set of casino chips from our recent concert with the band Kiss, this evokes great memories for the great team-work of our organization and a killer show the band put on for us. Another example of our world class entertainment offerings.  After that it is a moving flow of items from; budgets to letters from our guests and employee recognition letters, but it is always in flux just like the day to day operations of a casino resort.

Casino Life Magazine would like to thank Pat Bassney for his time and input.



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