The never-ending quest for “comps” is a driving force for casinos interested in bringing in new customers. Comps are typically gifts like hotel rooms, five-star dining, free or matching casino play bonuses, tickets to the best shows, and so forth. Many players have heard stories about how someone came back from Las Vegas and told tales of a free luxury suite, a limousine ride and a lobster dinner that the casino bosses just “gave away”.
In the “good old days” of Las Vegas, players would get these gifts as a sign of appreciation to a valued customer. In this day and age, a player receives comps based much more on their level and frequency of play than how well they know the pit boss or manager. Today, casinos use sophisticated technology to track a player’s activities: what games you play, where you play them and how much you bet.
Players at all levels can sign up for “slot membership” cards. Although casino workers typically use these magnetic-strip cards to track slot machine play, they also use them to record a player’s activity at various table games. As you build a record of your gaming adventures, the casino tracks this data and will offer you comps based on the amount of your average bet and how many hours you spend playing.
The possibility of earning more comps does not end when you leave the casino. Casinos frequently use the data gathered from a player’s slot card and send them both postal and e-mail messages informing them of free games, tournaments, or discounted hotel rooms that are available for club members. Also, with so many national and international casino chains, you can use the comps you earned in Las Vegas and redeem them in Reno, Atlantic City or anywhere else that company has a casino.
Online casino sites also offer bonuses to their frequent players. Visitors can redeem their points for merchandise such as apparel, electronics or other gift items. The most popular bonus programs offer free money to supplement a player’s online bankroll. With online casinos, cash is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
