Players cards, the cards that let players earn comps and access their free play, are inserted into slot machines. So many players are therefore concerned that it somehow impacts the machine they’re playing in a negative way.
The good news is that it doesn’t – players cards are a separate system and they don’t talk to slot machines at that level.
Players card systems are mostly there to read the data going on. How much cash did you put in? How many wagers did you make? How much is each bet? And so on. This data helps the casinos know what type of player you are, how much you’re betting, what the house advantage is on that game, and how long you played.
With those pieces of information, they can calculate your casino offers. They can also track your tier credit earning progress and you can accrue the earned comps, comp dollars that you can spend on property.
The players card system also lets you access your offers, being able to use your free play (or convert points to free play at casinos that allow this) and activate that free play on the machine.
What it can’t do is change any settings on the slot itself, including payback percentage. And in that way it doesn’t have any actual impact on the game you’re playing.
So for players who like to believe pulling their card somehow improved their chances, that’s just not the case – the odds are the same regardless of whether your players card is inserted or not. And if inserting it gets you rewards and not inserting it doesn’t, why would you give up what a casino would otherwise offer you?
No, players cards don’t affect slot machines, but they do help you get what you’re entitled to under the casino’s rewards program.
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How do we know this is an unbiased article that isn’t paid for by the very people who control the machines and encourage the use of players cards?
Thanks for your question, Patrick! It’s a great opportunity to highlight our advertising disclosure and editorial policy. If a post on the site is sponsored, it is clearly marked as such.
Further, our editorial policy applies to both sponsored & non-sponsored content. In other words, a sponsor is not allowed to post content that’s inaccurate or misleading. We are not willing to risk our reputation in that manner!
And using your player card is the ONLY way to accurately calculate your win/loss statement.
Actually, Carrie, a gambling log is really the most accurate. Card readers can sometimes not work, or register, or time out, and the IRS even notes that a win/loss statement is not enough proof if you ultimately get audited. See their guidance for gamblers planning to deduct losses against their wins here:
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p529#en_US_202012_publink10004013