Some of us like to visit bigger casino markets like Las Vegas and jump around a lot. Each casino has its own vibe and game selection, and when we get bored with one place we oftentimes like to check out another one.
When you do this too much, you may spread your money out too thinly to get recognized for comps, especially some of the more coveted items like free rooms or food credit.
But there’s a way to balance this out, to ensure you can bounce around while still maximizing your comp opportunities. Here’s a couple of ideas.
Stick to One Brand (When Supported)
Some casino companies will own multiple casinos within a certain market. Some of those owners want to encourage you to play as much as possible within their brands, so they will count all play at all of their casinos within a single day towards a single unified offer for their market.
Both MGM and Caesars work this way in Las Vegas, for instance, and Caesars in particular also supports this in other multi-casino markets such as Atlantic City, Reno and Lake Tahoe.
All play garnered in a single day works towards your tier bonuses, for instance, and towards offers. The companies may also sometimes extend a property-specific offer if you seem to really put in some play there, but other times they’ll just extend an offer valid at any of their properties in a market.
Not all companies support this approach, however; the locals casinos market in Vegas is more in favor of property-specific offers than a market-wide offer. But it’s helpful to know this for MGM and Caesars in particular.
Also keep in mind the gaming day: When your play is counted towards is part of it. Some casinos do midnight to midnight, whereas others use a later time to reset their gaming day, like 6 am. This can be important because there are potentially tier bonuses to be earned based on how much you play in a particular window of time.
Switch Casinos Daily
If you want to reach across brands, consider minimizing your hops on a daily basis, but playing different casinos on different days. In that scenario, no casino knows you’re around more than that single day you visit them, which can ensure your play is rated based on one day and not your trip.
Of course, again that common ownership thing is important to remember. If you’re playing at a different MGM casino every day, they know you’re there and count each day’s play towards the trip counter. But if you’re doing a Caesars casino on day one, MGM on day two, Wynn on day three, it will each count the single day.
Target Who You Want Comps From
One bonus tip, since we talked about maximizing comps – think about who you want to get comps from. Usually comps are backward looking, meaning they’re based on your previous play history. If you want room comps from certain properties in the future, show them some love for them to show you some in return.
Just keep your expectations in mind – getting a room at the Wynn will require a different level of play than the Luxor or Flamingo. Balancing budget considerations and what you hope to get out of it in future visits can help you strike the right balance.
Takeaway
It never makes sense to spread your gambling budget too thinly if you hope to see comps on future visits, but it doesn’t mean you have to stay within the walls of one casino for an entire trip. A bit of careful planning can strike that perfect balance between novelty and future comfort.
