We often get players with questions about how things like coin-in and coin-out work. A related question we receive looks to the topic of rated play and how casinos rate your play.
If I have 20 one dollar bills and I put them in one at a time and pull $5 spins. At the end of my 20 spins do I get rated on $20 of play or $100 of play?
Gina Marie
We’re going to answer this twice, because it’s a little ambiguous, but it also gives us an excuse to review how casinos rate play.
We think you’re talking about scenarios like the Lucky Chance spin, where you put $1 in, attempt a $5 spin, and hope it succeeds. If you mean that, you’re placing a $1 wager for a chance at a $5 spin, but your wager is still $1.
The second scenario is you put $20 in, and manage to complete 20 $5 spins without going broke. In that scenario, you placed 20 $5 wagers, and that is rated as $100 of play.
Why the difference? Casinos rate you on the amount wagered. So you have to look at what the actual wager being made is in each case. It has nothing to do with how much money you’re putting in, although in the case of the Lucky Chance Spin or Wager Saver you’re putting in what you’re wagering.
The reason you don’t get credit for a $5 spin when you take a $1 chance is you’re not risking $5, you’re only risking $1. And all wagers are based on what’s at risk, not what you’re swinging for. And, with a 20 percent chance of getting $5 spins with a $1 chance, you’d average four spins, worth $20, and it all evens out in the end.
So the Lucky Chance Spin is not a loophole to get more comps, because you’re only rated on what you bet. It’s also not a chance to work over the casino, as the casino’s earnings are even baked into them. So ultimately, it’s just another variation at betting on something at the casino, in this case, the chance at a spin.
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