All major casinos and most small ones have a players club. These offer players many perks including slot points, free slot play, meal comps, and hotel offers. Most perks are based on play. However, some are given to new and inactive players to entice them to return.
Players clubs are available at live and online casinos. Here are some of the ways to take advantage of them.
How to Join a Casino Players Club
Online casino players automatically enroll in the players club just by creating an account on the website. Retail casinos have multiple ways to get a player club slot card.
The most common place to open a players club account is at the rewards center. These are usually open 12 to 15 hours a day. A valid photo ID is all you need to sign up. Some casinos combine the cage and rewards center.
If you arrive at a table game without a card, the supervisor can usually make one for you. Slot attendants may also be able to make cards for you at a slot machine. Some casinos have kiosks where a driver’s license can be scanned to open a slot club account.
How to Get Rated
To get rated, the player must use the card issued by the casino. At a table game, give it to the dealer. If you play a while without a card and decide you want one during the session, the pit boss should be able to back your play up and rate you correctly. Once you leave the table, your action is likely lost forever.
At keno, bingo, and sportsbook counters, hand it to the ticket writer. At a slot machine, video poker machine, or electronic table game,.insert it in the card slot. Make sure it is accepted. The light usually turns green. Modern systems welcome you by name on the screen next to the card reader.
At table games, the supervisor observes your play and enters an estimated average bet with how long you played. All other games record your exact wagering level.
Types of Players Club Comps
Many perks are available to casino players through loyalty clubs. Slot points are awarded instantly based on play. The amount is typically 0.05% up to 1%. Slot points are often awarded for bingo, keno, sportsbook, and electronic table game action, when available.
Slot points may be used for free play. Some casinos allow it to be converted into cash or used for food and other purchases. Casinos also give food comps in addition to slot points.
Table games do not usually award points. Instead, comps are earned that may be used at restaurants, shops, and the hotel. Ask the pit supervisor when you are done if you earned anything from your action. Most casinos are happy to provide you with this information and your average bet.
While slot points and table game points are instant, some comps appear later. These offers are sent by mail or electronically. This is called bounceback. If the casino has a modern website, players can usually see what comps are available by logging into it.
If an offer is available, free slot or table game play are the most common types. Free slot play may be taken directly at the machine by entering your PIN and choosing the withdrawal amount. You may take less than the free play amount.
Keep in mind that in most cases, you must wager the free play once to cash it out. Some casinos require players to insert cash to trigger free play. Most let players freeroll it.
Some Offers Are Invisible
Some casino groups, like Caesars, may offer special hotel deals without mentioning it on a mailer or comp. Always try to book a room while logged into the players club to see if you got a discount.
Another bonus of booking directly through the casino is that you may be able to get it comped based on your action during the stay. Ask a host or a pit supervisor before you leave If you qualify for a comp. If you book your room through a third party website, it is impossible to get the room comped later.
Charging meals to the room is another opportunity for a free perk when checking out as the host may cover that, too. Giving four hours of action a day is often enough to get these purchases covered by the casino.
Players Club Tiers and Perks
Most casino players clubs have tiers. New players start at the bottom one unless they get a tier match, which is something casinos do to attract new players. A tier match gives new customers the same level they have at a competing casino for a few months, allowing them to maintain it with comparable action.
The bottom players club tier typically offers no special perks. Players receive free slot play and mailers based on action levels. The bottom tier may come with small restaurant or gift shop discounts.
As players move up, tiers award more perks, like slot point multipliers, free monthly or annual meals, exclusive tournaments, drawings, line passes, free parking, hotel upgrades, and a minimum number of guaranteed hotel nights per year. Top tiers, like Caesars Entertainment’s Seven Stars, give players guaranteed suites and airfare reimbursement.
Players keep a tier they obtain through the remaining promotional period and the next one. These dates usually run for six or twelve months, depending on the casino.
Comparing Slot Points Payouts is Difficult
Math is often required to compare one players club to another. One may award a slot point for every dollar wagered. Another may require $4 per point. What matters is determining how many points may be converted into a dollar in comps or free play. If the $1 coin-in per slot point requires 500 points to convert into $1 in free slot play, but the $4 coin-in per point only requires 100, the $4 deal is better, even though points are awarded slower, because the $4 example only requires $400 coin-in for $1 in free play or comps, while the $1 example requires $500.
Another consideration is that casinos set payouts differently. If one casino sets slots at 88% and pays 0.8% of coin-in for slot play, and another casino has slots set at 92% but only pays 0.1%, the lower slot return is the better place to play specifically for points. However, mailers may make up for this. It is important to compare each based on your experience with all comps and overall results from your action.
Don’t Play Just for the Players Club
In most cases, it is a losing battle to play solely for casino players club perks. The earnings rate is often 10 or 20 percent of the overall house advantage of the games played. Consider players club perks a bonus and not a way to cover all potential losses because, except in a few advanced advantage play situations, the player is better off buying the products offered for free than losing five or ten times that chasing players club status.
Tier multiplier days can be hit-and-miss in terms of value. As casino companies offer more of these days where players receive five or ten times tier points, the advantages of being part of these tiers diminish because more players hold that level of status. Going out of your way to play on these days may not be as rewarding as you think when perks are removed the following year without notice. .
It is also important to play responsibly. In the end, casino action should be fun, and players clubs are just one piece to consider.
