The pursuit of “comps” — that is, complimentary benefits such as free rooms, meals, casino play, show tickets, and so on — are a major engine driving casino gaming. Maybe you know a gambler who loves to tell tales of the comps he’s enjoyed — how a car and driver met him at the airport, or the opulent suite he was given gratis, or the excellent steak dinner that was “on the house.” Maybe, in years gone by, there were gamblers who excelled at bluffing their way into all kinds of freebies, and maybe there are even a few Ocean’s 11 con artists still out there, playing the angles and living high and well.
But for most people, even high rollers, the days of just talking your way into casino comps are long gone. Nowadays, big casinos can track your spending to the penny and the second, and they know exactly how likely you are to put your money where your mouth is. If you call up a modern casino-hotel and start asking for comps, you’ll be grilled on what games you play, how many hours a day you play, how much you bet, what casinos you have frequented in the past, and would you mind applying for a line of credit as a condition of your comps, if any? And if you don’t give the casino the amount of action you boast about, be prepared to get charged full price for everything when you try to check out.
Still, if you can put aside the fantasy of getting something for nothing — a wise policy before any casino vacation — there are easy ways to step into the comps game without relying on charm and subterfuge. Almost all casinos offer frequent-players’ clubs, which in principle are exactly like frequent-flyer programs. You sign up and are issued a membership card, which you use to log the money and time you spend on casino games. The casino isn’t worried as much about whether you win or lose — though they make a note of that too — but rather how much you play, and if you “reinvest” your winnings in more casino play. That’s the kind of customer they want to keep coming back, and that’s the customer who is offered comps.
But for most people, even high rollers, the days of just talking your way into casino comps are long gone. Nowadays, big casinos can track your spending to the penny and the second, and they know exactly how likely you are to put your money where your mouth is. If you call up a modern casino-hotel and start asking for comps, you’ll be grilled on what games you play, how many hours a day you play, how much you bet, what casinos you have frequented in the past, and would you mind applying for a line of credit as a condition of your comps, if any? And if you don’t give the casino the amount of action you boast about, be prepared to get charged full price for everything when you try to check out.
Still, if you can put aside the fantasy of getting something for nothing — a wise policy before any casino vacation — there are easy ways to step into the comps game without relying on charm and subterfuge. Almost all casinos offer frequent-players’ clubs, which in principle are exactly like frequent-flyer programs. You sign up and are issued a membership card, which you use to log the money and time you spend on casino games. The casino isn’t worried as much about whether you win or lose — though they make a note of that too — but rather how much you play, and if you “reinvest” your winnings in more casino play. That’s the kind of customer they want to keep coming back, and that’s the customer who is offered comps.
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