Ready to play smarter at casinos?
Casino loyalty programs are ubiquitous. Hit up any brick-and-mortar casino these days, and they’ll try to hand you a membership card before you set foot on the casino floor. Go to any online casino, and you’ll be inundated with bonuses upon account creation.
And there’s good reason…
Casino loyalty programs can offer players huge advantages if you know how they work. Some programs go out of their way to reward high-rolling players with genuinely game-changing perks.
But others are much worse than useless.
They’re designed to entice you to keep playing long after you should have walked away hours earlier.
Loyalty Programs: What You Need To Know
- How Casino Loyalty Programs Work
- Benefits of Joining
- Drawbacks of Joining
- Tips to Keep You Smart About Joining
How Casino Loyalty Programs Work
Casino loyalty programs reward you when you gamble.
Every dollar wagered at a casino is another chance to earn points to redeem for casino perks.
Slots players typically earn points based on how much they wager at slot machines. Players of table games earn points when betting at Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Poker, etc.
Each program is different, but most casino rewards programs follow a tiered system. The more you play, the more points you earn and the higher your status climbs.
All tiers come with their own set of benefits and exclusive perks. Casinos may title their tiers anything from bronze to platinum.
This is important to remember:
Casinos track how much you bet, not how much you win (or lose).
Your earnings are based on your total gambling budget and theoretical loss (the house edge x amount wagered).
Players who enjoy crunching detailed casino stats and tracking gambling tendencies can use these programs as an enhanced tracker of their gambling habits. Learn how rewards points are accrued and strategize how you can better earn rewards while gambling responsibly.
According to the American Gaming Association, casino loyalty programs enroll more than 70% of casino customers.
That should tell you just how popular they are.
Players love the opportunity to earn freebies just for gambling.
And casinos love having a reason to keep players playing.
Benefits of Casino Loyalty Programs
Alright, so what do players actually get out of these programs…
Rewards such as free play and cashback
Players can typically earn anywhere from 0.1% to 0.3% cashback on their gambling budget.
If you’re a high roller, you can negotiate higher rates of up to 1%.
We call that extra .1% to .3% FREE MONEY BABY!
Every player should receive some sort of free play when gambling. Wouldn’t you rather walk away with $50 in free play after wagering $10,000 than leave with nothing?
Exclusive access and perks
Players who reach higher tiers are rewarded with perks most casual players will never know exist.
Some of the best perks include:
- VIP treatment from casino employees
- Exclusive tournaments and events
- Casino Hosts
- Free hotel rooms, meals, and shows
- Early access to new games and promotions
The best casino rewards make you feel like a VIP.
Personalized rewards
Casinos now leverage advanced AI algorithms and data tracking to customize your rewards experience.
If you love Blackjack, you could receive targeted table game promotions. If slots are more your game, you could be seeing bonus offers with extra free spins on your favorite slots.
McKinsey conducted a study that revealed personalized rewards increase customer engagement by up to 40%.
Talk about a boost in player retention.
Multi-property rewards
Sign up for a loyalty program through a major casino brand, and you can typically use your rewards at sister properties around the world.
Earn points in Las Vegas? Redemptions in Atlantic City.
Player’s Club points earned in New Jersey? Redeem them in Las Vegas or even Macau.
Major loyalty programs allow you to play and earn anywhere you want.
Cons of Joining Casino Loyalty Programs
On the flip side…
Why shouldn’t you join a casino rewards program?
Programs encourage play
Here’s a hard truth you might not want to hear:
Loyalty programs are designed to make you gamble more.
The goal of these programs is to entice you into reaching the next tier of rewards.
A recent study from the GamResearch Institute discovered that almost 7 out of 10 players expressed dissatisfaction and negative feelings towards traditional casino club tiers.
Gamblers are feeling the PRESSURE to continue playing.
Tier qualifications are unrealistic
Casual players will rarely reach the highest levels of a casino’s rewards program.
Tier distances can be drastic. Climbing from one tier to the next can cost you an extra 50,000 to 100,000 points.
That translates into thousands of extra dollars you need to gamble each month just to reach the next level.
You’ll receive marginal benefits from the bottom tiers, and most perks are inflated for high rollers.
Points have expiration dates and restrictions
Look at any casino’s terms and conditions on their rewards programs, and you’ll want to barf.
Let’s break down some of the ways casinos discourage players from earning maximum points:
Your points expire after a certain period of inactivity
Not all games earn points
Redemption amounts vary wildly depending on your reward
Bonus rewards often come with 10x – 50x wagering requirements
There’s a reason the terms are so difficult to navigate.
Casinos don’t want you to know how to maximize your points.
Casinos track every move you make
When you join a casino rewards program, they know essentially everything you do.
Every bet you make. Every game you play. Every hour of the day you spend at the casino.
They track it all and use it to build a comprehensive profile of your gambling habits. From betting patterns to nightlife preferences.
GamblingData tells casinos everything they need to know about you.
This allows them to better tailor bonuses and rewards. But not always in your best interest.
The sunk cost fallacy
You reach elite status at a casino and burn through hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars of your hard-earned cash.
All of a sudden, you feel indebted to that casino.
Your mentality shifts from walking away a winner to “well, I guess I should keep playing until I use up my points.”
You’ve been had by the sunk cost fallacy.
Players stick with casinos that have rewarded them (even if only slightly) instead of trying other casinos that may offer better games or more entertainment options.
It’s a tactic casinos use to ensure players don’t leave.
Tips to Make Smart Casino Loyalty Decisions
You ready to join a casino rewards program and actually use it to your advantage?
Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when joining any casino loyalty program.
Join a program. Don’t let point collection determine your gambling budget. How much you gamble each month should be predetermined by your entertainment budget.
Study the terms. Know how the program works and what you’re getting yourself into. How are points earned? When do points expire? What are the points redemption rates? Know the answers to these questions and compare them across all major casino loyalty programs.
Earn rewards you can use. Don’t join a program that makes you chase the next tier. You’ll end up playing hundreds (if not thousands) more dollars just to earn a free hotel room you don’t need.
Earn rewards you CAN use. Look for casino loyalty programs that offer you bonuses you can immediately use. Don’t waste your time collecting points that only transfer into booking fees at crappy hotels.
Keep your own stats. Keep your own records of wins, losses, and reward redemptions. By tracking your own data, you’ll have a better understanding of the actual value you’re earning from your gambling sessions and the casino’s loyalty programs.
Conclusion
Want the bottom line?
Join any casino rewards program that suits your playing style.
There are literally hundreds of casino players out there who use these programs each and every day.
Reward players wisely, and those freebies can truly make you feel like a casino VIP.
Casino loyalty programs want you to gamble more. They offer countless perks and bonuses that will keep you playing once you’d otherwise walk away.
The house always finds a way to take a rake percentage.
Even from your gambling rewards.
