Nothing comes free – the deal with comps (Part 1)

March 5, 2007

If you travel to gamble much or have a loyalty program at your favorite online gambling casinos, you know darn well about casino player comps. This fascinating online gambling informational article will take you inside the world of casino comps from gamblers who have been to more casinos and logged onto more online casinos than most other gamers around.

Back in the day, casino table games were the most profoundly advertised feature of the gambling scene. Do you remember the older pictures of the casinos that always showed table game action with the players looking like the upper echelon of society and having the time of their lives? What casinos were these anyways? Seriously though, table games were the casinos main butter – the place where all the action went down. These days, it is the slot machine area that is always jam packed. We are guessing that those darn progressive jackpots are all we need to see in order to sit at a machine for periods of time plugging away. After all, where else are you going to become a multi millionaire other than winning the WSOP Main Event?

Nevertheless, in the past couple years (as many people head to Vegas at least once a year now), another component has taken a big hold on the casino gambling industry – comps. As many of our online gambling fans out there are well aware free things attract us all. But are we really getting something for nothing here?

You know, when you get your online casino player loyalty points or bonus rewards for playing online, or the sign up bonuses we all get when starting at a new online gambling site…the freebies casinos give away to persuade you to play with yet more of your money, more of your time, and more of your loyally. We are not getting anything for free here. Many the sign up bonuses are, but you have to give in order to be able to take. Even the biggest Vegas whales have to play a lot of money to get that free trip to the penthouse – not to mention that private jet ride.

Back in the day (when things were perhaps a bit less complicated), a gambler only has to inquire to a floor person or manager for a comp and that person usually wrote one out for him just like that. In those days (oh the glory days) there was hardly ever a record kept of the transaction either – it was just done – DONE. As long as you were a fixture at the table for a couple of hours actively betting – you were in – you got something. You got the free dinner or something as such.

These days (now that things are a bit more complicated within all the hullabaloo), the comp formulas for most casinos are some statistical rendering spewed out by a computer that makes you or breaks you. But, with this new complicated world of gambling comps, we see more sophisticated prizes such as free rooms, show tickets (the best tickets that a normal Joe can’t get), spa passes and much more. Needless to say, comps have morphed into pretty crazy things.

Today, if you are a gambling fan out for comps in the casino (and why not get what you can), the floor person or even the pit boss has to check in some computer to see if you have even earned one - and many players do not earn them because the formulas expect a level of play that is relatively high these days. Why? Casinos are making more money than ever – so why so stingy with the free room (you know the room that was going to be empty anyway). Don’t the computers take from the personality factor? Oh, we hate being numbers don’t we? I hate when I am standing at the deli counter and I here number 32. You know, when there are two of you standing there. It is so impersonal. Aren’t comps supposed to be the way a casino thanks you PERSONALLY for your loyalty? SO, when these casinos use computers you feel like a statistic (which you are) but you do not want that fact shoved in your face. The only time this does not happen is when you are some famous player or some whale. What’s more, half of the time when you are an average Joe playing in the casino you are not having your action tracked properly anyway. Half of the time you play impulsively (even though every one of our article recommends that impulsive play is bad), and you are not going to the change/chip counter to have your action tracked.

Okay – I am off of the soap box…

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