If you plan on playing casino slot machines around town, you should become a member of a slots club. In fact, you should never put a penny into a slot machine without first sliding your players club card into the slot.
The compensations sometimes climb into the 40% range, so you are just giving away money when you play slots without being a member of club. Some people don't like giving out their information to get a card, but most of the time, you need not give your home address and other info to acquire a card. Casinos hand out slots cards to assure customer loyalty, because slot and video poker machines sometimes represent 75% of their profits.
Players Clubs and Comps
Players club have been around for about 25 years now. There was a time when only table players got comps from casinos. But when slot machines became the biggest money makers for gambling houses back in the 1980's, the natural result was that casinos would pay more attention to slots customers.
Soon, every casino had their own slot machine club. Some places even combine the table and slots cards into a comprehensive comps package. Since most players churn their winnings back into their chosen game, it pays for a casino to offer incentives to keep playing.
Comp plans offer some of the following perks:
- Discounts on hotels
- Discounts on local show tickets
- Free meals
- Free hotel rooms
- Free show tickets
- Free airfare
- Discounts on all purchases in a hotel, including the restaurants and gift shops
As the gambling market becomes more lucrative and therefore more competitive, the comps packages become ever more elaborate.
The Slots Card
When you join a slots club, you'll receive a slots card from the casino. This card has a magnetic swipe which you place into any slot machine or video poker machine you play in the casino. Every time you spend money on a slot, the casino records your winning and losing.
As this happens, you accumulate compensation points. It's really like frequent flier miles at an airline. The more you play, the more credits you'll have in discounts and other compensations.
If you choose to give out your address, you'll get all kinds of offers in the mail. Casinos get quite inventive with comps, and you'll find some really good deals if you join a lot of player clubs. Knowledgeable players sign up for slots clubs everywhere they gamble. It only takes a few minutes and the process is unobtrusive. Smart slot players can make their comps into a whole different kind of jackpot win.
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