Adam BauerA post from a Vegas “influencer” has been making the rounds online for years. In the video, they confidently advise (they were once working in casino management, according to them) that you should sign up for each casino company’s rewards program, play through $100 in the casino, and wait 90 days. As a result, you should expect free room offers and possibly waived resort fees, among other perks.
Will I really get comps with $100 of action?
Likely not. The most baffling thing about the video is that you should stop gambling after putting $100 through a machine. This is typically called “coin-in”. $100 of coin-in isn’t a blip on the radar of casino marketing departments. Comps are largely based on your average daily theoretical (ADT). Generally, the higher your ADT, the better comps you can expect.
$100 coin-in establishes an extremely low ADT. You can start with $100, get lucky, and keep playing on that initial $100 all day. I’ve never done it because I’m a terrible gambler. But in theory, it can happen. That, technically, is a way to turn $100 into a high ADT day and potentially get some quality comps.
The idea of free resort fees is also a bit puzzling. You have a couple of ways to get waived resort fees. The first is to have a high status with the casino rewards programs. Gold members with MGM and Diamond members with Caesars get the waived resort fee perk. It takes 75K tier credits to get MGM Gold and 15K tier credits to earn Caesars Diamond. MGM doesn’t officially provide their tier credit earning rates for gambling, but you earn 1 tier credit for every $5 wagered on slot machines for Caesars-affiliated casinos. Gambling $100 and only $100 would earn you 20 tier credits. A far cry from the 15K required for Diamond status and waived resort fees.
Also, you can always go to the host on duty near the end of your stay, have them review your on-site gambling, and see if they can take care of any charges to your room folio based on your play. But if they see only $100 coin-in, they’ll politely decline.
The video’s intended audience is people new to Vegas or those who haven’t yet participated in the casino loyalty programs. New players will get what’s sometimes referred to as promotional offers. These promotional offers may be more generous for a new gambler than someone with an established history (with a similar ADT) at the casinos because they’re trying to get you to come back. A lofty first offer may do the trick.
Promotional offers are a great reason to try a new casino or revisit a program you haven’t played with in a while. I detailed in a recent newsletter how Caesars sent me great room offers after one craps session. However, I bought in for $1200 and played through it more than once, which, I don’t have to tell you, is slightly more than $100.
I’ve been kind so far. But to speak plainly, I find this advice to be clickbait nonsense lacking nuance. It’s designed to get engagement. The result is gambling novices are led astray with lofty expectations.
This is not to say gambling $100 and pulling it out won’t ever give you offers. The liberality of casino marketing offers can and indeed does change. But don’t expect much. There’s nothing wrong with being a low-roller. With proper money management and choosing the right games, you can make a modest bankroll last for a while and even get comps for doing so.
Three tips for comps as a low roller
Consolidate your play
Choose a loyalty program or property you like and that treats you well and keep most of your play there. You should branch out to other casinos. I’m in the process of doing that now. But if your goal is comps, focusing your bankroll in one place and maximizing your ADT is a good way to do it.
Tip
If you’re a table games player, don’t underestimate the power of tipping. Many pit bosses around town were former players and appreciate you taking care of their staff. Your rating at tables will be based on the game you play, your average bet size, and how long you play. Pit bosses are more likely to be generous with your average bet size input if you’re generous with their dealers. How you tip is up to you. I tend to like making bets for dealers. If I win, they win.
Don’t play for comps
It wouldn’t be proper advice for me not to reiterate the wise adage: Don’t play for comps. Comps are a perk of enjoying the entertainment, but it’s probably not best to make them the goal. Of course, understanding how comps work and maximizing your dollars to get better comps is a smart way to navigate how and when you gamble, but it shouldn’t be the primary driver of the experience.
Enjoy yourself, mind your bankroll, and don’t believe everything you read online, even if it comes from me.
