How To Make The Most Out Of Casino Comps

Casino complimentary take your experience to the next level. The ‘comp’ stands for ‘complimentary’, and in the world of casinos, this means free services and products for players to use on their next visits. Let’s find more about Casino Comps.

These freebies are provided by the house and differ from player to player. They could take the form of anything from drinks, concert tickets, and fine dining, to flight discounts, hotel stays room upgrades and limo usage.

How to make comps work for you

So far, so good, right? But how can you get comps from your casino?

Every gambling destination differs, but what you’re entitled to depend on a range of factors. Visitor ‘gifts’ will roughly be calculated based on factors including how much you bet, how long for or how frequently, how much you lose, and what games you play.

All this will usually be tracked by your players’ card, which will feedback a feast of data to casino analysts behind the scenes.

So, it’s up to you to make the comp points work for you.

As a general rule of thumb, casinos love customers that play pokies machines. They account for a large slice of the casino profit pie.

Pokies attract regular and ‘middle income’ players, who will likely sit and play on their favorites for long sessions, which provides a steady stream of income alongside the more glamorous weekenders and high-rollers.

Due to this, if you put in the work on the pokies, you may find yourself making quicker work of those comp tiers than if you were a poker player.

Essentially, what comps you get is dependent on what you put into the casino through your custom.

Do your research and figure out the best bet for you. If you have plenty of time on your hands, consider which casinos most favor those that put in hours of play?

While if you’re short on time but bigger on budget, you’ll want to choose a casino that gives more back for every buck you spend. If you’re not a high-roller, find out which casinos also take into account what you spend across the vacation.

What You Get With The Different Comp Levels

Every casino has its own comp system. And there are many different types of comps. But we’ve detailed a rough guide below, to show you what gamblers get as they rise through the ranks.

1. Drinks

While a complimentary cocktail is a bare minimum an extravagant casino whale will expect on arrival, new or casual players will still enjoy the novelty of a drink on the house.

Free drinks are most commonly served on the casino floor to pokies players but if you’re spending enough on other games, you can enjoy this perk across the casino.

To get swift service with a smile, don’t forget to tip your hard-working server generously. Our guide to tipping will help if you’re unsure about what’s appropriate.

2. Food

The usual form, your food freebie will arrive in a coupon to use at one of the on-site restaurants or cafes or, commonly, to use at a buffet.

But, at some casinos, high-rollers may even be gifted reservations at popular fine dining restaurants, or the gourmet meals themselves.

3. High-Roller Comps

The holy grail of casino comps is the benefits that high-rollers get to enjoy. You’ll have put in plenty of hours and dollars to get that status, but the freebies reflect that.

Often tailored and bespoke, due to the data the casinos collect on promising patrons, high-roller or whale comps can include a host of red carpet treatments — as far as airport transfers in private cars and limos, and even airfares or a bump up in ticket class to get the gamblers to the casino floor.

To convince big spenders to make a longer stay of it, or perhaps to bring the whole family, live entertainment can be included too.

Music concerts, magic shows, theatre, dance performances, and sporting events — often being hosted in the casino complex itself — can be compared via free or reduced tickets or access to the best seats in the house.

4. Rooms

Free rooms are one of the most sought-after comps.

Even if your casino doesn’t have a hotel, it might put you up in other local lodgings, should you prove to be worth the investment. But you’ll have to have really earned your stripes at the pokies or tables to qualify for free accommodation.

The next step up is a room upgrade, or even being bumped up to a suite. You may be more likely to get one during the week since there’s a higher chance of some empty rooms.

Despite appearances, it will cost the casino next to nothing to give these away, especially during the low season.

But they’ll have to believe you’ll be spending, or have spent previously, more than it’s worth on the floor.

How Do Comps Work For Casinos?

On the face of it, giving away things for free seems like a bad business decision.

But while dishing out free drinks to customers, or writing off a night in a luxury suite will indeed cost the casino some money in the short-term, it also helps them to save money in the long term.

It’s important to remember that the retail price for the comp you receive is not necessarily its real-money value to the venue, which may buy its ingredients and alcohols in bulk or on the cheap from wholesalers.

You’re just planning on popping by the Strip while you’re in Vegas on business.

But a few free drinks or a meal might just put you in the mood to stay and play for a few hours longer and spend more money. And a comp room could convince you to turn your trip into a weekend away.

This comp system also creates a sense of loyalty, and a relationship, between customers and the casino.

The outlets provide players with treats to make them feel special so that they return regularly. It’s an area of high competition —retain your clientele with appealing inclusions or risk losing repeat business to another venue.

This even leads to visitors picking a casino based on the hotel they most enjoy staying at. If you play at one or two places to potentially earn an extra night’s stay on your next trip, it makes a lot more sense than dividing your dollars between multiple casinos for no extra benefits next time around.

How To Get Advantage Of Casino Comps

Many players don’t realize how they can make the most of what’s on offer in exchange for their business. If you’re one of those, check out our tips for how to get the best casino comps below.

The best advice you’ll get is that comps will usually only be worth the trade-off of time and money for regular players, or those planning to spend big. You’ll get little to no real benefit from spending small amounts infrequently.

Only use your players’ card if you plan to spend big. Otherwise, your worth to the casino value goes down.

Use your reward card only when spending a decent wedge of money, with those trusty pokie machines the best way to get bang for your buck when it comes to comp points.

If it’s table games that are more to your taste, however, simply ensure that you only clock in officially when you’re ready for a long session of craps, or to spend big on blackjack.

Or, even more ideally, choose a game where the house edge is lower.

If you’re on a losing streak, remember that your losses could actually work in your favor when it comes to comps. Losing is never ideal or the aim, but it might not be all doom and gloom if you eventually get a room in return.