| | |  | | | | Land Based Gambling
Gambling is (and always has been) around but casinos were illegal everywhere in the U.S. except Nevada for most of the 20th century. That created an unusual gap where everyone knew about gambling, but few people actually did it. The average American played poker with friends and gambled in a casino once or twice in a lifetime. People learned about the games by watching movies.
Then came Atlantic City, riverboats, Native-American casinos, the Internet and now gambling seems to be everywhere, not just theoretically but actually. Most Americans have visited a casino at least once. More than 60% of the adults in the U.S. gamble in some way at least once a year. Gambling on riverboats, cruise ships, Native American casinos and the Internet are not clones of Las Vegas or Atlantic City. They operate under different rules that could affect your game.
Free rooms are the most preferred complimentaries that people desire when playing at a casino. To qualify for free rooms you usually must play at least four hours a day at tables with a set minimum bet. Slot or video poker players must play a fixed dollar amount through the machines per day. The amounts will vary from casino to casino. You need to check with a casino host to find out how much play you need to be eligible for a free room.
If you don't meet the requirements for a free room you will probably qualify for Casino Rate which is a valuable comp that is fairly easy to get. Casino rate is the discounted price for a room at the casino. This rate is 25 - 50 % off "Rack rate" which is the price you are told over the phone when booking a room with reservations.
At some of the smaller casinos joining the Player's Club is enough to qualify for casino rate. Other casinos may require some minimum play. Five-dollar table game players can qualify for casino rate as well. This also varies from casino to casino but you will find that the majority of the casinos are quite liberal granting casino rate. They want your business and by giving you a discounted room the casino is pretty sure that you'll be playing at their gambling games while staying there.
If you have never stayed at the casino you wish to visit, you can call the main number and ask to speak to a casino host. Introduce yourself and explain that you are coming to town and wish to know their policy concerning casino rate and comp policies. Sometimes the host will book you in at casino rate, other times they may book you in at rack rate and then adjust it according to your play. Always find out up front. If you can't get in at casino rate or know you won't meet their requirements, you might want to shop around for another Land based gambling casino.
If you booked your room at the usual rate because it's your first visit, you can still qualify for casino rate. The first thing you need to do is join the players club. If you play the slots, put some play on your card. After a little play ask a slot attendant to contact a casino host for you. When the host arrives you can inquire about casino rate and comp policies. The host will ask you to contact them when you are ready to check out. At that time they will rate your play and adjust your rate accordingly. Table players should ask the pit boss to be rated when they sit down to play. You can tell them you would be interested in speaking to a host. They will be able to contact one for you.
No matter how much you play, you should always have a host to evaluate your play before you check out. You may have had enough to qualify for a free room. If not, casino rate will save you money and is quite simple to achieve. |
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