For the sake of discussion, let’s say I lived somewhere in New York and regularly flew to Las Vegas to play for big stakes. Further, let’s say the airfare cost me $600.
If I play enough at one casino, sometimes I can get them to pick up the airfare. It’s a lot harder than it used to be, but it’s still possible.
Let’s say I play a lot at two different, unrelated, casinos and ask them each to reimburse me $600 for the airfare. Is this unethical? Not to me.
If I’ve played enough to warrant a $600 rebate from one casino, it shouldn’t matter if I’ve also played enough to earn a $600 rebate at another casino. Neither casino is getting shortchanged. They both are getting the play they require to give me this $600.
If you ask a casino executive about this, there’s a good chance he’ll disagree. He would say I’m taking advantage of him, or perhaps I’m shooting an angle.
Technically he’s right! I’m definitely looking to take advantage of the casino! And that’s what I’m trying to do every time I enter a casino!
As a winning player, my “job” is to find legal opportunities in casinos. Collecting airfare more than once might be such an opportunity. Playing more on multiple point days is definitely such an opportunity, as is limiting my play to the games where I think I have the best chance to win.
The fact that it’s specifically airfare that we’re talking about here is not very important to me. If I can get a casino to pay me an extra $600, I’m interested! It doesn’t particularly matter if it comes from a drawing, double points, a slot tournament, or anything else.
It surely wouldn’t matter if I earned an extra $600 at each of two different casinos because I played on a double point day at one of them and then on a double point day at the other, would it? If not, why would playing on single point days at both casinos and collecting $600 from each be any different?
So far this is all black and white to me. However, there are parts of this discussion that aren’t so clear cut. Consider:
1. What if it’s a flight I didn’t take? Airline tickets can be printed off on your computer. They can be cancelled after I print the ticket. Again, assume I live in New York but have been playing in Laughlin, which is 90 miles south of Las Vegas. When I drive to Vegas, I present copies of $600 airline tickets for flights I never took. Does that change the way you look at it?
2. What if I make reservations for first class tickets, print them, and then cancel and rebook them for economy tickets. I present tickets for $2,000 when I actually only paid $600. Is that any different in your mind?
3. When I do present airfare and Bonnie is with me, I include her ticket as well. Casinos allow you to have a travel companion. But what if I include the ticket of somebody who isn’t with me? That is, assume I’m travelling by myself but print off a ticket for Bonnie anyway? The casino doesn’t demand to physically SEE Bonnie there. So long as I have her registered as a companion in my room, they’ll take my word for it that she’s there. How do you feel about that?
4. Carrying the previous idea a bit further, Bonnie is actually my partner in life. What if I used a totally made up name, perhaps “Sally Jones,” and submitted her airfare. Does that cross a line?
5. What if I used frequent flyer miles and didn’t pay a dime for the ticket, but printed off a ticket that says I did? Should that matter?
Some of the previous items might be legally fraudulent. Usually you won’t be caught, and if you are, usually you won’t be prosecuted. The fact that it is “wrong” stops some players from even attempting these gambits. Some players consider this illegality a mere technicality. How about you?
(For what it’s worth, I rarely collect airline money from casinos. More than 90% of my play is in Las Vegas, and I’m a local here.)