The Locals Love War

I love it when casinos get in a war – it is good for us players!  And the new players club unveiled by the Station casinos last week is a major shot across the bow of the Vegas-based ship called Locals Casinos.

The new Stations players club is an improvement in many ways when compared to their previous one.  Examples: You earn points faster.  You have a choice to redeem your points for cashback if you prefer that to free play or comps. You can now earn points playing live poker.  You can use just one card for all 18 Station casinos; Fiesta and Wildfire cards will be absorbed into the Stations Boarding Pass program.  And there are other special features that will appeal to various sub-groups of players.  You can read some of the details here.   You need to pick up a brochure at a players club desk for a full description of the new system.

However, does the Stations now “love us more” than other Vegas local casinos?  The wise gambler will have to do some comparisons in this Love War.  And these comparisons are not always easy to figure.

Here is the e-mail I got from Station Casinos Las Vegas last week – and I assume that everyone who gave them their e-mail address when they joined the players club in the past got this same e-mail:

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$1 = 3 POINTS

No other casino gives you 3 points for every dollar on Video Poker, Slots & Video Keno. Your points will add up faster than ever, and in no time, you’ll be getting meals, free slot play, bowling, movies, live entertainment and concerts, and a lot more.

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It is true that no other casino gives you 3 points for every dollar of coin-in, but you can’t jump to the conclusion that the Station casinos give you 3 times the amount of money for your play than does any other casino.  For years I have emphasized in my writings that to compare slot clubs you must first find out the percentage that each one pays – and to find that out you need TWO numbers: 

1. How much coin-in does it take to earn one point?
2. How many points does it take to earn one dollar?

The Station e-mail gives only one piece of the puzzle, the first number but not the second one.  So you will need to find that other number somewhere else – on the Internet, from a brochure at the players club desk, or perhaps from a knowledgeable friend.  I found it on an Internet video poker forum:  1000 points will give you $1 in cashback, free play, or comp benefits.

Most local casinos use an easy-to-figure formula, based on $1 coin-in equals one point.  Here are some local examples I found in the database at vpFREE2.    

• M Casino 
  $1 Coin-In = 1 Point Cashback OR Comps OR Free Play: 333 pts. = $1 (0.3%)
• Silverton
  $1 Coin-In = 1 Point on Most Video Poker, Free Play or Comps: 1000 Points = $3 (0.30%)
• South Point
  $1 Coin-In = 1 Point Cashback or Free Play: 333 Points = $1 (0.30%)

Figuring the new Station players club benefit is more complicated.  Although you get 3 points for every $1 coin-in instead of the more common 1 point, the formula will show that their club now pays the same as many others, 0.3%.  This certainly makes them more competitive and is a big improvement over their former 0.1%, but not 3 times better than everyone else, as their advertising might seem to imply.  (There is an exception on their Optimum video poker machines.  It takes $4 to earn 3 points, making this .075%.)

However, there is a lot more to a slot club than its basic point system.  And, how much “love” a player gets from a casino depends on many factors, including the amount of their action and what game(s) they play.  It is a fact that, on the whole, casinos make more money from slot players than from video poker players.  So it makes sense that a casino will woo the slot players with better “gifts” to win their affection.  There are many ways casinos go about this.  Some give slot players more base points per dollar coin-in.  Some give them more and/or bigger multiplier bonuses.  Many send them better mailers, with bigger free play amounts and/or more food coupons and other freebies.

The Stations has introduced a new technique to “love” their slot players more, revising their tier system.  It is now completely separate from the point system and uses the term “status credits” instead of points.  Slot players will go up the tiers faster because they earn 3 “status credits” for each dollar of coin-in while video poker players earn only 1 “status credit” for the same play.  However, all former players should be forewarned that although the tier names remain the same, there has been a major downgrade in benefits at each level.

So — can I tell you whether you should start or continue to play at a Station casino in addition to or instead of another casino?

No,  I can’t tell you that – although I am asked to answer such questions all the time.  I rarely recommend specific casinos to players for the simple reason that each player has such individual and very personal likes, needs, bankrolls, and goals.  There is no one-size-fits-all casino.  Some players base their choices on convenient locations.  Some locals (who don’t like to cook?) enjoy playing where they score generous food comps.  Some out-of-towners may look for good room comps.  Serious video poker players will look for the best “package” of good games and extra benefits.

But whatever your personal likes, dislikes, and goals, it is a fact that the more information you have the more likely you will make  better choices – and better gambling choices can keep more money in your pocket!  That is my main goal in writing this blog –  not to tell you specifically what to do but to give you information that might help you make good choices for your particular circumstances.