Updates on CZR News

A surprise for the lower tier level players:  Caesars Entertainment Corp. has announced that Gold tier rewards members can upgrade to the Platinum tier for a limited time “in celebration of the holiday season.” This upgrade includes free parking at all Caesars’ Las Vegas resorts, discounted rooms, the ability to transfer reward credits and other benefits.  You have to upgrade your Gold card by December 31, but your Platinum status and all the rewards it brings will be good through January 31, 2020.

I have found conflicting reports about this upgrade.  Some say it is just for Vegas locals and you have to appear in person at a Vegas Rewards Center to activate this upgrade.  I have not been able to find any information about this on an official CZR website. Perhaps someone from out of town has had personal experience with this promo and could give the details in the Comments below.

However, there is another short-term perk – verified – for all tier levels that IS limited to Nevada residents – a 2X Reward Credit Multiplier until December 31^st.  This is only available for Nevada residents that visit a Las Vegas Caesars Reward Center and present a valid NV driver’s license.

Note: There are a couple of on-going ways for some players to upgrade from Gold to Platinum (and score the free-parking benefit) without the necessary play they would ordinarily need to reach the higher tier level.  Active military and veterans can get a Platinum card by showing official verification documents at the players club.  And signing up for a CZR credit card will get anyone a Platinum card.

One other CZR happening you might have missed:  In July 2018 Caesars Entertainment bought Centaur Holdings, adding the Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson, Indiana, and Indiana Grand Racing and Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana.  Neither of these properties have a hotel, but some Seven Star players have been able to take their annual retreat there, with comped accommodations at a nearby motel. The other retreat benefits may be limited.  You would definitely need to check in advance the current situation and be aware there might be a lot of changes here – as well as elsewhere – when the Eldorado take-over is complete.

A New Way to Learn How to Gamble

The best way to attract new players to table games? Take away the gambling.  That’s the theory behind Casino Quest, a casino game education space set to open at the Fashion Show mall. Run by Casino Education Group, which operates the CEG Dealer School in Las Vegas, the space would allow guests to rent a table by the hour to compete against friends or learn how to play.

“There will be no money. You pay to access the space,” said Casino Quest CEO David Noll. “It’s going to be (for) people who are risk-averse. It’s going to be (for) people who want to learn the game.”

The space is set to have a mix of table games — one craps, one roulette, one baccarat and four blackjack — and will give students from the casino school Noll manages a chance to practice dealing to players in a real-world setting.

For the players, Casino Quest offers a casual venue where they can take their time learning a game without being under the watchful eyes of pit bosses or more experienced players. The student dealers will be able to ease new players into the game, teaching them rules and helping them along as they play.

This new experience is set to open tomorrow – Black Friday.  Who knew that you could go to the mall and learn how to play casino table games!

Holiday Giving Ideas

The Las Vegas Advisor Holiday Gift Catalogue is now online, chock-full of ideas for the casino lovers and gamblers on your gift list.  My contribution to this was spending a couple of hours autographing umpteen copies of my latest book.  If you want to order an autographed copy of The Frugal Gambler Casino Guide, click here.  Or, if you want to be more frugal, order it in your favorite eBook reader format.

Searching for Words

Am I impressed by this most expensive hotel room in the world?

I would be more impressed by the introduction of some 9/6 JoB VP in the casino downstairs from that room.

———

Hope you all took the time to count the many blessings you have on this Thanksgiving Day – before you go out tomorrow and make your own personal Friday black by buying more than you can afford!

Now I’m not saying the casinos are going back to those glory days of generous free play, easy comps, and good games. But I am seeing some positive moves.  Wynn/Encore have dropped all parking fees, even for valet.  It hasn’t happened yet but there is now talk that perhaps high and too “hidden” resort fees should be adjusted to attract those that are cutting down – or completely cutting off – their trips to Vegas casinos. And although it doesn’t seem that Boyd is thinking about getting rid of some of the onerous parts of their new players club – like Ruby players not earning points or being eligible for most promotions that are based on point earnings – there are some signs that they are trying to win back some of the customers that have fled.  Must have been a lot of them at the Gold Coast because they have been adding extra bonus-point days for the last few months – in October this runs for four days each week, 11x Monday through Thursday. (Remember, this is like 5.5X for VP players since it now takes $2 VP play to earn one point instead of $1 like under the old club program.)

However, the most common positive note for many casinos is that they are upping food comps. Every free or discounted meal you get, leaves you more money in your pocket.  Now not every casino is doing this increased food comp quite right. This has been a pet peeve of mine for 35 years.  A casino sends out a free-buffet coupon to – it seems – everyone who has ever been a player club member, some who haven’t played there for years and even some who can’t participate because they are dead!

Are you listening, Palms?  Does anyone from the ivory-tower offices in the sky ever come down to the casino floor and see the lines (both VIP as well as the regular one) snaked an unbelievable distance all over the place.  Do you see the tired, disappointed, and often angry looks on the faces of people in those lines who know they are looking at probably more than an hour of boring wait time?  When they finally do get seated and then finish their meal, how many are so mad by that time that the last thing they want to do is go to a machine or a table to gamble.  A food comp is supposed to be something that makes a player happy and glad to be in the casino – not something that makes them mad at a company that doesn’t use good sense in their marketing tactics.  Why can’t they spread out the dates for these coupons?  We no longer even try to use all those free buffet coupons we are getting in the mail; Brad, like many other seniors, just isn’t able to endure such a long wait.

Related to this food gripe, is the gift-giveaways.  These seem to be on the increase and I guess this is a popular perk for many players.  Not my favorite and probably not for many of my fellow seniors – we are trying to size down, not collect stuff.  It would be nice if there was an alternative free play choice.  For years in some casinos we would schedule our time to pick up gifts for late in the give-away period, knowing that if they ran out of the advertised gift, we would be given a gift card or extra free play.

There is also the same long-line problem during gift-giveaways I discussed earlier.  These often take place in cramped crowded areas and the lines have to snake through crowded slot machine aisles.  This should only happen once in a casino.  Someone in authority would see the problem and the next time it would be moved to a less crowded part of the casino and there would be enough staffing that long lines would not develop.  And a personal wish: They would train the employees to smile and act friendly when they are checking in the players and/or giving out the gifts.  So often we feel like these employees actually hate that we have shown up to ruin their day!

End of rant and a last technical note:  Some people have told me that they can’t subscribe to this blog.  We did have some problems with this earlier, but they have been resolved.  So, you might try again.  If it still does not work for you, drop a note to promotions@huntingtonpress.com  and we will subscribe you manually.

Most of the free buffets for military members and veterans will be on Monday, November 12^th, but some Boyd properties and South Point are running their promotions on Sunday, the 11^th.  South Point is one of the few that includes a free meal for a companion.  However, I must warn you that you will have a long, long wait in line no matter what time you go there.  This has always been the case in years past but it may be worse this year since at this time their buffet is limited both in menu and space due to on-going renovation.

And I just saw an ad in the newspaper that might interest you, if you want to take a short Sunday road trip to Mesquite.  The Virgin River and Casablanca Casinos are offering veterans and military personnel a free buffet on the 11th, all day long from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., plus a guest eats free also.  You must present military ID or DD214.

Don’t assume you are prepared because you have participated in a Veterans Day promotion in years past.  Before you go, be sure to check casino websites for details about dates, times, and what they require for identification to qualify.

HARD ROCK

The players club is in a transition period and most – all? – promotions and benefits have disappeared.  Look for a new club to be introduced after the first of the year as the new owner turns the Hard Rock into a Virgin property.

TUSCANY

Some new details about their senior program:

New Look, Same Club!

Free coffee every Thursday in November. $39/$65 Room rates for November & December. Pick-A-Gift Thursdays for 50/50 Club Members when you earn 250 points! Senior surprise scratch offs – earn 250 points, scratch up to $500 in Free Slot Play every Thursday in November. See Players Club for details.

CAESARS PALACE 

Perhaps this is old news because we don’t visit this casino very often anymore, but I just noticed they have the neatest system to help you find an empty parking space in their self-parking garage. There are little lights running above each parking space:  red, if the space is occupied, green if it is open, and blue if it is an open handicapped space.  So easy to scan and easily find your closest spot.

(Our more-recent experiences in this garage is an extremely small sample, and maybe we were there on a normally slow time or day, but we no longer have the problem we used to have in trying to find a parking space.  Hummmmmm…charging for parking just may be having a bigger negative effect than the casinos will admit to?)

TIRED OF HUNTING PROMOTIONS?

Here’s a neat list of places in Vegas you could visit to take your mind off disappearing casino benefits. One even has to do with sex, which is always a good subject to help you forget about life’s disappointments!

Again, I need to remind everyone that you should not depend solely on a promotion blog from me the first of each month to figure out where you should play that month.  I don’t always have complete information until I have actually visited a particular casino, and I stumble on news that I want to share in blogs all month long, not just early in the month.  For a long time I have been encouraging players to check gambling forum discussions and data bases as well as individual casino websites, and I have listed various helpful resources.  No one person or website can take the place of intensive and wide-ranging research on your own to keep up these days.  (One frugal hint:  If you don’t want to miss one of my irregularly-posted blog entries, it’s easy to “Subscribe” on the right side of any of my blog pages and you will get an e-mail telling you when a new one is up.)

One other note:  I don’t write just about the casinos we personally visit.  However, I do share news of other casinos  that I feel will be helpful to others.

RAMPART CASINO 

Here are some details from a press release about their newly-revamped senior program:

50+ Tuesdays– For guests over 50 years of age

• $5,500 Slot & Video Poker Tournaments
  • Slot Tournaments held on the first & third Tuesdays
  • Video Poker Tournaments held on the second & fourth Tuesdays
• $3,000 Weekly tournament from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Best score will be used for tournament
  • $25 Free Slot Play bonus
• $4,000 Free Slot Play Bonus Drawings held at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
  • 15 winners at each drawing
  • Earn one entry for every 50 points in Slots or Bingo and for every hour played at $5 average bet in table games or equivalent
  • Top prize is $1,000 in Free Slot Play
• Earn 50 points and receive a swipe on the kiosk for cash, Free Slot Play, points, and dining
• $100 Free Slot Play Bonus on all jackpots on Video Reel Machines (jackpot value over $1,200)
• One free Small Rainbow pack in the electronic unit with minimum buy-in at the Bingo Room
• $5 Lunch Buffet
• Free Size Upgrade at Starbucks
• 30 percent off Salon Services at Spa Aquae, plus a free foot scrub with the purchase of any massage treatment

Go to their website for details of many other promotions:  multiple-point days, an Earn & Spa voucher, Earn & Redeem buffets 7 days a week and other food specials.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS

On March 1, they introduced a new players club, named WOW.

VP details:  $10 coin-in = 1 point and 100 points = $1 in free play or comps (0.10%)

See other details at their website under “Casino.”  Be sure to click on two links given there for more complete information: “See Official Rules” and “Click Here for Benefits.”

PALMS

More formerly closed sections are being opened up and machines are being moved around big-time.  Some MIA machines are back.  vpFREE2 is trying to keep up but you must use your best scouting skills each and every day in this very fluid major remodeling situation.

One warning if you want to have a good selection of breakfast items at the buffet.  Although you get the lower breakfast price up until 11 a.m., they start the change-over to lunch selections around 10:30 and you have to be quick to find your favorite breakfast items before they disappear.

BAD NEWS CONTINUES

Seems like Caesars and MGM are in a contest to see which one can make their customers hate them more.  Both have recently raised parking and resort fees.   If you haven’t checked recently, do so you won’t be blindsided by new changes.

CZR

Since CZR exited bankruptcy, there has been a flurry of changes at their properties – some good news and some not-so-much for their players. I am going to mention a few, but not in detail. For full coverage with all the ins-and-outs I am steering you to a resource that concentrates on this company, the website Seven Stars Insider. Don’t be misled by the name; yes, it is a valuable source of information for players who have reached the top tier of Seven Stars. However, so much is covered that will be of great value to players at all the lower levels who need to keep up in order to make wise gambling decisions.

Here is some of the recent news:

• Parking and shuttles: The regular Rio shuttle is history, as is free parking for Vegas locals. You can read my recent blog that covers these changes and some available alternative options.
• New benefit program for veterans: The SALUTE Total Rewards card will be available to all active-duty military, members of the National Guard and Reserve, veterans and retired military personnel, as well as their spouses. They will receive special discounts on rooms, restaurants, shows and attractions, as well as an automatic upgrade to Platinum status, with even more valuable benefits, including free parking.
• New partnership with Wyndham Resorts:   Transfer Wyndham Rewards Points to Reward Credits^® & Reward Credits to Wyndham Rewards Points. Link your Seven Stars^® Total Rewards account to a Wyndham Rewards account and your status will be matched to enjoy their Diamond perks. Check here for details and limitations.

You can always go to the CZR website to try and find the details of new programs or changes, but the 7 Star website will give you some feet-on-the-ground and behind-the-scenes input, including information that might not have made it to the company website. And there is valuable advice on whether a promotion is a good one, giving the pros and cons and personal opinions from other players. For example, you can see whether the new short-term promotion of booking your retreat trip to Las Vegas in November/December and getting a full airfare refund in Reward Credits makes financial sense in your particular case.

If you are new to this 7 Star website, you can go back and read the monthly newsletters from the past for some information that is still current – and then sign up to get them regularly by e-mail in the future. But in-between those newsletters, you can keep up with current happenings by clicking at the top of their homepage on “News and Views.”

•  Check here for list of free Strip and near-Strip parking and shuttle options (with a list of the various charges for where it is not free).  One bad-news change is that the Rio shuttle to the Strip has been discontinued except during special events like tournaments.  The Gold Coast shuttle is still running but I have heard reports that it is not always available to everyone who lines up; people who have a room at a Boyd property have first dibs on the seats! 

• Be aware that anyone can park free at any Strip MGM or CZR property for one hour, handy for short errands inside like placing or collecting a sports bet, doing some business at the players club desk or kiosk, or picking up or dropping off people.

• Veterans have a great option, an older program at MGM properties and now a new one at the CZR ones.  Both veterans programs include a players club tier upgrade –  to Platinum for CZR, to Pearl for MGM – and one of the benefits of both of those include free parking.

• Of course, you can reach those levels – and score the free parking benefit – by playing but that involves risking your money.  There is one other way that doesn’t involve any risk – unless you can’t handle credit cards responsibly.  Both offer no-fee credit cards that will get you to those levels with a free-parking benefit.

Feel free to put in the “Comments” any details that you can add to help out your fellow parkers.

From a news release:

Created in appreciation for our nation’s active military personnel, veterans and their spouses, MGM Resorts International’s new Military & Veterans Program (MVP) recently launched.  MVP provides special recognition, offers, discounts and benefits at MGM Resorts destinations throughout the U.S. With a military ID, they can sign up for the program on-site at MGM Resorts destinations. An extension of M life Rewards, the company’s premier loyalty program, MVP distinguishes service members with a dedicated M life Rewards card identified with the MVP logo and provides access to all of the available military benefits throughout MGM Resorts destinations via a new convenient, comprehensive and easy-to-find central location – mgmresorts.com/military.

In addition to M life Rewards’ existing benefits, new Military & Veterans Program cardholders are automatically upgraded to the second Tier Level, Pearl, with benefits including complimentary self-parking at MGM Resorts properties at all MGM Resorts destinations across the U.S. including Bellagio, ARIA and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., MGM Grand Detroit and MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

CAESARS PALACE

The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace is now charging for parking. Valet parking had been free, but they soon realized that people had discovered this “trick” to park free but go to other casinos. There’s now a flat $7 charge for everyone, a charge still less than most other places. And they have started issuing vouchers to waive the fee for local repeat shoppers.

WYNN/ENCORE

We will need to add to our list another Strip casino that will charge for parking, beginning August 7. Check out the rate chart here.

CZR PROPERTIES

We got this reminder e-mail recently, reviewing our CET parking benefits:

With all of the parking updates happening at Las Vegas casinos, we want to make sure locals are taken care of at our Total Rewards^®properties. Don’t forget: Nevada residents can continue to self-park for FREE for up to 24 hours. Platinum, Diamond and Seven Stars^® Total Rewards members also receive complimentary valet services by using their Total Rewards card when parking.

They also listed the link for the complete Caesars Entertainment Parking Policy, including the parking rates for each property, the details for the credit card free-parking option, and a helpful Q+A section on the subject.