12/5/2000
From a writer on the Net: “The slot club host would really not give me a direct answer and I asked at least three times.”
Communication is one of my most frustrating problems in dealing with the whole comp system. Few casinos have things spelled out anywhere in black and white. Talk to several hosts at the same casino and you’ll get a different explanation from each one. Talk with the same host a month later and you’ll get new explanations. Talk to some of them and you can’t get a direct or helpful answer anytime at all.
This week an out-of-town friend stopped to talk to me while I played VP at a local casino and told me this story:
“Several months ago I talked to a host at this casino and she said she would comp our room for the nine days of our current trip, just as they’d done on our last three trips. We checked in six days ago and started playing our usual number of hours. Today I checked our bill and found out that we weren’t getting all of our nights free. I put in a call for our host and found out she no longer works here. So I talked to another host, who informed me that they had no record of the promised comped nights and, furthermore, our play did not warrant that many free nights. We would have to pay casino rate for four of our days. Case closed.”
My friend was understandably upset. “We could have stayed somewhere else where we can always get free rooms if we’d known in advance.”
I had no words of advice for him at this point. Getting comps is not an exact science and “the best laid plans of mice and men …” I’ve learned to try as hard as I can to “follow the rules” in getting the comps I think I’m earning as I play. And most of the time I get more than I expect. But once in a while, when everything doesn’t work out just the way I think it’s going to, I remember that, after all, comps are “gifts” that the casino gives you. I may decide to go to another casino the next time, but I’ll remain a mannerly guest at this “casino home” and show proper appreciation for whatever I receive.
BRIEFS
I’ve found a new valuable resource, the free weekly CASINOWIRE online newsletter, which provides a great summary of the stories featured on CasinoWire during the past two weeks and links to the whole story if you want more information. Subscribe at http://www.casinowire.com/. I recommend this newsletter especially if you’re not a Vegas local and your local newspaper doesn’t cover gambling news much. This newsletter keeps you up on the casino happenings all over the U.S., with some information I don’t even get in the Review-Journal. They also include some interesting and oft humorous gaming trivia—a sample below.
To make the game of 21 more enticing in the early days, some card rooms began offering a 10-to-1 payout to any player whose first two cards were the ace of spades plus either of the black jacks (the jack of clubs or the jack of spades). That is how 21 came to be known as “”blackjack.””
Staying on the subject of BJ, a quote from Card Player in an article by Arnold Snyder, the Bishop of Blackjack: “One of the weird facts about surrender is that it has very little value to basic strategy players, but immense value to card counters. In this sense, it is similar to insurance, which has no value to basic strategy players (since basic strategy for insurance is simply don’t take it), yet is the most valuable decision a counter can make.”
HEARD THIS WEEK: The funniest “complaint” in a casino. A man was waiting a long time for a hopper fill. When the supervisor came with the bag of money for his machine, he wryly commented, “I sure hope this doesn’t take much longer. I have to catch a plane and fly back home to Florida to vote again.”
12/8/2000
I really should declare a temporary moratorium on writing about gambling in December and just gamble. Inquiring minds might ask why. Well, I’ll tell you. There are so many promotions in Vegas this month that Brad and I shouldn’t even be sleeping. Double and triple points all over, drawings, free gift shopping, invitational tournaments (we’re going to juggle three in one weekend!) — I have to write really tiny to get everything down on my calendar.
From December 11 (when the rodeo leaves town) until the 26th (when people have discharged their holiday obligations and start pouring in), this is one dead city. So casinos try to lure visitors with super promotions. Some are so desperate for customers, in fact, that they’re actually giving rooms away in order to have some warm bodies to gamble, eat, shop, bowl, or attend movies in their casinos.
I like this non-busy time of year here. Casinos put up beautiful holiday decorations and sometimes play carols over their speakers. NY-NY is putting on a lovely free ice show outside in their “harbor.” I watch happy families visiting Santa Claus at Sam’s Town and Excalibur and it helps me not miss my “Army-brat” grandchildren so much. (Besides, we’re going to visit them in Hawaii in February.) But most of all, I enjoy the atmosphere of increased “joy and peace.” Employees — whether Christians or Jews or atheists — seem caught up in the spirit and casinos seem like “kinder and gentler” places at this time, even if you’re losing.
Want to learn more about how the casinos view the December holiday season? Go to http://vh60009.vh6.infi.net/business/docs/inside120300.htm and read a very informative article from the Gulf Coast newspaper the Sun Herald. “You can’t fight Santa Claus.”
BRIEFS
Vegas casino dealers are moving swiftly to organize and demand better pay, benefits, and job security. They’re looking at the bartenders, who are unionized and making at least $14.50 an hour plus tips.
Some casinos offer free prizes, which can be redeemed in their casino, while playing casino games on their Internet sites. Want to know which ones? Send an e-mail to [email protected]. On the subject line of this e-mail just write: subscribe-casino games list. Another one of the multitudes of valuable lists that Billhere provides for free.
Guarantee Tours (775/369-1000 or 800/777-4697) advertises in the Vegas paper that they offer free bus trips to Laughlin, Primm, and Pahrump. All trips include a free buffet lunch. Good way to sample casino offerings outside of, but near to, Las Vegas. They also have 2 for 1 Hoover Dam trips and day trips to the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and Bryce Canyon National Park. All the freebie magazines also advertise many of these same trips, provided by other companies. We haven’t done a Laughlin bus trip for many years, so I can’t recommend any specific company. However, never pay for a trip to Laughlin. There are always free trips available.
From CASINOWIRE: According to Don Gilmer, Michigan lottery commissioner, the numbers most often bet in the “”Daily 4″” are 1-0-2-8. Why? Because October 28 is the feast day of St. Jude, the patron saint of “”desperate cases”” or “”hopeless causes.””
12/16/2000
The Hard Rock has changed its slot club (again). It’s a simple system.
You earn 1% on all coin-in on a slot machine and ½% on all coin-in on a VP machine. This earned amount then can be “spent” on comps in any Hard Rock Hotel outlet (restaurants, hotel rooms, box office, or retail store), OR taken in cashback; you get the same dollar amount for each. Card readers display points, which are equal to actual values for cash or comps –e.g., 50 points equals $50.
It’s going to be interesting to see if this system is successful. Other casinos with the cash-or-comp system give you an incentive to use your points for comps. For example, points at the Reserve are worth twice as much if used for comps rather than cashback. At the Suncoast and Gold Coast, your points are worth .3% if you use them for comps, and only .25% if you take cash. I’m guessing that the folks at the Hard Rock figure that people will eat in their restaurants, see their shows, and shop in their stores anyway. But if they turn in the points for cash–well, what will they do with it? Put it right back into a machine maybe? It might prove to be a smart move by the Hard Rock.
Do I like this new system? Well, a big “yes” and a little “no.” The system is extremely simple and it’s easy to understand exactly how it works–I wish more casinos would be so up-front. One-half percent is an excellent cashback return for VP; I love high cashback. However, whenever a casino has a cash-or-comp system, I feel a little frustrated. Maybe I’m weird–Brad says I AM weird about being frugal–but if I use my points for comps instead of cashback, I don’t feel that I’m really getting things free. I used to love to go to the Hard Rock spa for a nice long relaxing hour massage because I used comp points that couldn’t be turned into cash anyway. Now I’ll have to think a long time before I shell out $100 for that same luxury, even if I “earned” that money playing VP.
One great feature about this HR slot club change: All comp points accumulated before Dec. 1 have been transferred into the new system with no loss in value, at a rate of $1 for every 250 points. So you might have an unexpected cash holiday gift waiting for you at the Hard Rock slot club desk.
BRIEFS
Note for Vegas locals: December is always a good time to live in Nevada.
Besides the fact that you don’t have to fight snow and sleet, many casino shows (when they aren’t dark) offer 2-for-1 tickets to locals. Special room offers for locals also crop up in the local newspapers. I just saw this one: “$99 for the world’s largest standard hotel room–at the Venetian–through December 21. Must show Nevada ID at check in.” Hey, you don’t have to put up all those sponging relatives who depend on you for a free vacation room.
Proof that it pays to sign up online for a player’s card before a casino actually opens: I just got a large booklet in the mail from Terrible’s, the new “locals” casino that recently opened at Paradise and Flamingo, with pages and pages full of information about their casino and player’s club. (Check the Slot Club Promotions on the lasvegasadvisor.com home page to learn about all of Terrible’s bonus points days.) And there were coupons galore. Although I won’t use those for bingo and discounts on meals and logo wear, I certainly will use some of the gambling offers for matching points. And I’ll make a special trip to use the table-game matchplays. You can use them on any bet up to $25, making each of the 8 coupons for Dec.-Jan. worth about $12+, depending on what game you play them on. That’s a whopping total value of more than $96. Unfortunately, one coupon had expired when the mailman finally decided to deliver the newsletter. Wonder if I can sue the U.S. Govt. for $12!
Great ad writing from the Primm Resorts’ newsletter: “Pump away for a Free Buffet”–that’s how they describe their on-going promotion that gives a 2-for-1 buffet coupon to anyone who buys 10 gallons of gas
12/22/2000
I hate to spoil your holiday celebrations, but I feel I must talk about a depressing subject — taxes. The mailman will be delivering your tax forms very soon now, and before you know it you’ll be facing the task of filling them out. If you’re reading this column, there’s a very good chance that you might have to ponder how gambling wins and losses should be handled on your tax return.
“Oh,” you say, “I don’t have to worry about that. I win sometimes, but my losses are always bigger by the end of the year so I don’t have to mess with it on my tax return.”
Wrong! You better “mess with it,” especially if you hold any of the following mistaken beliefs:
1. If I don’t get any W2Gs (given for a jackpot of $1,200+), I don ‘t have to report any gambling wins.
2. If I do get a few W2Gs, I can just count that total as my gambling income for the year and be safe from an IRS audit.
3. I can lump together all my wins and losses for the year and, if I have a net loss, I don’t need to put wins or losses on my tax return. After all, I didn’t have any gambling income.
4. The IRS can not “catch” me, even if I win a lot of money gambling, as long as it’s done slowly over a considerable period of time in different gambling venues and I get no official forms like a W2G.
5. The IRS knows most gamblers lose over the long term, so they aren ‘t very interested in auditing gamblers.
Instead of my explaining why these beliefs are false, I’m going to steer you to a terrific Web site, one that will probably teach you some surprising facts about gambling and taxes.
Brad and I have been filing as a gambling business for several years, including both our actual gambling wins/losses and the proceeds from writing about gambling. I felt I was very knowledgeable in this area, but, as I read the information on the Website, my eyes were really opened about how complex this whole tax area is and how the IRS is changing its emphasis as casinos proliferate all over the U.S.
http://www.rbstaxes.com/ is the website of Yolanda Smulik-Roche, E.A. and Roger C. Roche, E.A., in their words, “tax consultants specializing in the tax issues that face professional and recreational gamblers.” They’re well-known in the industry for their book, The Tax Guide for Gamblers, which is the most comprehensive book on the subject currently on the market. They’re also known for their articles on gaming tax issues, featured regularly in a number of gaming publications, as well as various gaming Web sites. I’ve been reading their articles in Card Player for several years. They’re now based in Las Vegas, and we plan to pay them a visit to go over our tax situation to see if we are fully compliant!
The whole Web site is chock full of valuable information for gamblers, including the new agreement between Canada and the U.S. that will interest all Canadian gamblers. Although I suggest you read the complete article file, you must not miss the following two articles: “”Court Rules that NOT Reporting Gambling Activity When Net is a Loss is a CRIME!” and “”Beware, The IRS Criminal Investigation Unit is Now Looking for Gamblers.”
I’m not judging how you report or don’t report your gambling. I’m well aware that the IRS does not usually audit people just to find out whether they’re keeping track of every little win or loss, especially low rollers who do not generate W2Gs. Why don’t they? It would be an impossible paperwork load, and the IRS does figure that most people lose anyway.
However, as more and more people gamble, the IRS is becoming more interested in this area. It’s becoming more likely that you’ll be questioned about gambling if you come to the attention of the IRS for other reasons, even a routine audit. Or, if you report any W2Gs, or don’t include them when you do have them, you’re likely to be asked to provide more details of your gambling. Because of this, I feel it’s my duty to pass on information I have found. How you use this information is your
12/29/2000
My birthday is this month (today, in fact), but I have pretty well gotten over the trauma of reaching Social Security age, with all the casino birthday offers that are flooding our mailbox. And I’m so happy to see that casinos don’t hold it against me that my birthday comes just four days after Christmas. They don’t just hold back one of my Christmas presents to give me on the 29th — as I used to think my parents did when I was growing up. They’re being generous with Christmas AND birthday gifts — bonus points, meals that don’t come off my slot club points, even beautiful gifts. We received a few of these holiday and birthday benefits when we were out-of-town Vegas visitors, but they’ve greatly multiplied now that we have a local address and play more in the locals casinos. Vegas was always Bargain City for us when we traveled here from Indianapolis. Now that we live here, maybe we would have to call it Super Bargain City.
BRIEFS
Last week I talked about the dreaded subject of taxes and provided the URL of a Web site address where you could get some good tax information for gamblers. This week I found another great resource for gambling taxpayers –a tax and financial-planning firm that’s extremely knowledgeable about the tax ramifications of gambling.
It is Accu-Tax, with offices in Henderson, Nevada. Accu-Tax is going to take over the task of doing our very complex tax returns, as well as helping me set up a better record-keeping system. The president is Stephen Schuneman, an Enrolled Agent who has a very good relationship with the IRS — this is all-important in case of an audit! And he has a deal for anyone who comes to them by referral — a 20% discount on your 2000 Federal Income Tax return, PLUS your name will be put in a drawing for $500. (The “Vegas factor” is strong hereabouts, even in non-casino businesses!) So you can call 702/732-1040 and tell them the “frugal gambler” sent you and be eligible for this discount and bonus. Or e-mail [email protected]
If you’re in Vegas Jan. 6-9 during CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, or during any large convention, go to the Venetian corridor that leads to the Sands Convention Center. You’ll usually find people passing out Venetian matchplay coupons. A friend told me you could find “scads” of them in the nearby trash cans or just lying around and that the Venetian doesn’t seem to mind your using more than one of them.
Ah, memories! I still remember those days 16-17 years ago when a high point of my day was finding Westward Ho free mini-breakfast coupons in the trash cans. A little mustard or catsup on the coupon? No problem; it could be scraped off and the snack bar didn’t require coupons in perfect condition.
Read a good quip from a recent hearing involving Station Casinos, which gobbled up three other local casino in the past few months, reported in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Steve DuCharme, member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, cracked: “Your client [Station Casinos] is apparently a member of the Columbia House casino of the month club.”
Interesting turnabout: Some years ago, before I wrote The Frugal Gambler, one casino wouldn’t give permission for “48 Hours” to film Brad and me there, so we had to film undercover. We went into their gift shop recently and what book do you think they had for sale?