From a recent news release: American Casino & Entertainment Properties (ACEP), the parent company of
Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower, Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and Aquarius Casino Resort (Laughlin), has announced an enhanced ace | PLAY™ card program.
You can find details here. As regular readers of my “rants and raves,” you will probably know how skeptical I am of “enhanced” casino programs, especially when involving players club benefits. I haven’t played at any of these properties for many years so I can’t give an opinion on these new changes. But perhaps some readers who do play there can report in at “Comments” – and maybe even surprise me with the opinion that this change is one that will delight players as much as it does the casino bigwigs. I’m not holding my breath!
Another casino in Las Vegas that is introducing changes in their players club is the Hard Rock. This is the umpteenth change since we started playing there many years ago. Although we recently dropped them from our “play list,” we still get mailings trying to lure us back and that is how I found out about the changes. This “all new Backstage Pass” doesn’t seem to have any changes that appeal to me – the basic free play benefit remains the same – a low .1% for video poker, with half that for “optimum/full pay” machines. Most of the new benefits are geared toward the young hip customer, for the nightclubs, concerts, and pool. They also have reduced the number of tiers to three, with new “cooler” names: General Admission, Entourage, and Platinum Access.
Want to know more? The Hard Rock Web site has no details about the new club, still showing old information. So probably an in-person visit will be required until they get with it in cyberspace. And if you haven’t been there for a few months, don’t look for the players club where it used to be. It is on the other side of the casino, near check-in, and way downsized. Another sign of the times in many casinos – non-gambling activities and amenities are pushing gambling into a secondary role. Sigh…some days I feel so ancient!
I received a mailer from Stratosphere. The mailer not only had free offers, it also let me know what level I am (blue), how many more tier credits I need to get to the next level, what my rewards will be for reaching the next level, my points available, and my comp dollar balance. I have never had a casino give me so much information about my play there.
As they say, everything is relative. The VP potential in the Kansas City market is so bad (unless you bankrolled to play dollar PKM at the Isle) that we are now focusing most of our play in Las Vegas. Even downtown you can still find casinos offering full pay VP and reasonable offers–room, food, freeplay. There are many more similar options if you are willing to consider locals casinos. If you don’t mind investing a little time mining the myriad coupon offers that are available, it only gets better.
Nobody is going to make a living on these deals, but if you are looking for a vacation where most of the bills are paid and you are left with risking your bankroll on a mostly even money deal, then what is available in LV runs rings around what we have locally.
Frankly I’m thankful there is still a market that is so competitive that there are still good deals to be had. Missouri has played directly into the casino companies hand by enacting laws to LIMIT competition.
Amen Kevin, I have been a loyal patron of Terribles for 5 years now, actually bringing them customers etc. This last trip I was not allow to use points or discount without previous notice and their explanation had differences with their ads. In addition they were not that booked because they lowered the price of their rooms but charged me the highest prices.
If they had blacked out the dates I would have had no problem with it! They state loyalty had its rewards!!!Not true with Ace! As you all know their vp has downgraded they think they are on the strip.
Jean, to give the average player some context, the wife and I just got back from Harrah’s New Orleans. I got approximately $1,500 in “freebies” there….$250.00 toward air fare, $150 comped for GW Fins restaurant, three coupons worth a total of $310 in free play, $250.00 in cash won in a drawing with our casino host, $150.00 for Besch Steak House (two coupons combined), and a great room for three nights (estimate $150 plus per night over the weekend). This is above and beyond the points were earned, which are more points than any of the Caesar’s properties give us in Vegas. I accumulated more base points and more bonus points for the time and machines played that I ever do in Vegas.
I even hit two 4 deuces playing Deuces Wild (my favorite game) and a natural royal while there, so I also came away a big winner. I am Diamond, but I don’t play at your level, so overall the comps were VERY GOOD.
I hate to say anything bad about Harrah’s LV, though, because I have a great host there, who tripled my last “free play” offer I had there in January. He is a great guy and one of the reasons I still play there.
The bottom line is that the ACE casinos have raised prices. At the Aquarius, the Saturday dinner buffet’s price for blue card holders is now $20.39 in contrast to $16.99 before the change. This is a price increase of $3.40 each or 20%.
I thought I found a good locals-only type casino in Vegas called Poker Palace, but the machines in the non-smoking section are literally falling apart. I’m talking sticky buttons, jammed coin slots, flickering lights, etc. Its embarrassing that we have the choice between terrible odds or dilapidated machines.
Vegas could care less for the patrons who built it. Vegas wants none of the older Vegas patrons and are now \training\ the younger set with the new pricing guidelines. A few casinos will cater to the Vegas vets and locals, and wisely so. As the economy continues to go into the crapper the newer Vegas set will not be able to afford to support Vegas. I suggest riding out the storm and eventually Vegas and Vegas values will come back to something we can recognize. Til then, good luck.
QZ is absolutely right.
We now gamble twice a week in Michigan or surrounding states. We use to come to Vegas two or three times a year but no more. The hotel surcharges, the airlines and their surcharges, and the high cost of premium shows, have limited our visits to maybe once a year.
Vegas has lost the draw they used to have.
Well, we all know decent video poker is dying. The locals’ casinos still have the better VP, but they increasingly seem to be of the opinion that they can downgrade their machines and retain their clientele, or at least, the losers. ACE is a good case in point. Stations is holding the line; Coast has remained at medium-lousy; M, Palms, Terribles, Ellis Island, and ACE have turned to garbage. And Jean’s suspicions are well-founded; the ACE new program actually makes things a bit WORSE for the player. Not that they have anything worth playing, anyway.
The Frugal VP Method is rapidly dying!
They are having a party Saturday night with the cast of Entourage. it’s to unveil the new players club. The party starts at 9 in vanity
This will be interesting to see. On the one hand, competition in other cities makes gambling more mundane and less of a draw. On the other hand, gambling is at the very heart of what Vegas is all about. Will the typical customer be content to get gouged on the \extras\ or will they do Vegas once and then gamble at home? Vegas has always had extras, but now it looks like Vegas has decided to charge A LOT more for them. Personally, I think this could really hurt Vegas in terms of the core customers who come to town frequently. The big players will still get the comps, but mid-low rollers could easily be turned off. I know myself that things like resort fees really piss me off and I’m not the only one who hates getting nickel and dimed all the time.