There’s a bit of scuttlebutt going around about Boyd Gaming retracting coupon offers. To wit, from the S&G mailbag: “There’s this story going around, Suncoast/Boyd advertised in the [Las Vegas Review-Journal], and gave 10x points coupons for every Wednesday in [March]. When some video poker players tried to play after redeeming the coupon, they were trespassed by management. That’s right, for playing a coupon advertised in the R-J.”
I put the matter to Boyd, whose official response is as follows: “Some known advantage players, who redeemed 10X coupons after play on high-limit poker machines, have been advised that they would no longer be welcome at the Suncoast. These players had been previously warned about using multiplier coupons in this manner at the property.”
While “advantage play” on a computer-randomized machine sounds oxymoronic, I’m sure that Bob Dancer or Jean Scott could explain how it’s accomplished. (It involves an inverse proportional ration between coin-in and points accrued.) Penalizing skilled gamblers for knowing how to work the system (as opposed to cheating) hardly seems like fair play, but Anthony Curtis tells me this is a pretty common occurrence in Las Vegas and the 86’d players can’t they weren’t warned.
V: The Sequel. Yesterday’s entry on Sheldon Adelson protegé ” V for Victor” Chaltiel brought an interesting wave of Facebook comments. They can be summarized as follows: If you like Adelson, you’ll just love Chaltiel.
As for V the television series, the keen-eyed could spot Stanley Ho‘s lotus-shaped Grand Lisboa during an around-the-globe montage early in last night’s episode. The Visitors’ global-conquest agenda, though, is more in the style of Adelson — who unfortunately bears no resemblance to the fetching Morena Baccarin.
Not “V for Victor” Chaltiel.
“the 86′d players can’t they weren’t warned.”
if boyd’s statement were true, then you’d be correct.
however, casinos do not always tell the truth. at least three of the 86’d players have stated that they were not warned in any way. i expect most of the others weren’t either.
boyd’s statement doesn’t pass the sniff test. why would so many people show up for a promotion that they knew they wouldn’t be allowed to play?
Anthony should have done his homework on the Suncoast 86’ings. There are threads on vpFREE about this fiasco. All the barred players are saying there were no warnings. Just taps on the shoulder and told to get out. Figure it out. The players involvws were of high caliber and would not have gone in on a play if they had been warned. Even less intelligent players know about eyes in the skies and slot cards triggering computer flags. Suncoast is lying to cover their tracks.
Tell Anthony Curtis that I am extremely disapointed in his knee jerk reaction of blaming the players in the Le Toilet Suncoast fiasco. So Anthony backs the wholesale 86’ing of players? Tell him he’ll never get another dime of my money.
I am a long-time Suncoast customer who was 86’d and trespassed after submitting one of the 10x coupons on the first Wednesday of the month.
The Suncoast management’s response is a flat-out lie. Not only was I never warned not to use a multiplier coupon at the Suncoast (or given any other warning whatsoever), but I was also not advised as to why I was being 86’d and trespassed. The management and security personnel involved claimed simply to be following orders.
Other than submitting the 10x points coupon, I was doing nothing out of the ordinary. I was playing the same game and the same denomination that I had played on numerous other occasions, and I was using my own player’s card while I played.
I suspect that the Suncoast published the 10x points coupons in the Coast insert in the Review-Journal specifically to identify players for the casino to 86. Such a move on the part of a Las Vegas casino may not be unheard of, but it certainly seems unscrupulous. The coupon was legitimate and it arrived in the daily newspaper to which I subscribe.
Furthermore, “trespassing” customers who have done nothing at all improper or deceptive seems over-the-top. I was told that I was subject to arrest and prosecution if I set foot anywhere on the property, including the parking lot.
The Suncoast can exclude players from its Slot Club and promotions without preventing those players from seeing a show or a movie on the property or from eating at one of the restaurants. While I am in no hurry to spend even one more penny at a Suncoast restaurant or for a Suncoast show, I would like to be able to see a movie at the Cinemark theatre or park in the Park-n-Ride area on the property without risking arrest.
Maybe it’s time to weigh in on this. Like you, David, I find this amusing, and not at the least problematical, that Suncoast did this.
Many of us “old-timers” don’t understand the current mentality towards video poker players. Actually, on a number of different levels, it’s just irrational. I’ve never seen a business whose bureaucracy rewards turning away business. But that’s what’s happening with those players. It reeks to me more of desperation by those trying not to get fired from their jobs. But it should be completely unacceptable to senior management at Boyd and other properties for their middle managers to use customers as political pawns, which to me is what this is really about.
Basically, protecting the house in this instance requires no more than 2d, maybe 2d grade arithmetic skills. I mean, if I can figure it out, why can’t the slot operations management at Boyd do so?
Moreover, if this happened to me, I’d be lodging complaints with Boyd, with Gaming, with the R-J. I think the R-J should be put on notice, as if they cared, that lawfully accepting the 10x offer could theoretically lead to criminal prosecution. Also, why not just exclude the 10x offer from video poker? This would be most logical.
As someone who understands both the player and owner side of the business, I wouldn’t mind players trying to beat me. How do you think the lights and air conditioning get paid for?
Boyd is an old-school operator who has traditionally handled their affairs with class and intelligence, unlike the Gaughan (Coast) side of the business, who preferred to intimidate you (anyone remember playing 21 at the Barbaric Coast when betting $25 or more?). Boyd’s response is utterly amazing, completely out of character to what Bill Boyd stood for, and disappointing.