Are Casino Loyalty Programs Worth It?
By
Kevin Lentz
Writer at Casinos.US Updated: 02/19/2024
Kevin has been involved in the gambling industry since the ‘80s. From winning tournaments to casino management, he’s ultimately done it all. Throughout the years, he’s written for various iGaming publications on topics such as the legal landscape of online casinos and strategies behind winning. His favorite game is blackjack.
Casino Loyalty Programs
- Loyalty Program Benefits
- Best Casino Loyalty Programs
- High Roller Programs
- Online Loyalty Programs
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Las Vegas was built on glitz and glamour, on the promise of free buffets and comped rooms. And while a lot has changed in Las Vegas over the years, the allure of a suite at the Bellagio or a comped meal at your favorite celebrity chef restaurant has not.
As gambling spread out from Las Vegas over the last several decades, the dangled carrot of casino comps grew with it, and as casinos realized the power of comps to drive return play, loyalty programs innovated and grew to the point where they now award billions of dollars a year in free play, complimentary dinners, cruises, and other amazing perks.
These same big-name gambling companies like MGM and Caesars, which pioneered the original loyalty programs in land-based casinos, are now leading the way in online casino loyalty programs. Still, a new breed of tech-savvy online gambling industry companies is also looking to disrupt the paradigm of the old loyalty program and drive a whole new generation of internet gamblers to their rewards programs.
All of this is excellent news for players looking to maximize the great benefits of these casino loyalty programs.
The Benefits of Casino Loyalty Programs
Casinos want you to spend every dollar of your gambling budget with them. To do that, they have devised tiered loyalty programs that offer benefits for those just starting out and gradually offer more and more perks to keep enticing you to return. Some of the offers you can expect to see at most major casinos:
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Free Parking/Free Valet Parking: It’s somewhat sad that it has come to this, but one of the perks offered to lower-tier members at many US land-based casinos is free parking or complimentary valet parking.
Considering that some Las Vegas properties now charge more than $20 a day to park and as much as $35 a day for valet, this is a perk that probably shouldn’t be looked down on.
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Free Rooms/ No Resort Fees: Even online casinos affiliated with land-based casinos will send their loyalty program members offers for reduced or free rooms at their resorts. The MGM rewards program guarantees waived resort fees once you reach their Gold rewards tier.
Free nights are often Sunday through Thursday, but they have been a valued offer since casino rewards programs began.
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Free Merchandise: A comp to the old souvenir shop to grab some branded merch for the kids back home is a time-honored Vegas tradition, but in today’s hyper-competitive casino market, you can earn your loyalty points to go shopping at many of your favorite stores using the rewards program online shopping portal.
Or, in the case of the Caesars rewards program, you can even use your casino rewards points to go shopping at one of the most renowned shopping malls in America.
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Complimentary Meals: Whether you like to play casino games or slot machines are more your thing; You will likely be hungry at some point in your play. Casino loyalty programs are designed to help you get some food and return to the casino floor happy and contented.
You could use your rewards points towards a steak dinner, or you may find that the casino rewards program has sent you an offer for two to the buffet. But as long as you are playing, there is a good chance you won’t find yourself paying for dinner.
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Free play: A good loyalty program will offer lots of opportunities to get free play. Free play can come in many different forms. It might be free bets for table games or free credits for the slot machines.
It might be free blackjack tournament entries or poker tournament tickets, but however it comes, it is a way for you to play longer and on the house’s money. It helps reduce the house edge and can give you a much better chance at a winning playing session.
More than all the other perks, free play is the closest to cash and should weigh heavily when we look at the best loyalty programs.
What Makes the Best Casino Loyalty Program
The best loyalty program will be the one that best rewards your style of play. Not all loyalty programs are targeted at the same audience. Some will target or reward only higher-end play, others will have a more mid-tier approach, while still others will eschew higher-end play altogether to serve everyday players better.
Before the advent of online casinos, many people were forced to choose their loyalty program based on proximity. Loyalty programs are meant to be used frequently. If the casino with your favorite loyalty program is 6 hours away, that’s a problem. Or at least it used to be before online casinos became legal across some parts of the country.
Another aspect of a good loyalty program is whether it offers the perks that fit your play. You may live 30 minutes away from Atlantic City and don’t need comped rooms, but you value free play. Then, that is the type of loyalty program you should be honing in on.
Conversely, perhaps you live in the Midwest and enjoy a week in Las Vegas every year, and you would like to spend your rewards points on free rooms and comped meals while you are there. Then, it would be best if you were looking at a program more like MGM Rewards.
We’ve put together the three best loyalty programs that fit the broadest number of players and offer some of the best rewards for the money spent.
Caesars Rewards
There is a simple reason that Caesars Rewards is our number one pick: you couldn’t ask for more ways to earn reward points and tier credits. They have 58 land-based casinos comprised not only of Caesars but also the Horseshoe and Harrah’s brands.
Many tens of millions of casino gamblers live within two hours of regional Caesars property. They also operate online sportsbooks in more than twenty states and online casinos in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. You can use and earn your Caesars reward points at any of these locations.
In addition, Caeasas’ has a shopping portal where you can earn points while you shop and a dining program where you get points when you go out to eat. They have a cobranded credit card, which can earn tons of Caesars Rewards. You can even earn points when renting cars from National or staying at Wyndham hotels.
So when it comes to ease of access and earning lots of points, Caesars leads the way, but what about when it comes time to spend those hard-earned comp dollars? Their casino rewards programs are just as valuable then.
Whether you want to spend your points on free food, comped rooms, or amazing concerts, you’ll have your choice of all those Caesars properties. In addition, you can convert your points into free play at any location.
As for Las Vegas, they have you covered with their flagship Caesars property and Planet Hollywood, The Cromwell, and Harrah’s. Their top-tier, Seven Stars, guarantees $1200 in airfare and $500 in dining credits when you travel to applicable properties, free cruises, upgrades to the best available room upon check-in, and access to their top-tier VIP host department to help you satisfy your every whim.
MGM Rewards
MGM Rewards is also a top-tier casino rewards program with millions of devotees. They lack the many regional hubs that make Caesars Rewards so easy to access, no matter where you live in the country. More than half of their 16 US-based properties are on the Las Vegas strip.
They have online sports betting in over 20 states and operate online casinos where you can earn and spend your MGM rewards points.
The top tier at MGM rewards is Noir, and is by invitation only. Just below that is Platinum, which requires 200k in tier points. This is a bit harder to earn than the Caesars Seven Seas tier, yet the guaranteed benefits are similar.
With almost a dozen top-notch properties in Las Vegas, if most of your gambling is done in Nevada, you probably should consider signing up for one of their casino rewards programs, as it is exceedingly easy to earn points for rooms, dining, and other non-gamble spend. They also have a credit card with which to earn points, though it only awards Pearl status, their bottom tier, for a sign-up bonus.
Just like Caesars Rewards, the sky is the limit for VIP players. In the meantime, you can be assured of a chance at free meals, comped rooms, and discounted merch and concert tickets when you head out to Vegas or one of their five regional properties if you’ve taken the time to sign up and earn rewards.
DraftKings Dynasty Rewards
Draft Kings makes our list because of its unique circumstances. As one of the first daily fantasy sports operators more than a decade ago, they leveraged their early entry into this space with tens of millions of sign-ups for their Draft Kings Dynasty rewards program.
Now, as they continue to operate Daily Fantasy sports competitions, they also are a legal sportsbook in 22 states. They also have online casinos in five states and are expected to continue to grow their online casino portfolio as more and more states legalize them.
Their Dynasty Rewards program set the standard that other online casino rewards programs would follow. Their loyalty points are called Crowns. They have also added tier points, although, for many years, Crowns determined solely what tier level you were in.
You earn both tier points and Crowns for every bet you make, whether it’s DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports), Sports, or an online casino wager, and they’ve made it easy to understand what you earn for each bet. You can earn rewards quickly as they have great earn rates compared to some land-based casino programs. They also offer many free bets, promotions, free merchandise, and other perks you may not find at Caesars or BetMGM.
Their VIP program, Once In a Lifetime, offers fantastic experiences and has been an innovator in online casino loyalty. Their online rewards store will let you spend your crowns on 40-year-old scotch or a Kawasaki dirt bike. Or maybe golf at St. Andrew or Pebble Beach is more your thing. They’ve even got Super Bowl tickets.
If you’re already playing DFS or making online sports bets, it would be crazy not to sign up for their loyalty program and earn a shot at some of their swag.
Factors to Consider Before Joining
Some mistakes can be made when signing up for these loyalty programs. One of these is not being aware of what is on offer. Perhaps the casino loyalty program may have an up to $300 free refund on losses sent to you in free play over the next couple of months for a sign-up bonus. If you only pay $20 and then quit, you’ve not taken full advantage of the offer. Perhaps you could wait to sign up and wager appropriately for the best rebate.
Another common mistake is not reading the terms and conditions or asking questions at the player’s club during sign-up on how much each bet earns in tier credit/comp points. Most loyalty programs reward slot play at a higher rate than video poker and video poker higher than table games.
To take full advantage of what the casino offers, ensure you understand any sign-up promotions and exactly how points are earned before signing up.
The biggest mistake that players make with loyalty programs is betting more than they can afford. After all, these programs are meant to encourage more play for bigger rewards. But that being said, they just want you to spend all of your gambling budget with them. They don’t want you to exceed it. Don’t bet over your head. Stick to your budget. And if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
High Roller Rewards
If you are a high roller who isn’t worried about whether you have a nearby casino to earn loyalty points and doesn’t need to pad their tier level with some credit card spending, someone who earns their comps the old-fashioned way by pushing big stacks out on the table, then we would be remiss if we didn’t mention two of the most famous VIP loyalty programs in the casino world.
Grazie is the reward program at the Venetian and is open to everyone, but the real perks start at their Pazie Gold level. While their guaranteed public offers don’t look like much, we are reliably informed that the VIP hosts at the Sands properties are the best in the business.
Wynn Rewards is the casino loyalty program at Wynn Boston, Wynn Las Vegas, and Encore. The real fun here starts at the invite-only Chairman’s Club tier. Not a lot of info is publicly available here, either. But there is a simple reason why the biggest whales (VIP High Rollers) in the world play at the Sands or Wynn properties, and it’s not the buffet.
Online Casinos Loyalty Programs
Online casinos have a huge advantage in cost structure. They don’t build fancy billion-dollar casinos. They don’t buy expensive slot machines or pay hundreds of dealers for their online casino games. This often allows online casino rewards programs to be much more generous than some of their land-based competition.
This is especially noticeable in their initial sign-up bonuses. Most online casino loyalty programs will match your initial deposit to up to $1000 or even $1500. Some will reimburse you up to $1000 for your losses in the first 24 hours. These are unheard of bonuses in land-based casino loyalty programs.
But you will also find that online casino rewards programs offer more promotions, giveaways, and exclusive bonuses in general. You can often earn tier credits and reward points in a prominent land-based casino loyalty program like BetMGM Rewards Or Caesars Rewards while playing online. This can quickly help you pad your tier levels.
Online casino rewards programs are found in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Michigan, where you will find legal online casinos, and in over 30 states that have legalized online sports betting. You can also earn tier credits and reward points for your sports bets when you utilize these programs.
While many online casino rewards are similar to those you would expect from traditional brick-and-mortar casinos, many new upstart online operators are innovating with new ideas for casino loyalty programs. Draftkings Money Can’t Buy Rewards program features once-in-a-lifetime awards. Want to go-cart race your favorite F1 driver, or maybe play a round of golf with Tiger Woods, or how about taking your buddies sports fishing in the Caribbean? This online casino loyalty program can make that happen.
Conclusion
Even if you are only visiting a casino for a few hours, you should always sign up for their loyalty program. Many have great new player offers that can help pay for your trip. If you are spending more than a few hours at any one casino property, you not only need to sign up for their loyalty rewards program, but you need to understand how it works and what is offered.
And suppose you are playing at an online casino or making sports bets online. In that case, you should look into that online casino loyalty program and see what they offer as a sign-up bonus and other online casino rewards. You should be able to earn both tier credit and rewards points for every wager you make online.
