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In the past, casinos rated only those customers who played table games. The customers’ play was observed by casino floor personnel who calculated the average dollar amount the customer played per hour. Players who exclusively frequented slot machines could rarely attain the “high roller” category and receive the same complimentaries and extra services given to those rated as high-action players.
In recent years, however, the rating of slot players has become common throughout the casino industry. This change was made necessary by the increase in the casinos’ slot revenues and made possible by modern technology. With slot revenue accounting for the large majority of gross gaming revenues, it became important to find a way to track these players in order to encourage them to return to play again and again.
The casinos’ ability to track the activity of slot players was provided by electronic systems developed by most of the major slot manufacturers. Under these systems, players who apply are issued cards similar to credit cards to be inserted into specially designed slot machines. Each slot machine and video poker machine is connected to a central computer which contains information on customers’ playing histories.
When the system has identified the player by their card, it flashes them a greeting on an electronic display (“Hi Bob”) and tells them how many bonus points they have accumulated so far and how many coins they must play to get another point. As they drop in coins, the display counts down the number of coins remaining to be played until they get their next point.
At one Las Vegas casino, for example, a player must drop 20 one-dollar coins, 40 half-dollars or 80 quarters, to earn a bonus point.
Slot clubs serve a dual purpose for the casinos. They are designed to attract players by offering a bonus. Players can earn points toward eomps, special merchandise or even “cashback”, which is essentially a cash award for patronizing a particular casino. But the systems function primarily as player tracking devices. The data fed into the central computer from each card allows the casino to deternine who the “high rollers” are, the amount and frequency of play, which machines are most popular, how often and for what reason machines malfunction, total revenue per machine, frequency of jackpots, percentage of profits for the casino, and other accounting data that is valuable to casinos.
It simply makes sense to sign up for the slot club in any casino where you might play the slots. While you may not play to the level that would qualify you for comps or cashback, you may be included in a valuable promotional campaign. Casinos are always looking to add loyal customers, and often go through their databases and “prospect” for players by offering free tokens, meals, entertainment or hotel rooms. You want your name on the list when these goodies are passed out.
