In my last blog entry I talked about the major revision Stations has made to its players club program. You should read that first to fully understand this discussion. They have changed the point calculation from $1 coin-in = 3 points to $1 coin-in = 1 point.
I try not to be too critical of casinos – they endlessly frustrate me but I know they are companies that need to make profits to stay in business. So I try to be patient with them. But when they make changes, especially those that negatively affect their customers, it would seem to be good business practice to publicize some details, preferably in advance. People are already wary of a business that directly empties customer wallets at a fast rate. So when casinos bring in new programs that change the rules of the “game” but don’t reveal this information, it is no wonder that customers feel like they are being tricked. Doing things that decrease the trust your customers – or potential customers – have in your company is not only bad business practice – it is a public relations disaster.
If the Stations would have asked me how to handle this new change, here is what I would have said:
First, I would have pointed out that this was the third major change in their players club program in 5-6 years – 2008, 2011, and now 2014. Customers do not like change because almost 100% of the time casino changes affect them negatively, right in their pockets!!! So if you are going to make another change, think long and hard about the long term – your customers will not want another change in 2017!
Second, local Vegas players – your major customer base – are usually savvier about casinos than occasional tourists. They know more about players clubs. They play or have played at other locals casinos. They compare programs and benefits. If they get upset with one casino, there is another option just down the road or around the corner. So don’t play advertising tricks on them. They might be fooled at first, but most of them are on the Internet and will learn the truth when the chatter blows up about the details of any downgrades.
If they would have shown me the copy for one of their recent newspaper ads BEFORE they ran it, I would have pointed out that many customers would be extremely upset when they found out that the big red circle touting “NEW! Get 3x Points Every Day” was not an upgrade. There was no mention, not even in the fine print, that they had quietly changed the calculation so $1 coin-in gave you one-third of the value it had before – just one point instead of 3. So this 3x “promotion” is not a promotion at all. It merely keeps the point values the same as before.
I don’t know why they couldn’t have been more open about this change. Actually they could have touted this as a plus since this $1-equal-one point system is much easier to figure since it is the same as most other local properties. I don’t know their motivation for not making this clearer in their ads, because it was spelled out nicely in the monthly mailer: “Easy to earn $1 = 1 point.” This typical lack of details just opens casinos to the accusation that they are doing “dirty tricks” to get your money. That they “love locals” rings a little hollow here!
Another serious issue: Although this calculation change of players club points doesn’t devaluate their worth – you are still getting a .3% boost on most video poker games – this change IS a definite downgrade in another area – promotions. Most promotions are calculated on “base” points and exclude multipliers. Under the new system $1 coin-in gets you 1 BASE point instead of the old 3 BASE points. Thus it would take 3 times the amount of play for promotions as it used to. In the same ad I talked about earlier, they advertise that 300 same-day base points will get you a scratch card. With no mention in this ad about the new $1-equal-1point system, many players will not realize that they will have to play 3 times as much coin-in as they would have last month under the old calculation. This lack of information may cost many an extra trip or extra money. Instead of leaving the casino with the feeling that they got good value for their entertainment dollar, they will leave feeling they had been cheated. Not a good way to promote casino loyalty.
Some players are having a problem with promotional offers they received in the mail and for which they made reservations before this new April downgrade. Hopefully the casino will honor these at the rate that was in effect when the invitation was sent out or there were be many more unhappy players.
In the same newspaper as the full-page ad I have previously been discussing, there was also another large ad about the Sunday multiplier days. I will have to give them credit that they did give full details on this promotion, albeit some were in extremely small print. If you didn’t notice that hard-to-read white-on-black explanation at the bottom of the page, you might have been fooled by the huge bold black-on-white “6X POINTS! ON VIDEO POKER” and thought you were getting an extra lucrative bonus. However, if you saw – and understood – the fine print at the bottom of the ad – “Multipliers are based on $1= 1 point. These cannot be combined with the daily 3x points.” – you would realize that this promotion was simply the more common double points. Not saying this is a “good” or “bad” promotion – that’s up to the individual to decide. Just know, in the usual sense of the word, it is a 2x, not a 6x!!
You must pay attention to details to be a wise gambler – and watch out for fooler information or lack there of!
A reminder: To get the 3x every-day points the higher tier players will not have to swipe, only the Preferred and Gold players. However, everyone must swipe at a kiosk (or use an app on your phone) to activate special-day multipliers. I am not sure if you must swipe before you start playing – as you must at Boyd properties – or you can do it anytime that day. Also ALL multipliers are excluded on 100% payback machines.
fwiw, told at players desk that 3x points count toward 50k, 100k, or 200k goals for freeplay. On Sunday, only 3x multiplier points counts although it’s a 6x multiplier day.
I played 99.8 machine and was getting 1 point for $1 in. Plus multiplier applies. Getting conflicting reports on what counts toward freeplay promotion
I am presently playing at Caesars and am a Diamond member. I also play at South Point and Boyd casinos. I used to play at Station casinos and did get room comps etc. Don’t want to spread myself too thin, but was thinking about starting to play vp again there. Really like Red Rock. However, based on new point change etc, not sure it would be worth while. Can you advise me a little.
Thanks
Cal Withers
TAKE THE FOLLOWING WITH A GRAIN OF SALT:
I just got off the line with a helpful person from GVR. Here’s reality according to him:
100%+ machines: $12 = 1 point. No multipliers apply–not even the “everyday” 3X. So the return on those machines is now 0.008%, or 1/3 of what it used to be. It has essentially gone from almost nothing to nothing.
99.8% machine games (not all of which are as good as 99.8%): $4 = 1 pt. These machines ARE eligible for the everyday 3X and the Sunday (or other days) 6X. So the return on those is 0.075 (three quarters of a tenth of a percent), and 0.150 on 6X days.
All other games: $1 = 1 point. The everyday multiplier as well as the 6X promo multiplier apply. Return is therefore 0.3% normally and 0.6% on 6X days.
They appear to have fine-tuned it so that you can’t get above 100% except on the few full-pay machines. The remaining unanswered question is whether the base points are multiplied to make 3X BASE POINTS. I’ll find out tomorrow.
I have actually just tried to confirm the point return on the 99.8% machines at Stations with FIVE different people at three different properties–slot managers, marketing managers, etc. who should presumably know what they’re doing. Not a one of them could tell me for certain. My impressions are anecdotal, taken from message board posts. I can’t confirm from my own experience since I only play the 100%+ machines and even 6x points (0.6%) wouldn’t bridge the gap. However, as discussed elsewhere, playing something like NSUD to earn X points for a promo is better than playing FPDW or other 100% games, since you earn points 12 times as fast on the -EV games. You might earn them 24 times as fast on double points days, though it seems that no point-accumulation promos ever appear on the same days double points are offered (and only the base points would count for promos anyway, at least in terms of the double (“6X”) points promo).
I just got a call back from a slot manager at Boulder and he said that the points awarded on the 99.8% machines were “less than the regular video poker machines but not as low as the 100% machines.” I asked him how MUCH less and he said he didn’t know. Sheesh!!! Many people know what it’s like to get a simple question answered, but for me, it never seems any less idiotic that I have to go through it!
I knew that it took $4 for 1 point on 100% machines but didn’t realize that this also included 99.8% machines as well. Is this something new or has this always been the case?
Thanks
Thanks for the update Kevin. Good to hear they are using common sense on that one.
Jean We are talking about Casinos so don’t take all their promotions literally . Stations used to have a promotion yrs ago where each Casino would have a progressive $100k VP and some one would hit before it got to $150K. It was very exiting an I guess wasn’t profitable to Stations so they did a way with it. As u probably know this is the same Casino that filed for bankruptcy and had their debt reduced fr 5+B to about $2B+ with the only loss of 1 Casino ( Alegiant)and the Fertitas still retaining the rest of the Casinos.
CORRECTION RE STAY AND PLAY PROMO
I have just confirmed this via GVR’s manager of marketing. The Stay and Play Promo will be operative as it originally was offered. If you are Chairman/President/Platinum, you do not need to swipe, otherwise, you do; but in either case, the 3X point multiplier multiplies the BASE POINTS. This means that for this particular promo, you still get $1,000 free play for $66,666 coin-in aka 200,000 points (and I presume, the lesser amounts of free play for lesser amounts of points earned).
I do NOT know if this is a general policy (if it is, then the slot club change is truly NOT harmful as all you have to do is swipe to get the same 3X base points as before) or whether they are simply honoring the original conditions of this particular promotion. In any case, I applaud them for doing so. I will attempt to verify whether the base points are multiplied by the 3X swipe/3X automatic. I am fairly sure that the 6X (aka 2X) Sunday points will NOT add base points, but you might get 3x base and 3x non-base.
If you do get the base points multiplied, then there is no effect on promos; for instance, you would still get a scratch card for $100 coin-in. Stay tuned!
The multipliers also don’t apply on the “99.8%” machines. The base rate for both the 100% and the 99.8% machines was $12=3 pts., or 1/12 of the normal rate, i.e., 0.025% rather than 0.3%. I suppose that if all other things are equal, on the good VP you will now get $12=1 pt.(x3), which would be the same 0.025%. I’ll find out this weekend–it’s quite possible that they have manipulated things so that you don’t even get that minuscule 0.025% any more! (For instance, if you didn’t even get the normal 3x multiplier, resulting in an all-time low return of 0.008%, or eight cents for every $1000 coin-in!!!)
And yes, as I mentioned in comments to the last blog entry, they don’t feel obligated to honor any promo offers that depended on an advertised base rate of $1=3 pts. Many people, myself included, accepted the “Stay and Play” offer, intending to give them a lot of action on the 99% machines that were the only ones you could play and accumulate points on (99.17% 8/5 BP). The 1.5% rebate for 200K action made this a halfway decent play. Now, though, the base rate has been slashed. I consider this to be unethical since an offer was made by the casino and accepted by me and other players, then essentially rescinded.
The above is emblematic of the dishonesty that has been typical of casinos for decades but is now becoming not just ubiquitous but also downright blatant. And BTW, no-mailing people who hit royals is stupid, and bad business to boot.
Jean, As I found out on my visit to Vegas in March, Casino Royale has also done away with some free play and coupons that previously were incentives to play some there while staying at Harrah’s next door. For years I’ve received $50 free play and VP coupons worth over $100 cash each month. On my last trip when I went to the players club to get my coupons and free play, I was astonished to see that ALL of the VP coupons had been eliminated, AND no more free play. When I asked about this, I was advised that now that the Casino is a Best Western, they don’t need the coupons to get customers in. Well, they have lost one customer for sure! Dan
I’ve received an offer which I’ve accepted which had incentives depending on points earned. 50K points gets $100, 100K $250 and 200K $650. Does anyone know if these points refer to base points or points earned after using 3X or 6X multipliers? Maybe the Player’s Card Center is the place to check.
Thanks.
Unfortunately this is the MO for business today. Adam Smith
never conceived of the machinations of business operations today. Thanks for the clarification Jean.