Watch for special Derby promotions all over town this first weekend in May, celebrating the annual Run for the Roses. And there will be more promotions around Cinco de Mayo on the 5th, Mother’s Day on the 11th, and Memorial Day on the 26th. (If you are stumped for a Mother’s Day gift and your mother loves video poker, you might want to consider buying her one of the books in the Frugal Gambler series. Some are available for eBooks as well as in paperback at http://www.shoplva.com/collections/video-poker/book.)
More Marketing Relationships
Another press release announcing another casino partnership: MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has entered into a partnership with eight accomplished veterans on the PGA and LPGA TOURS, dubbed Team M life. The endorsements will result in unprecedented VIP golfing benefits, access, and experiences for members of MGM Resorts’ loyalty rewards program, M life. New M life Moments include one-on-one interactions with Team M life players such as private dinners and golf lessons so you can impress your friends next time you are out on the course.
PALMS
Play for Prizes” (replacing the old “Play, Earn, and Win”) again has two earning periods. The first is Monday through Friday, May 5-16 and features Lowe’s gift cards and concession and movie tickets for Brenden Theatres. Second is Monday through Friday, May 19-30, and offers free play and gift cards for Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Coffee Bean. Redemption times are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Fridays 10 a.m.-midnight.
Gift days in May are the 4th, 10th, and 31st. To earn the gift-of-the-day, earn 100 base points on video slots or 500 base points on video poker between 12:01 a.m. and 6:59 p.m.
Palms Power Pulls” have been discontinued. Actually I don’t miss them – they just weren’t as exciting as the old Megabucks pulls. Yes, I guess we could have used the $6 Power Pulls on the Megabucks machines, but we always automatically do the “best” play so headed for video poker. But it was fun when we were “forced” to play Megabucks!
Drawings continue on Fridays at 7 p.m. The mailer again mentions that the everyone-wins feature is active for May – $10 if you activated your entries – even if your name is not called. 2x entries can be earned on Sundays and Tuesdays; 5x entries are given on play Friday and Saturday nights between 8 p.m. and midnight.
There are buffet discounts for those with players club cards but only if you are paying with cash. And each guest must have his own card to get the discount.
TUSCANY
The casino-wide 20% senior discount ends April 30, but will start a rotation to a different Tuscany outlet each month. Tuscany Gardens will give the discount for May.
ELLIS ISLAND
Gift days continue on Sundays, and the free pizza/sub offers (eat-in only) from your mailer are good on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Card-of-the-day promo is on Wednesdays. Earn entries all month, double entries on Sunday and Wednesday, for the big drawing on May 28th. If you belong to the 50+ Club, there is a swipe on Tuesday and Thursday, plus 6 drawings through the day.
STATIONS
I have been talking here recently about the radical changes to the Stations players club. If you are coming to this subject late, you not only need to read some of my recent blogs that analyze these changes, but you need to check out the “Comments” that follow each of those blogs. Readers have contributed even more information that will help you decide whether or not to start or continue your Station play in light of these downgrades.
You can also go to http://tinyurl.com/pnonojz to find the details on the new point calculations and also how you can now redeem points for free play right at the machines without activating at the kiosk first. Then there is an * (isn’t there always?) and a note that says: “Earn rate will vary and all point multipliers are excluded on 100% payback video poker machines, bingo, live poker, pari-mutuel, and race and sports.” (This information may also be available in brochures at players club desks in the casinos.)
Note that there is no swipe required for Chairman, President and Platinum card holders to get the daily 3x points, but Preferred and Gold players must swipe at the kiosk or activate with the app each day. Everyone must swipe on special multiplier days.
BOYD PROPERTIES (Sam’s Town, The Orleans, Suncoast, and Gold Coast)
The Gold Coast has brought back their Monday Senior Bonus Days. (These are in addition to the Young at Heart-50+ Wednesdays that run at all four properties.) On Mondays seniors will enjoy multiple points (10x/5x), a bingo special, and a no-fee (if you have earned 50 same-day points) video poker tournament. Go to http://www.goldcoastcasino.com/play/news-and-promotions for limitations and details. At that same site you can find the details of their all-ages no-fee video poker tournaments on Thursdays for those who earn 50 same-day base points.
According to an ad in the newspaper Suncoast is running a Four of a Kind Bonus every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in May. Looks like it is at casino bars only – but you need to check the details at their Web site AND at the players club BEFORE you begin playing. Also look for May bingo specials there.
Looking for promotion specifics is becoming a real problem for customers in dealing with Boyd properties. There may be legal issues that aren’t known by the general public, but I just can’t understand the trend here to limit who can take advantage of many of the promotions the casinos so heavily advertise. First there were promotions “for locals only.” But some poor soul must have breached that invisible line between northern and southern Nevada and played for a 5x- point “local” promotion for a couple of hours at a Vegas locals Boyd casino. So now a full-page promotion ad in our local newspaper specifies what zip codes make you eligible for this promotion.
Silly me – I thought that casinos wanted all the business they could get. But now they make up rules that are not written down anywhere – or are so arbitrary that they don’t just keep people from playing but they send them out of the casino “mad as hell.” See that story in a recent blog – https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/frugal-vegas/?p=3472 .
So I warn you: don’t start playing a promotion at a Boyd property until you have carefully checked the written rules at the players club desk – and even then I won’t 100% guaranteed you that you won’t get tripped up by an asterisk!!
HARD ROCK
Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch at Pink Taco – $24.99 – 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Bottomless mimosas or donkey punch for $9.99.
M RESORT SPA CASINO
Their players club, Marquee Rewards, can be used at all participating Penn National gaming localities across the U.S. Check the list at http://www.marqueerewards.com/Casinos.
EL CORTEZ
From a recent press release:
In an effort to continue providing innovative ways for Club Cortez members to access their account information, El Cortez has installed four new touch screen kiosks throughout the casino floor. Members can use the kiosks to find promotional offers and play exciting kiosks games. El Cortez is currently offering the following four promotions at the new kiosks:
- New Players Sign Up: Earn 500 slot points in a day and receive $5 in Free Slot Play
- Spin N’ Win Promotion: Earn 100 slot points in a day and have a chance to spin the virtual prize wheel at one of the MGT kiosks. Spin the wheel and win one of eight great prizes, including $50 in Free Slot Play. Everyone is guaranteed a winner! Voucher expires seven day after issue date; limit one spin per day.
- Sizzle, Smoke & Sub: Earn 1,500 points in a day and receive your choice of a free pack of cigarettes, a free Jackie Burger Special or a $5 Subway voucher. Voucher expires in 24 hours of issuance; limit one redemption per day.
- Birthday Revealer: Direct Mail free slot play offer for qualified Club Cortez members.
Throughout May, Club Cortez players winning a jackpot of $200 or more on a slot machine, a $200 or more jackpot on a video poker five-cent or lower denomination machine, a $300 or more jackpot on a video poker ten-cent or high denomination machine or a $200 or more jackpot on live keno will receive their choice of a free gift card from Walgreens, Smith’s, Walmart, Shell or Chevron. Please see Club Cortez for additional information and to redeem tickets.
JERRY’S NUGGET
Jerry’s Nugget Casino continues its 50th anniversary celebration by offering many promotions throughout the casino, including bingo bonuses and discounts, multiple points days, and food specials. This last one includes the return of a popular meal at Jerry’s Famous Coffee Shop, their Steak and Lobster for $9.89 servedon Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to midnight. The 8-ounce steak and 4-ounce lobster tail meal includes vegetable, a choice of potatoes, and soup or salad.
They are also running a Kentucky Derby celebration in their Race and Sports Book on May 3. Throughout the day, place a $10 Derby wager and receive a Kentucky Derby Commemorative Glass. Those making a $25 wager on the Derby matchup parlay card will receive a $10 Jerry’s Nugget dining card. Limit two glasses and one dining card per guest, while supplies last. In addition, complimentary morning coffee and donuts will be offered to guests and $2 track sandwiches will be served from noon to 4 p.m. Fresh roses will be given to all the ladies upon arrival.
This casino has an interesting comp program for their players club members who make pari-mutuel bets all year-round, offering $1 in comp value for every $25 wager. That’s a 4% comp return on all race wagers. Comp dollars can be redeemed at the gift shop, restaurants, snack bar, main bar, or at the Zappos.com kiosk, where there are thousands of items from which to choose.
LVH (formerly called the Hilton)
Advance notice: Their slot club will be changing in the near future.
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Looking for more bargains and good deals in Las Vegas? Check out the American Casino Guide Web site: http://www.americancasinoguide.com/. There are weekly and monthly updates covering all type of food, entertainment, and gambling promotions. Check out their coupon section which now includes great Vegas discounts offered by Groupon and Living Social. You can never have too many frugal resources!