Las Vegas casinos provide a variety of complimentary offers, often referred to as "comps," to attract and retain patrons. These incentives range from free slot play and match plays to complimentary hotel rooms, dining discounts, and free show tickets. Access to these offers typically requires joining the casino's players club, concentrating spending at specific properties, and utilizing specific promotional programs. The availability and value of these offers can vary significantly between properties and are often tiered based on a player's tracked gambling activity.
Free Slot Play and Match Plays
Free slot play allows players to gamble without using their own cash, while match plays offer a one-time bet that matches the player's wager up to a certain amount. Several casinos in Las Vegas offer these incentives to new and existing players.
- New Member Incentives: Some casinos offer free play immediately upon joining their players club. For example, Lucky’s Gaming & Spirits Casino offers a $10 match play to new members after they play their first $10. Mardi Gras Casino provides $10 in "match-play" when a player first signs up for the players club.
- Birthday Promotions: Birthday free play has become less common, but some properties still maintain promotions. The Palms offers a kiosk promotion during a player's birthday month, providing a chance at up to $1,000 in free play. The Plaza Hotel & Casino also has a birthday offer for members at the Bronze tier or higher.
- Rebate Programs: Certain casinos offer rebates on losses as free slot play. Casino Royale provides daily rebates of $20 in free slot play for every $100 in losses.
- Kiosk Swipes: Players can often earn "swipe and win" opportunities at kiosks. At Boyd Gaming properties, players may swipe to win up to $100 in Free Slot Play after earning 25 points to participate in a dining offer.
How to Qualify for Complimentary Hotel Rooms
Securing a complimentary hotel room, or "comp," is a primary goal for many visitors. While it may not happen on a first visit, concentrating spending and demonstrating loyalty to a specific property increases the likelihood of receiving room offers.
- Concentrate Spending: To create a clear record of spending, players should choose one or two preferred casino hotels—preferably off-Strip properties with lower costs—and direct all gambling activity to those locations rather than spreading wagers across multiple casinos.
- Use Your Player’s Card: Tracking spending is essential. Players should present their player’s card for all purchases, including dining, shows, and spa services. This records spending at the resort, proving loyalty even if immediate discounts are not applied.
- Check Mail Offers: Once a player has established a pattern of spending, casinos often send mail-out invitations that include casino free play offers and complimentary room nights. Ensuring the mailing address is correct at the player’s club desk is crucial.
- Speak to a Casino Host: A less common but effective method is to speak directly with a casino host. Hosts look for players spending significant amounts and may offer freebies. Asking a host if spending qualifies for rewards can yield unexpected offers.
- Mobile Gaming Apps: Playing social casino games like MyVegas on a phone or computer can accrue points that are redeemable for rewards in Las Vegas hotels, including free play.
Free Drinks and Dining Discounts
Complimentary beverages are a staple of the Las Vegas casino experience, and dining discounts are frequently offered to players club members.
- Casino Floor Drinks: Cocktail waitresses serve free drinks to players actively gambling. An unspoken minimum wager of around $20 is often required to be served. Positioning oneself in high-traffic areas, such as near busy blackjack tables, can facilitate more frequent service. Players can order premium drinks and even request two drinks at a time (e.g., "a beer and a shot").
- Dining Offers: Boyd Gaming properties offer tiered dining discounts. Gold members and above receive 50% off one entree at specific restaurants, while Silver members may earn a similar offer by accumulating 25 points. Dining coupons can be printed at kiosks.
- Hospitality Employee Perks: Silverton Casino offers special perks every Tuesday to Las Vegas hospitality employees, including discounts at restaurants, special happy hour rates, and free "Swipe and Win" promotions. This program includes employees from casinos, hotels, restaurants, retail, shows, and transportation services.
- Senior Salutes: Silverton also runs a FAB50+ Senior Salute Mondays program, offering similar perks to senior citizens.
Entertainment and Other Freebies
Beyond gaming and hotel stays, Las Vegas casinos offer various forms of free entertainment and other complimentary items.
- Free Show Tickets: Complimentary show tickets can sometimes be obtained by sitting through timeshare presentations. Desks offering "free show tickets" are often found in large Vegas hotels.
- Circus Acts: Circus Circus offers live circus acts for free daily from 11 am to midnight.
- Military and First Responder Benefits: M Resort provides exclusive PENN Heroes benefits to active-duty military, veterans, and first responders. Benefits include a tier upgrade to Advantage, up to 30% off hotel rates, dining and shopping discounts, and multipliers on play (10X Reel Multipliers & 2X Video Poker Multipliers every Monday).
- Online Casino Bonuses: For online players, the American Casino Guide website offers exclusive no-deposit online casino bonuses, providing free casino cash without requiring a credit card or deposit.
Conclusion
Las Vegas casinos offer a structured system of complimentary benefits designed to reward player loyalty and spending. By concentrating play at specific properties, utilizing player’s cards for all transactions, and engaging with casino hosts and promotional kiosks, visitors can access free slot play, match plays, complimentary rooms, dining discounts, and free entertainment. While some offers, such as birthday free play, have become less common, properties like The Palms, Plaza Hotel & Casino, and Silverton continue to provide targeted promotions. Additionally, free amenities like circus acts at Circus Circus and complimentary drinks while gambling remain widely available.