Casinos love to run promotions - basically, to get you there!
But I've never won anything - have you? I know some do - one friend of mine won $500 with one swipe of their players card. But for most of us, it's just another exercise in futility...or is it? And how do they work?
First of all, for those of you who still believe there is some miraculous way that casinos can switch machines to change their payout, or believe in programmed streaks, or refuse to try to understand the science behind a Random Number Generator (RNG), then read no further. Keep rubbing and talking to the slot machine, keep believing the voodoo you think you know so well, and have a nice uninformed day.
(pause, as people click out of article, leaving the smart ones still reading)
Are they gone? Good. So for those of you that understand the RNG, or at least knows it runs the slots and video poker, then keep reading.
I have visited two casinos in the past month - Resorts in AC and Mohegan Sun in CT - that are running similar swiping promotions. In both, you swipe your card, then choose something on the screen, hopefully matching something or finding something for a reward. One patron after another lined up waiting for up to 30 minutes only be disappointed. I asked the fella running the Resorts promo if anyone had won at all - all day - and he said "No." Hmmm.....how does this work, anyhow.
I began to think it was very similar to a VERY low paying slot machine. Remember, the reels, bonuses, etc, on a slot machine is just the entertainment value for pushing a button, or in the old days, pulling the handle. It could be showing SportsCenter, it wouldn't matter. You push the button, you choose a combination in the RNG (in a milli-second) and what ever you get, you get. So, I figured, it's not the choosing, it's the swipe that counts. Again - the screen choosing and all that is just the entertainment value. (Or the not-so-entertaining value.)
So I asked one of the leading gambling experts what he thought of my anaylsis.
John Grochowski is a gambling columnist and author. His weekly newspaper column began at the Chicago Sun-Times making him the first casino gambling columnist at a major U.S. newspaper.
His well-known book The Casino Answer Book explained has explained the basics of casino gambling to beginners and pros since 1998.. His other books include The Video Poker Answer Book, The Craps Answer Book and The Slot Machine Answer Book.
He also contributes articles to magazines and internet publications to the Casino City Times website, Casino Player, Strictly Slots, Southern Gaming and Destinations and Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Journal and Slot Manager magazines. And he agreed with me! (pats self on back!)
John also added the following in his email reply:
"You are correct (I LOVE THAT PART!) --- the promo programming is basically a low-paying slot, with results determined by an RNG. There's an extra wrinkle at most casinos. Your players club tier level can make a difference in the odds, whether in more frequent pays (1 in 10 for Tier A, 1 in 20 for Tier B, 1 in 50 for Tier C, for example), or by size of reward, such as most frequent prize being $25 in free play at Tier A, $15 at Tier B, $5 at Tier C.
Such differential programming would be illegal on a slot machine. You can't give a player a better chance at winning just because he's a more frequent customer. But in player rewards, it's not only legal but expected that the best customers are going to get more comps and perks."
So, there you have it. That's how it works. Fascinating!
Thanks to John for his timely reply. Please check out any of his articles and publications, you won't be disappointed. And thanks for reading this, my royally informed gaming friends.
Thar's all for now.
Binbin
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