FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2003
Harrah's southern nevada Puts the Customer in Control with Total
Rewards II. Loyalty Program's Next Generation Sets a New Standard in
Recognition With Expanded Reward Options and Bankability to Obtain
One-of-a-Kind Perks
LAS VEGAS, NEV. - Harrah's Southern Nevada, including Harrah's Las
Vegas Casino & Hotel, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and Harrah's
Laughlin Casino & Hotel, launched the second generation of its highly acclaimed Total Rewards customer
loyalty program today, unveiling the most ambitious and diverse menu of awards offered by any mass-market
customer-loyalty initiative. Total Rewards II is designed to provide
players with an unmatched gaming experience that will increase
loyalty among existing customers and incent those who typically
gamble at other casinos to try Harrah's and Rio. Harrah's
Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET) set the industry standard for player
loyalty programs when it launched Total Rewards in 2000. The company
rolled out benefits no other casino could match, recognizing members
with cash, comps and tiered status on a national level. Players
responded, signing up by the millions. Harrah's is keeping everything that made Total Rewards the casino
industry's most popular loyalty
program while adding a wide-ranging suite of rewards that includes
unique vacations, once-in-a-lifetime entertainment experiences and
valuable merchandise, in addition to the complimentary options
players can earn today.
Total Rewards II allows players to use their comps immediately or
bank credits toward premier rewards. In an industry first, Total
Rewards II lets players combine credits earned for both slot and
table game play every time they visit 25 Harrah's casinos nationwide. Players can obtain their updated Reward
Credit Account by inserting
their Total Rewards card in any slot machine or by logging on to
<http://www.harrahs.com/> www.harrahs.com. Reward Credits never
expire as long as customers play at any Harrah's, Showboat, Rio or
Harveys once every six months. Players can redeem credits whenever
and wherever they would like, and the choice of rewards won't stop at the casino door. Harrah's has conducted
extensive research to
identify players' preferred activities beyond gaming and has
developed alliances with brands that offer products and services that match those interests. Royal Caribbean
Cruise Lines, Coca-Cola and
Macy's are among Harrah's key partners in Total Rewards II.
"No one in the casino business has attempted anything on this scale
before," said Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and chief executive
officer. "Total Rewards II breaks entirely new ground by offering our customers everything they loved about Total
Rewards plus far more
flexibility in how they redeem their credits and far more reward
items from which to choose. Players can still get the free room,
buffet, steakhouse dinner and other traditional casino perks. But our customers can also save credits for
premium rewards such a trip on a
private jet or a cruise package." No matter where a customer
typically plays, Reward Credits can be redeemed at any of 25 Harrah's-operated casinos. Total Rewards II will
offer true portability -
Reward Credits earned in one market can be used anywhere Harrah's
operates. Clearly marked reward menus will tell players at each
property how many credits are required to obtain individual rewards.
If a player has banked enough Reward Credits, the reward will be
issued, no questions asked. Harrah's is leveraging its unmatched
distribution of casino properties and ever-growing stable of
strategic alliance partners to offer members the most ambitious and
diverse catalog of awards offered by any mass-market customer-loyalty initiative. Total Rewards II members
can travel via private jet to
the destination of their choice, ride aboard a float in a Mardi Gras
parade in New Orleans, enjoy an Australian gaming excursion, or have
a horse race named after them. In all, players can select from more
than 50 vacation packages, including one that takes customers to
three Harrah's locations - Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and New Orleans - in six days. Total Rewards II even brings
the excitement of NASCAR to
Harrah's players. Customers can serve as honorary members of Harrah's pit crew during a NASCAR Winston
Cup race, and one player can even
take home the No. 14 Harrah's Dodge Intrepid driven by Larry Foyt.
Examples of merchandise offered through Total Rewards II include Sony big-screen television sets, Cartier
watches, Coach bags, and Big
Bertha Callaway golf clubs. Customers can also redeem credits for
everything from food processors to ping pong tables to jet skis.
"Total Rewards II is proof that the best can get even better," said
David Norton, Harrah's senior vice president of relationship
marketing. "We've kept everything that made Total Rewards the most
popular player loyalty program in the nation and added the things our customers said they wanted most. Total
Rewards II is the best reason
yet to consolidate your play at Harrah's."
Harrah's will formally introduce the new program to its customers on July 1 with the Total Rewards 100 Million-
Reward-Credit-Giveaway. Individual players at 24 Harrah's-operated casinos will have a chance to win some of
the program's new rewards or take their Reward Credit-equivalent to use toward other perks. Two hundred and
forty lucky winners will have a chance to win $250,000 on Sept. 7 as part of the Total Rewards 100 Million-
Reward-Credit-Giveaway. Total Rewards II will continue to recognize players with the cash, comps, coupons
and tiered status - Gold, Platinum and Diamond - that were an integral part of the program's previous
incarnation. The tiered status of current Total Rewards members will automatically transfer to the new program.
Total Rewards members earning less than 3,000 base Reward Credits annually are guaranteed Gold status;
those earning between 3,000 and 9,999 base Reward Credits annually automatically earn Platinum status. All
members earning 10,000 or more base Reward Credits annually instantly obtain Diamond Status. "We have
developed a program that offers our customers not only the widest variety of reward options but also the
greatest flexibility in how to achieve them," said Randy Fine, Harrah's vice president of Total Rewards. "This is
just one more example of Harrah's creating a gaming experience no other company can match." Founded 65
years ago, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. operates 26 casinos in the United States, primarily under the Harrah's
brand name. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its target customers through a
unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and
technology leadership.