STATIONS $5 for 500 points apparently is for 500 points played in any casino,
but you can't play in 3 different Stations with 500 in each and get $15. You
also can cash the $5 on the next day after play at any casino, not
necessarily the one you got it in. I was told the $ will go away if you don't
cash it, but I can't confirm that.
Anyone can take advantage of this - you don't need to be a local.
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PALMS
is having Scratch Card Giveaway from Jan. 4-19. Anyone can get the scratch
cards, but locals also got a postcard for 2 extra scratch cards. Cards
apparently include cash, free play, and "other" which I suppose probably will
be food prizes or maybe free movie tickets. No way yet to know what the
average value might be, but I have a bad feeling this might be less valuable
than Main Street Station Scratch Cards. If Palms wants to bring in players
who go to places with similar promotions, it might do better to offer cash
only and state $2-1000 or whatever.
All Megabucks machines are excluded from the promotion.
Unlike Main Street Station and other places, these scratch cards are NOT for
quads. Instead you get the following
1 & 2 cent machines - 1000 coin payoff = 1 card
5&10 cent machines - 400 coins = 1 card
25 cent - 250 coins = 1 card
50 cent - 300 coins = 2 cards
$1 & $2 - 300 coins = 2 cards
$5 and higher - 300 coins = 3 cards.
It says awards are based on non-incremental minimum amount of coin awarded on
a single win in slot, VP, video keno. I assume this means if you play triple
play machines you can't accumulate a total of say 300 coins but it has to be
a payoff on a single line only. Scratch cards will not be awarded based on
increments of hte coin awarded (so if you get 600 coins you dont get 2
cards). It is unclear from information sheet what happens if you play DB and
get 2 of 3 lines on a triple play and get 250 coins on each line.
Also you get an entry for a drawing with each scratch off. Drawings are held
7pm on Fri. Jan. 10, Tues. Jan. 14, Sun. Jan 19 with 10 winners drawn each
time (you can only win once). It is unclear whether drum is emptied between
drawings (probably not). Must be present to win (2 minutes).
Looks like this is less impressive than scratch promotions at other
locations. I have a bad feeling a lot of prizes will be food prizes like 2
for 1 buffets, free coke with sub, or suchlike.
Palms is sending us locals a lot of promotions like free money postcards
(usually you get $3), email for extra free play, free play, 2x point days,
now scratch cards. These may get a lot of people to stop into the Palms, but
I don't know how much it gets people to actually sit and play for hours and
hours. I think generous free play or cashback is the best way to get me to
sit in a casino, or a big bonus for a royal (that keeps you sitting there and
sitting there, hoping to win).
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COAST Jackets/Promotions
Looks like all the Coast casinos are giving free jackets this month. You
need to get a top jackpot like a Royal or top "reel" jackpot or 7 of 7 keno
numbers or somesuch to get one.
Sign in Gold Coast now says as of January promotional mailings are based on 1
month play only. Apparently this may be true at all the Coasts (except
presumably Barbary Coast which never had monthly mailings). It would have
been nice if they had given us notice of this 2-3 months ago so we could have
played then! I think I had over $30,000 put through in Oct. or Nov., but I
didn't play much in Dec., so now I'm going to be getting a poor mailing or
two. It is going to be harder to keep track of your play, and by spreading
it out, I'm thinking that most people will probably end up playing less at
Coasts, rather than more. This is really bad for higher demonination
players. For example if I play $5 reel slots I might pump through $30,000 on
one day - as a $5 player I'd probably be better off now to put through only
$10,000 and then head to another casino for the other $20,000 of play so I
could get on their mailing list (such as a generous place like Ballys/Paris).
Even $1 players might be better off to limit play. So I really can't see
how this policy helps Coasts. Maybe some people will now get lower offers,
but this will only serve to have them switch to other casinos, rather than
really save Coasts money.
Since the Coast policy change comes at the same time that Stations has a
generous 500 points = $5 promo, it can only hurt Coast. Also unless Coast
restores some of their machine paytables, $1 and up VP players will migrate
to Palms, Stations, etc.
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