I was at Palms today and decided to give them the benefit of the doubt after
hearing that some people had received cash on their scratch cards. I played
triple play DB for close to 4 hours (losing $200 in the process), getting 1
straight flush and 26 quads. Here are the dismal results for scratch cards:
1 $25 off at Little Buddah (best card, but the slot club booth said I have to
use it by the 19th, which is a bummer since there is no expiration date on
the card
2 - free Megabucks pulls good on Tues. or Friday during Jan. only
1 - 3x points (up to 40,000)- can apparently be used on the day you win it -
I turned it in. (up til end of Jan. apparently)
5- 2x points can be used any day (up til end of Jan. apparently)
18 - "Good Luck on the Drawing" - worthless.
That's 18 out of 27 totally worthless, 6 for 2 or 3 x points, 3 of some
value.
I was told by slot club that every 2.5 cards is a prize winner. However,
since apparently many of that number are for 2x or 3x points, the actual
number of scratch cards of any real value is less, since Palms has many days
with 2x points per week and some 3x days too. (I am assuming they won't
multiply 2x by 2x if you have a coupon on a 2x day).
I was told by the change people while I played that about 3 people had won
$250 "near" me. However since at least 5 different change people paid me off
while I played, presumably they gave a lot of cards out during this time, so
3 big winners isn't really all that many.
Again, I feel that this is a good example of a promotion that actually is
harmful to a casino, rather than helping it. Since most of the scratch cards
are essentially worthless, people getting them will have a bad impression of
the Palms, rather than a good one.
As I pointed out to several Palms personnel, this is a far cry from other
scratch card promos in the city, for example Main Street Station, which on a
daily basis gives cards valued at least $2 for every 4 of a kind (not just
for payouts of 250 coins and so on).
Had I gotten 27 cards with $2, I still would have lost money for the day, but
I would have felt better than what I did get.
Note also that the $25 Little Buddah coupon, while it sounds good at first,
really doesn't mean much to me, since I'm accumulating all those points for
play (including 2x and 3x days/coupons) which I can use for food, and I also
get a couple of $40 food coupons per month at the Palms (I'm in the Big Shot
category). So more food isn't something I really need.
For small players who get the scratchers, they probably will get "Good Luck"
and feel bad, and not like the Palms. This won't bring them back in for more
scratch cards or more promotions.
For heavier gamblers, they may get a few scratchers worth something, but it
still seems insignificant compared to time played and money put through a
machine.
Palms major drawback is lack of cashback, and these paltry scratchers don't
compensate at all.
Yes, I now have 27 entries for the 3 drawings, but I can't make at least one
of the drawings, and with thousands of entries in the barrel from all the
"free scratch card" postcards and all the other scratchers given out, my odds
of winning are really next to nothing.
Will I be going to the 2 drawings I can make - maybe - but only if I am
planning to go to the Palms anyway for some reason (like to eat one of those
free dinners). I wouldn't make a trip just for the drawing.
Palms - give me reasons to like you, not to resent those "Good Luck"
worthless scratchers.
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