Would like to start a thread with the ultimate result that someone would
write about this subject in one of the widely-read publications with the
hopes that some casino will change this system before I switch over to CA
gambling. As an out-of-towner, I've always hated the daily/trip average game
but I play it to maximize the benefits. As I've gotten more experience, I've
learned to play this game at just a few casinos in each locale that I care to
stay at & average-be-damned at the other places.
From a casino standpoint, the advantages are:
--Lower comp costs & cheap marketing. Few customers ever get close to using
all their comps & the casinos can claim generous comps. The customers that
demand the limit are eventually "selected" out. The generous offers are
usually during slow traffic times which doesn't cost them much. Result:
casinos can claim a high comp % which they never come close to.
--Placing that average in front of a player presents a goal that has to be
satisfied in a relatively limited amount of time. You can shorten the time by
moving up in denomination but that introduces wider swings (what's the
correct word: volatility or variance or?). Most of us have to play at the
lower denominations in order to avoid having our limited bankroll wiped out.
This takes more time but introduces other factors that may offset the lower
swings and lead to more mistakes--alcohol, tiredness, boredom, obnoxious
neighbors, barely-costumed cocktail waitresses.
--Reaching that daily/trip average is the ball-and-chain that keeps most
players at one casino where he/she will spend more money or spend more time
trying to get everything comped. Net effect: greater amount held or more
revenue from other activities.
Some of the disadvantages that the casinos haven't considered or don't have a
handle on (UNLV thesis?):
--Frequent visitors have learned this game & have learned to avoid spending
any time in a trip-average casino unless it's connected to a stay or an
event. (Excellent reference: "Getting Tripped" article by Royal Cat in Feb
2001 Strictly Slots. Unfortunately, it's not publicly available online. Can
anyone post how to get it?)
--Frequent visitors have also learned to be more clock-conscious & not gamble
before or after certain hours or they will be "tripped".
--As the single slot card spreads to all casinos in a family, this means no
casual play in any of the casinos in the family lest you ruin your daily/trip
average. The hosts have told me that they can always review these periods of
little play & ignore them for comp considerations but they have no answer
when I ask if the computer will ignore them when Marketing runs a play
analysis for future events.
--The trip average system was designed to build loyalty to a casino or family
of casinos. Maybe it does boost the numbers initially. In the long run, as
players find out that there are casinos that let you bank your points so that
they will be available at the start of the next trip. It's not a hard choice
to select between casino A which has you start fresh earning comps every trip
& casino B which banked comps earned on prior trips.
--Nowadays, education of players is taking place at a much faster pace.
Assuming that repeat customers are what the casinos want, as players learn
the pros & cons of each system, those that burn out players' bankrolls for
the sake of quarterly numbers will have the lowest repeat customers.
Locals are playing a similar game, in that most are interested in trying to
get as much cash bounceback for as little play as possible. This works as
long as the casino doesn't change/discontinue the future bounceback.
In any case, I just wanted to get the ball rolling on what I consider a poor
system for the player. However it needs to be seen from the casinos'
viewpoint if any improvement is to ever take place.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Seriously, the book is in