MGM properties are confiscating your poker comps earned more than a year ago

[Dan Druff]

If you earn "poker comps" at MGM properties (any property with an MLife card), you might be losing some of them.

They have quietly made a decision to "expire" all poker comps earned more than a year before the current date. This occurs every day now.

Previously, poker comps did NOT expire. This is a new policy, which started sometime in July.

This does not affect comps earned in places other than poker, which have their own separate expiration system.

Poker comps will now disappear if they were earned a year before the current date and not used. If you use comps, it draws from the "oldest" (existing) comps first. I'll give some examples:

Example #1

March 8. 2015: You earned $30 in poker comps (starting from zero)

No other activity.

Under the OLD system, you would still have that $30.

Under the CURRENT system, that $30 would be gone, as you earned it more than a year ago.


Example #2

July 13, 2013: You earned $20 in poker comps (you had zero before this)
October 1, 2014: You earned $10 in poker comps
March 8. 2015: You earned $30 in poker comps
August 9, 2015: You USED $34 in poker comps, did not earn any
October 22, 2015: You earned $20 in poker comps

Under the OLD system, you would have earned $80 in comps and spent $34, leaving you with $46.

Under the CURRENT system, you will also lose the remainder of the March 8, 2015 comps which you didn't use, because today is August 11, 2016 (more than a year later). Since you only spent $34 of the $60 worth of comps you earned more than a year ago, you lose the other $26! So now you will only have the $20 you earned on October 22, 2015, and you will lose those on October 22, 2016 if you don't spend them by then.


Example #3

September 8, 2015: You earned $15 in poker comps.

No other activity.

You still have the $15 under the current system, but will lose that $15 if you don't spend it by September 8, 2016.



Example #4

July 13, 2013: You earned $40 in poker comps (you had zero before this)
August 1, 2013: You earned $15 in poker comps
January 9, 2014: You earned $30 in poker comps
April 7, 2014: You earned $25 in poker comps
October 1, 2014: You earned $20 in poker comps
December 4, 2014: You earned $25 in poker comps
March 8. 2015: You earned $30 in poker comps
April 11, 2015: You earned $35 in poker comps
December 9, 2015: You earned $5 in poker comps
February 10, 2016: You earned $10 in poker comps
June 3, 2016: You earned $20 in poker comps

You have never spent any.

Because you have been fairly active, playing every few months, it might (erroneously) seem things should be fine. Under the old system, you would have all $245 you earned above.

HOWEVER, under the new system, ALL comps earned more than a year ago -- everything but the last $35 -- would be gone. So your comp balance would only be $35.

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This differs from normal casino comp systems, where ANY activity within the specified time period keeps ALL comps from expiring!

Therefore, you should find out when you earned all comps (go to the poker room manager for this), and then make SURE to spend every dollar you have for any comps expiring soon.

So let's say I find I have $150 in comps left, but I've only earned $15 of those since October 1, 2015. If this is my last trip to Vegas before October 1, I am DEFINITELY spending that $135 which will otherwise expire after October 1.

Again, when spending MGM poker comps, it will draw from the oldest ones first automatically.

Still, this is a really crappy system, and it's very difficult for all but regulars to avoid losing comps. Even worse, nobody was warned about this.

[Dan Druff]

Also, there are unconfirmed reports that poker room managers can, on a one-time basis, return your expired poker comps if this new policy took you by surprise.

But not verified yet. Worth a shot, though.

Edit: Someone else reported that the Bellagio manager said he could not retrieve them. He didn't refuse, but just said there wasn't a way to do it. He did a $20 food voucher to make up for a little of it to that person (who claimed to have lost $150).

[TheXFactor]

Vegas is trying to cheat you out of even more money
http://nypost.com/2016/08/11/vegas-i...en-more-money/

Strip casinos cutting costs by limiting comped drinks
http://www.ktnv.com/news/strip-casin...-comped-drinks

Casino giants are finding new ways to cut costs and save money. The new tactics affect you, the consumer.

13 Action News first told you about MGM International Properties decreasing their shot pours. Now, we're learning about some new ways the casinos are trying to limit those comped drinks everyone looks forward to while sitting at the slot and poker machines.

Sitting at a slot machine or video poker machine, putting in a $10 bill or a $20 bill, slowly hitting the button, and waiting for the cocktail waitress to come around to take your order for your free drink - may soon be a ritual of the past.

"It's kind of what Vegas is known for," said the founder of vitalvegas.com, Scott Roeben. "They've gotten all the low-hanging fruit; now I think they are looking at the things that can have a huge financial impact," he said.

Roeben says the point is for the casino giants to save money.

"Casinos are being very aggressive about it," said Roeben. "The casinos are taking the discretion out of the hands of the bartenders to give comped drinks."

One way is with a red light, green light system. Pictures taken by Roeben at the Caesars sports book show three lights attached to the video poker machines. One light is red, one light is green, one light is blue. Once money is put in the machine, the light turns blue. Once you spend enough, or lose enough, a green light comes on, signaling to the bartender, you are ready for a comped drink. The red light flashes back on until you put more money in.

"You gotta pace yourself, and you've got be willing to invest a little to get that free drink," said Roeben.

Roeben says a slot voucher system is in place at the Mirage Lobby Bar. By that, he means, video poker machines print out vouchers that say 'You've earned a free drink' after you've spent enough.

"The machine decides if you're worthy of your comped drink!" said Roeben.

Roeben said this is going on at the Cosmopolitan too. He adds it's only a matter of time before an automated comped drink monitoring system is in place at every bar on the strip.

We reached out to the casinos for comment. The Cosmopolitan said they have various systems in place but wouldn't say more than that.

Caesars never got us a statement before show time.

MGM International Properties provided us with the statement below.

"We are pilot-testing a new slot machine feature at the Lobby Bar, which provides vouchers for drinks based on the time and length of slot play. The new technology has eliminated the guessing game for bartenders about how many drinks each guest is eligible to receive based on play. Further, it has made the number of comped drinks that players receive consistent for all slot players at the bar.”