Perks and Comps Befitting a Celebrity
High-rolling gamblers don't need to worry about detailed itineraries when all they're really interested in are the slots and tables. From day trips to long weekends, casinos don't mind taking a hit elsewhere to ensure their biggest whales have nothing to distract them from gambling.
All high rollers need to worry about is their gambling budget. Hotel rooms, food, and all the other bare necessities are of no concern. The gaming experience itself reaches whole new heights, too.
These comps are why so many regular gambles aspire to high roller status. If there were a way to remove the need for sleep in human beings, casinos would be the first to use that technology for their most prominent players. Anything that could require a player to leave their seat when they'd rather continue playing is taken care of.
Traditional players will need to fend for themselves for the most part. However, everyone needs to start somewhere, and the more they play, the sooner the comps begin to build up. Many casinos provide complimentary refreshments for players. After all, they still prefer to have people on the reels and tables than doing something else.
As the bets and wins increase, so do the rewards. Of course, fantastic treatment isn't reserved solely for the highest of high rollers, but players can expect the level of freebies to increase in line with their bet sizes and time spent on the games.
Casino Credit Lines
In some cases, high rollers reach a status where they don't even have to remember to bring cash for their gambling exploits! Casinos know they're good for a line of credit. In effect, higher rollers reach a level where they can play now and pay later.
We're not talking about insignificant cash amounts either. Giant whales playing at the wealthiest casinos can receive credit lines extending into tens of millions.
Terms and conditions vary depending on the casino and the individual. Some players are expected to settle their tab when they leave, while others get casinos to invoice them like a business transaction. Casinos very rarely charge interest, and the fact that playing with house money takes some of the pressure off big spenders is enough of a commission.
Casinos themselves are happy to take on some of the risks of lending money in pursuit of making gambling as seamless and convenient as possible. Much as with comps, time spent calling banks and accountants or the act of transferring money is time that could be better spent on the games. Casinos are more interested in getting high rollers playing first and foremost, then asking questions later.
The contrast for more traditional casino gamblers is clear. It doesn't matter if you're up to date on your mortgage payments and have a spotless credit history. Unless you can entice casinos to offer such a service with a massive bank account and guaranteed repayment, it's pay as you play or don't play at all!
Different Rules for Bigger Bankrolls
When comparing casino games to other games and sports, the rules are rarely too taxing. Someone can have a decent grasp of how to play blackjack and roulette in a matter of minutes. It's all about accessibility, as people are unlikely to play something they don't understand.
Blackjack itself dates back to the 1760s, and the rules haven't changed much, but that doesn't mean there isn't room to experiment. Some whales are of the opinion that as they're betting bigger, they shouldn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. If that's the difference between playing or heading elsewhere, most casinos are happy to compromise.
With a typical house edge of around 2%, blackjack is already one of the most player-friendly games in the casino. There are components to the game that means it is never quite a direct competition between player and dealer.
However, high rollers want something even sweeter. Rather than cater to the individual demands of different players, casinos often tweak the rules at their high limit tables. In Vegas, there are VIP tables with edges as low as 0.05%.
This compromise works out well for everyone involved. High rollers still lose over time based on statistics, but not so much that they're tempted to leave and try their luck elsewhere. Casinos don't make as much from each hand, but the relative size of each bet ensures they manage to come out ahead.
The same applies to other high-limit table games and even to the slots. Most significant casinos have high roller VIP rooms containing both tables and slot games, and they're all tweaked to treat players better in terms of pure numbers.
For lower rollers, there's nothing much to worry about. Everybody has heard the adage that the house always wins, and games are designed to favor the casino no matter what someone plays and how big their bets are. Of course, regular players have more of a house edge to contend with, but not all that much changes in pure dollar amounts.
Bigger Bonuses and Rewards
Better treatment for high rollers extends not only to land-based casinos but also their online counterparts. Many of the differences outlined above have been incorporated into online gambling. For example, such players do not need a free buffet, but VIP live tables often follow the same patterns with tweaked rules.
One of the most prominent ways in which both online and offline casinos can differ in their treatment of players at different levels is through reward programs and bonuses.
Most online casinos offer a welcome bonus, often based on a percentage of the initial deposit amount. Whether it's 100%, 200%, or more, the more a player puts in, the more they're likely to receive in return. Most bonuses also come with turnover requirements. A high roller might have the bankroll to see them through to the end of those requirements. Conversely, a regular player might not have the funds or patience to see playthrough requirements to the end.
Casinos of all kinds also love to reward regular play, and the more that play is worth, the more incentives they'll provide to keep players coming back. On land, it extends beyond the comps outlined above. For example, many casinos offer loyalty cards that players can insert into machines or tables to track their play and automatically reward them accordingly. Online, it's even more accessible, as casino software tracks what players do and how much they spend automatically. Casino managers are then free to hand out rewards accordingly.
Whether based on points, tier systems, or anything else, it goes without saying that bigger, more frequent bets are most likely to result in the best possible returns.
Freedom from Limits
Many casinos, especially those that operate online, have limits in place to protect themselves and their players. This might involve withdrawal limits, caps on winning amounts, and more.
While these limits make little difference to regular players that might drop $50 onto the slots once a week, they don't work for high rollers that could conceivably hit the standard weekly deposit limit with their first transfer.
Rather than risk such players heading to a competing casino with more practical limits, a degree of flexibility comes into play.
As with anything else impacting high rollers, while rules are rules, they're made to be broken when there's money to be made, and casinos are often happy to accommodate even outlandish needs when there's potential for massive returns.