How Much Can A Casino Host Make

  1. How Are Casino Hosts Paid
  2. How Much Does A Casino Host Make In Las Vegas
  3. How Much Do Casino Host Make In Vegas
  4. How Much Do Executive Casino Host Make
  5. How Much Does A Vegas Casino Host Make

First off, make sure you're dealing with an actual CET employee, as there are 'independent' hosts who can't get as much done for you. Secondly, TR now tightly constrains what hosts can do for you at any given level of play, and unless you're very high Diamond or 7. you're not going to get a ton of freebees outside of what your points will get you.

Jimbo

Say you have a pretty high Theo, how do you know what is reasonable to ask for and receive in comps (in addition to the room)? For instance, should every meal be comped, how about money for the gift shop, other things?

That depends on the casino and depending on which casino it is, it may depend to a lesser or greater degree on the host.
As was also stated in another post, 'it never hurts to ask.'
Many casinos are tied to the amount that you've earned on your player's card and the hosts (or pit supervisors whom you can also talk to about a comp) will only give you a comp up to that amount on the player's card. This system removes any discretion that hosts used to have in comping their players. [The 'bean counters' in management don't like it when a hosts or pit supervisor overcomps a player. The hosts and pit supervisors don't like it that they are unable to handle things as they previously did.]
Other casinos still allow the hosts to make decisions based on your play and what you request regardless as to what may be currently on your card.
I was at the Wynn last year and discovered that they allow the hosts to make the decisions on the comps. However--since it is the Wynn--the amount of the comps may be quite small compared to a different casino based on the exact same level of play.
You are correct to recognize that the amount of your comps will be based, to a great extent, on your Theo. That is why it is a good idea to ask--while you are playing at the tables as well--about your ratings including average bet and Theo. You will likely discover that not all casinos rate in the same way and, indeed, even different pit personnel within the same casino will rate your play differently. This lack of consistency for determining your average bet within the same casino is a continuing problem for casinos and for the player.
CanIf you think you've not be fairly rated, then talk about it with the proper personnel--which would not necessarily be a host or anyone from the player service department, but rather a table games supervisor.
In addition and separate from your Theo is the fact that the casino and/or host can increase your comps based on your losses. In other words, you may have earned a certain level of comps based only on your Theo, but if you've had a large loss (or several large losses!), the casino/host will typically add a percentage of those losses (perhaps 20%) to the amount which they may comp you. This additional consideration based on your losses will not necessarily show up on what you've earned on your player's card.
If you do have a pretty high Theo, then you should try to get a host assigned to you or at least routinely call the same host for all of your needs. You should find that you may be treated a little better as the result of that one-on-one relationship with a particular host. Again, it will depend on the casino as to whether your play justifies the decision that you will be assigned a specific host.
This arrangement of having an individual host assigned to you is more likely accomplished if you do most of your play at the same casino. Guess what? That is what the casino wants. So in assigning a host to you, the casino will be better able to attract and retain all of your play.
Another thing to note is, obviously, not all comps are valued (by the casino and/or host) in the same way that you may value them. For example, the cabana by the pool at Caesar's for the day may have a larger comp value assigned to it than a suite for the weekend.
Also keep in mind the offers and coupons that you may have received. Even if your play justifies a specific host being assigned to you, that host may want to apply a coupon offer to your comp. Depending on the casino, the 'payment' of your comps could come out of two different budgets. For example, a particular casino may have a 'player development budget' and this is the budget that the hosts have available by which they can comp. In addition, the same casino may have a 'marketing budget' and it is from this budget that the coupons (for rooms, cash, meals, etc.) are paid for. Your host may prefer to handle your needs out of this 'marketing budget' and keep his/her 'player development budget' available for additional things.
Not only do different casinos handle the whole matter of comps in various ways, these ways often change from time to time. So what I say here may not apply to your own individual experience at your own casino.
Let me qualify the above remarks by saying that I have not worked in a casino, nor have I worked for player development. I've started this thread in response to the question in hopes that other people may be able to shed more light on this subject.
Mosca
My experience has been: If you feel like you've risked enough, as a function of size over time, and you are realistic, and you ask nicely, you'll get a meal comp. You won't get a pair of Ruth's Chris vouchers for $10 bets at 3 Card over four hours, but you'll probably get a couple buffets. That's probably about the same as $25 bets at blackjack. If I'd been playing all day and was with another couple who'd been playing, I would ask for four buffets or mid level dining comps. I've never been told no.
I've never tried gift shop comps, I never thought to. I think meals are always easier, because they seem more like hospitality than gift shop items.
teddys
It's very easy to get a buffet comp. I've always been approved for a buffet comp at Horseshoe Cleveland; not so much for a comp to the food court.
'Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe.' -Rig Veda 10.34.4
RaleighCraps
Great write up Jimbo.
This is an often rehashed topic, but you have added some fresh topics with the discussion of the different budgets available to the host. It does pay to learn as much as you can about your casino's comp guidelines. Once you know what they look for, you can be sure to maximize the potential comps you receive.
One word of caution. Don't get so focused on comps, that you lose sight of how much you are spending to get those comps.
It is pretty easy to get used to the nice treatment, the quick check-in lines, the free rooms and spa treatments, etc. But it is also easy to start playing with higher amounts than you should be, which seems okay when you are breaking close to even. But getting slaughtered is always a possibility, and then those free comps become VERY VERY EXPENSIVE.
Always borrow money from a pessimist; They don't expect to get paid back ! Be yourself and speak your thoughts. Those who matter won't mind, and those that mind, don't matter!
tongni
A significant part of a VP advantage player's return will come in the form of bounce back cash/mailers/invites to promotions. These marketing tools are almost always based off of theoretical loss/average daily theoretical loss (some are based off of total loss, LOC). Therefore, managing your ADT is very critical, as well as knowing what to play. Every machine has its own setting for theo loss, some machines will even have every specific game set to a different theo loss (as a percentage of coin in). There are a lot of ways to figure out the theo for any given machine, and vary by property. Also, knowing exactly what theo loss generates what mailer is a big advantage, as some casinos might treat a 1001 theo loss very similar to a 1999 theo loss, although the second one is quite a bit more valuable. There's also a diminishing return on theo loss as well, which varies by property (bigger properties scale much higher) For example, I played 600k coin in on a 99% game at a small casino, in one day, and lost quite a sizeable amount. I got $300 FP for the next month, split into 4 increments. That same level of play at bigger casino can get you as much as a mailer for 3K in free play.
Casinos will often comp somewhere between 15-35% of your theo loss in comps, so playing the machine with the best ratio of house-calculated theo loss to actual theo loss can yield a big advantage. At most casinos, I would guess there is something that if played with correct strategy, on the right days, will yield significantly over 100%. The best things I have seen have yielded somewhere between 105-110%, after mail, for a large amount of money.
Finding the best machine at a casino that can give huge mail is not an easy task, however, and when you do find it your account may have enough visits that it's not really feasible to play it to a huge theo loss. Oddly enough, many of the people I've seen who are very methodical in managing their play and picking the best machines still seem to blast their money away on dumb things at the casino.
FleaStiff
Comps, hard comps, soft comps, etc. etc.... after awhile it becomes too much fixation on forty percent of Theoretical Value.
Sure there are sweeteners for major wins or major losses and some sweeteners for 'player investment' purposes if they think you have long term potential. Places like Tuscany have very good deals in their gift shop, other places usually have crap in their gift shop and just how many sun-caps with a casino logo would you want anyway?
Best thing to do is decide what you really and truly value and go only for straight comps that don't involve items of little real interest to you. I've heard people ask for free travel miles on their airline cards... as if some host could tap into the airline's computer and get those miles for them!
There is one thing that I learned: one computer system bills 'handicapped' or ' assisted-device ' rooms not to the player's comp account but to some ADA Compliance Account.... so its now easier to get a comped room if you ask for one that is wheel chair accessible or has a seated shower or something like that.
carolinajacket
Thanks for some great answers. I have found how each individual casino does it differently. A CET casino host told me 'don't pay for anything' (but as suggested by my original question, I don't want to over-do-it), while the host at A CET casino told me, essentially, 'we don't have any comps for you'. Amazing how different they were.
carolinajacket
PS, we are walking out the door right now heading to the airport and then Tunica. We shall see what awaits us.
1arrowheaddr
How much do casino host make
Do you think one hour $25 ante Mississippi Stud is worth a buffet comp?
Mosca

Do you think one hour $25 ante Mississippi Stud is worth a buffet comp?


No, but 3 hours might be. Remember that you are asking for something over and above what is getting put on your account for that play.
NO KILL I

Let’s start by calculating the costs of running an Internet casino each month. The biggest expense most online casinos have is software related. Almost all gambling sites lease their softwarefrom one of the big 3 casino software providers:

  1. Playtech
  2. Microgaming
  3. Net Entertainment

I’ve seen estimates that claim these 3 companies power 60% of all online casinos.

All of them have one thing in common:

They’re expensive.

All of these providers charge $11,000 or $12,000 a month to lease their software. They also get a 15% cut of the casinos’ winnings. That’s a pretty big expense right out of the gate.

But that’s not the only expense. Almost all online casinos run an affiliate program in order to drive business to their site.

Here’s how that works:

A webmaster runs a gambling information portal or site. He signs up for a casino affiliate program. He advertises the casino in exchange for a commission on each player.

This commission usually takes 1 of 2 forms:

  1. A CPA (cost per acquisition)
  2. Revshare (revenue sharing)

A CPA is a flat amount that the casino pays the affiliate for each player who signs up and makes a deposit at the casino. This amount can range from $25 to $500, depending on how much volume asite is able to send a casino.

With a CPA arrangement, the casino risks paying more for the player than the player loses to the casino. But it’s okay, because over a large number of players, a casino has an idea of what theaverage player is going to lose. That amount is always more than the CPA.

I’ve heard from reliable sources that the average online casino gambler is worth at least $1000. That takes into account the low rollers who only deposit and lose $25, but it also takes intoaccount the high rollers who deposit and lose $10,000 a month for months at a time.

The other arrangement is called revshare, or revenue sharing. In this arrangement, the casino pays the affiliate a percentage of the players’ losses for the lifetime of the player. This amountvaries, but it hovers around 25%. Big affiliates can demand higher revshare percentages.

So if an affiliate refers a player who deposits and loses $10,000 a month, he gets $2500 in commission each month.

But affiliates on revshare also have to take into account the amount of money their referred players win. If that $10,000 a month high roller gets on a hot streak, he can wipe out the earningsfrom the other dozen or 100 players the affiliate has referred.

How Are Casino Hosts Paid

So far we have a flat fee of $12,000 a month going out the door. We’re also seeing 25% of the casino’s wins being paid out in commissions, and we have 15% royalties going to the softwareprovider.

How Much Does A Casino Host Make In Las Vegas

Casinos also have to pay for customer service and hosting. Let’s assume you can operate a world class customer service department using offshore labor and spending only $5000 a month.

How Much Do Casino Host Make In Vegas

Let’s also assume that a casino is using its own secure server. I don’t have a lot of experience with Web hosting for sites with this kind of traffic or that sites that use so much bandwidth byhosting games, but I’m going to assume it’s expensive, but not too expensive. I’m going to call it $2500 a month. And if I’m way off on that estimate, let me know in the comments section.

How Much Do Executive Casino Host Make

So now we have almost $20,000 a month in fixed expenses, and we have 40% of player revenue accounted for on top of that. So just to break even, an online casino needs to earn enough money so that60% of its earnings equate to $20,000 a month.

How Much Does A Vegas Casino Host Make

So we’re looking at a minimum casino win of at least $33,000 a month just to break even.