Your mailbox is probably full of them: glossy casino mailers promising free play, bonus cash, and exclusive offers. But which promotions actually benefit you, and which ones are cleverly disguised invitations to lose money? This guide helps you sort the valuable offers from the marketing noise.
Types of Casino Promotions
Free Play Offers
Free play (also called free slot play or slot dollars) is credit loaded onto your player's card to use on slot machines.
How it works:
- Insert your card, and the credits appear
- Play through the amount on eligible machines
- Keep any winnings (usually)
- Original free play disappears after use
What to watch:
- Expiration dates (use it or lose it)
- Machine restrictions (may exclude progressives)
- Playthrough requirements (rare but check)
- Time windows (may only be valid certain hours)
True value: Free play is essentially guaranteed playing time. At a 10% house edge, $100 free play is worth about $90 in expected cash value—but you might win more or less.
Match Play Coupons
Match play doubles your bet at table games—if you win.
How it works:
- Place a regular bet plus the match play coupon
- If you win, you get paid on both (but coupon is taken)
- If you lose, both are gone
Example:
- $25 match play coupon + $25 cash bet
- Win: Receive $50 (keeps your $25 cash, wins $25 more, match play wins $25)
- Lose: Lose your $25 cash, coupon is gone
True value: A $25 match play coupon is worth about $12-13 in expected value on even-money bets. Not as good as $25 cash, but still valuable.
Food and Beverage Credits
Comps loaded onto your card for restaurant use.
Types:
- Comp dollars (use anywhere, like cash)
- Specific restaurant credits
- Buffet passes
What to watch:
- Expiration dates
- Restaurant restrictions
- Minimum purchase requirements
- Tipping (always tip on full value, not discounted amount)
Hotel Offers
Room discounts or complimentary stays.
Types:
- Percentage discounts (30%, 50% off)
- Fixed rate offers ($49/night specials)
- Complimentary room nights
- Suite upgrades
What to watch:
- Resort fees (often added even to "free" rooms)
- Blackout dates
- Booking deadlines
- Cancellation policies
Point Multipliers
Earn bonus points during promotional periods.
Types:
- 2x, 3x, 5x point multipliers
- Tier credit multipliers
- Game-specific multipliers
Strategy: Time your bigger gambling sessions during multiplier periods. A 5x multiplier effectively makes your play five times more valuable for comp purposes.
New Member Bonuses
Special offers for signing up for loyalty programs.
Common offers:
- Bonus points after first visit
- Free play upon enrollment
- Tier matching (match your status from another casino)
- Welcome gifts
Tip: Even if you're visiting once, sign up. These bonuses are free money for minimal effort.
Birthday and Anniversary Offers
Special promotions around personal dates.
Common offers:
- Free play
- Dining credits
- Point multipliers during birthday month
- Special gifts
Tip: Make sure your correct birthday is on file. Some casinos require you to visit on or near your actual birthday.
Casino Mailers Decoded
Why You Get Mailers
Casinos send targeted offers based on your play history:
- How much you gamble
- How often you visit
- What games you play
- How recently you visited
More valuable players receive better offers. But casinos also send "reactivation" offers to lapsed players.
Reading the Fine Print
Every mailer has conditions. Before celebrating that $500 free play offer, check:
Expiration dates
- When does the offer expire?
- Is it a single day or multi-day window?
Visit requirements
- Must you visit on specific dates?
- How many visits required?
Activation requirements
- Do you need to earn points to unlock free play?
- Is there a minimum buy-in requirement?
Transferability
- Can you use it at other properties in the network?
- Is it specific to one location?
The "Earn and Get" Trap
Many promotions require you to gamble to earn the reward:
"Earn 100 points, get $20 free play"
Sounds great until you calculate: earning 100 points might require $500-1,000 in wagers. At a 5% house edge, that's $25-50 in expected losses for $20 in free play.
Always calculate whether the required play exceeds the reward value.
Reinvestment Offers
Some mailers show your "reinvestment rate"—the percentage of your theoretical loss the casino returns in offers.
A typical reinvestment might be 20-40%:
- You lose $1,000 (theoretical)
- Casino sends $200-400 in offers
Better players see higher reinvestment rates, sometimes 50%+.
Evaluating Promotion Value
Calculate Expected Value
For any promotion, estimate:
- What you receive (free play, food credit, etc.)
- What you must do to get it (gambling requirement, time requirement)
- Net expected value (reward minus expected cost)
Example:
- Offer: $100 free play
- Requirement: Earn 500 points
- Point earning rate: 1 point per $10 wagered
- Required wagering: $5,000
- House edge: 2%
- Expected loss: $100
- Net value: $100 - $100 = $0
This "free" $100 costs you $100 in expected losses. Not a good deal.
When Promotions Are Worth It
Promotions have positive value when:
- You were planning to gamble anyway
- The reward exceeds expected cost
- There's no additional play requirement
- You can stack with other offers
When to Skip
Avoid promotions that:
- Require more play than you intended
- Have unrealistic time windows
- Push you beyond your budget
- Come with hidden requirements
Promotional Events
Slot Tournaments
Compete against other players for prizes.
Entry types:
- Free entry (invited players)
- Paid entry ($25-500+)
- Earned entry (qualify through play)
Format:
- Timed sessions on tournament machines
- Highest score wins
- Often multiple rounds
Strategy:
- Free entry tournaments are pure value
- Paid tournaments require evaluating prize pool vs. entry fee
Drawing Promotions
Earn entries for prize drawings.
Common prizes:
- Cash
- Free play
- Cars
- Vacations
- Electronics
How to maximize:
- Understand entry earning rates
- Show up for actual drawings (many require presence)
- Calculate odds (1,000 entries for a $500 prize = $0.50 per entry expected value)
Holiday and Seasonal Events
Special promotions around holidays:
- Super Bowl weekend
- March Madness
- Fourth of July
- Halloween
- New Year's Eve
These often include:
- Point multipliers
- Prize drawings
- Special tournaments
- Themed giveaways
Stacking Promotions
Maximize value by combining offers:
Legitimate Stacking
- Use free play during point multiplier periods
- Combine room offers with food credits
- Time visits during promotional events
- Use match play while earning drawing entries
What Casinos Allow
Most casinos permit combining:
- Mailer offers with standard promotions
- Multiple types of offers (room + food + free play)
- Point multipliers with regular earning
What's Usually Restricted
- Multiple mailers for same promotion
- Transferring offers between accounts
- Using expired offers
Digital Promotions
Casino Apps
Most major casinos have apps offering:
- Mobile-exclusive promotions
- Bonus point opportunities
- Digital mailer access
- Real-time promotional updates
Email Offers
Email subscribers often receive:
- Early notification of promotions
- Exclusive digital-only offers
- Flash promotions
Social Media
Following casinos on social media can provide:
- Contest opportunities
- Promotional announcements
- Secret promotional codes
The Bottom Line
Casino promotions can add real value to your gambling entertainment—or they can manipulate you into gambling more than intended. The key is evaluation:
- Calculate the true expected value
- Only pursue offers that fit your existing plans
- Read all fine print before committing
- Never gamble extra just to qualify for a promotion
The best promotion is one where you receive value for action you were already planning. The worst is one that convinces you to gamble money you shouldn't, chasing a "free" reward that costs more than it's worth.