All online casinos need players, and they are prepared, in most cases, to do anything they possibly can to ensure they not only get new players signing up, depositing and playing, but also retain their current customers. The way in which a casino will do the latter is via their casino comp and loyalty club – where players will benefit from little (or not so little) extras simply by being a regular player at any one site.
A casino comp club in its barest form will reward all of your real money action at that particular casino via comp points. Every time you place a real money wager on any casino game, you will earn these points and once you reach certain thresholds you will then be able to exchange them for casino credits or gifts.
However it is worth pointing out that there is no such thing as a standard comp or loyalty club and each casino will try and out do each other in the rewards they offer. By knowing what to look out for when searching for a new casino, especially in regards to their comp club, could see you getting lots of value for money offers, promotions and rewards.
Earning Comp Points
You will find that many online casinos will have a multi level approach when it comes to how many comp points you will earn, based on how much action you are giving that particular casino. All players will start at the first level and then progress through them simply by playing more and more.
Once you make it to the next level you will find you earn a higher level of comps based on your action. These different levels will often be named after precious gems or precious metals to give each stage a special feel to it and give players a sense of importance. So don’t be surprised to find the first level with a name such a Bronze, followed by the higher levels with names such as Silver, Gold then Platinum. Alternatively if the casino has a theme you may find the loyalty levels named to fit the theme.
Once a player reaches a certain level in the comp club, then to retain that position they will need to place and certain number of wagers each month, or earn a certain amount of comp points. Should a player not reach these thresholds then they can move backwards a level.
Another benefit given to players reaching various stages in the loyalty club is that they will often be offered daily, weekly or monthly match bonuses, and the higher you reach in the comp club the bigger these bonuses can become. Some players like taking bonuses and some prefer not to, however it’s nice to be offered and you will be under no obligation to accept them if you would rather play with a solely cash balance.
Some online casinos, namely those which are part of a group of casinos, will let you pool the comp and loyalty points that you have earned from any of their sites – this is a great way for players who like to play at different casinos to be able to reach redeem thresholds for their comp points more quickly than they would playing at several unrelated casinos.
Redeeming Comp Points
The way in which you can redeem your comp points should play an important part in choosing a casino at which to play. Many casinos now allow you to redeem them instantly yourself once you have the required number of points accumulated, and this is by far the more player friendly way of doing it. So after a couple of clicks of your mouse, they will then appear in your account.
However some casinos may make you wait until certain days or the week or month before they will redeem them for you and credit them to your account automatically.
The casinos which let you pool all of your comp points from any of the casinos in their group will usually have a stand alone site where you can control your comp points and as such you will be able to then credit them via this site into the casino of your choosing.
One final point on redeeming comp and loyalty points is that some casinos will treat them as cash credits, therefore you are free to cash them out should you so wish. Whilst other casinos will attach a play through requirement to them meaning you will have to play them through a certain amount of times before making a withdrawal. Obviously having no restrictions attached is the preferred version.
Comp Club Extras
Depending on which casino you play at you will have access to a range of additional extras based on your comp club level. Many casinos will hold free slot and casino game tournaments specifically for each level of player and these can be offered daily and weekly. Whilst these don’t guarantee you extra cash, you can certainly have a lot of fun taking part in them and there’s a chance you might walk away with some extra casino chips.
Plenty of reload and ongoing bonuses are bestowed on players who make it into the higher sections of a casinos comp club. Many of them offer Birthday bonuses as well as a bonus at Christmas time and other major festivals. These special event bonuses are often given as a no deposit required bonus, which are always nice to receive.
Those players regarded as High Rollers will often be allocated a special host whose job and soul purpose is to keep you happy. High roller perks often include large bonus offers, hospitality events and even personalised gifts sent directly to you.
Never forget you have plenty of choice on where to spend your gambling budget and it is in your best interest to shop around for the best deals. Online casinos know there is a lot of competition around and will offer all manner of incentives to keep you loyal to their brand.