| In
recent years, the casinos have come up with a new
way to keep track of gamblers' action and to rate
the players without the necessity of someone in
a pit watching their action. By issuing membership
cards which are inserted in electronic games before
the player starts gambling, casinos can keep track
of slot, video poker, or any other kind of electronic
game play. In some casinos the cards are also used
for identification purposes at the table games.
Casinos are happy to issue membership cards. All
you have to do is fill out a simple application.
No bank references are required, no credit forms
are needed; they are available to one and all. Basically,
the following information is asked for: Name, Spouse's
name, Mailing address, Phone number, Birthday and
voila!, you’re in business. You are issued
a card. The casino doesn't really care what credit
you have, because they're not giving you credit.
All this card does is following your action at the
slots or whatever other electronic games you play.
You just slip it into the slot and start feeding
the machine with coins. The card automatically monitors
your action.
What's the purpose of these cards? Why have your
action electronically followed? Well, for one thing,
you get credits every time you play, and with these
credits come complimentary awards. The more credits
you have, the more awards you're entitled to. And
getting a card is simple, and doesn't cost you anything.
If you're at a casino and want to play the slots
or video poker for a while, by all means get a membership
card. In this age of computers, all your action
is automatically credited to your account. When
you go back to get you comps, they'll ask you for
identification before giving you the awards. They
do this because players sometimes leaves their cards
in the machines when they quit play, or their lose
cards in other ways. Providing identification ensures
that no one else can take advantage of your action. |
