Comps Getting Hard To Come By

Don’t you just love comps? Any casino goer would definitely say yes to that question. In fact, comps are one of the things that attract people to casinos. However, it seems that it is not as easy to get comps these days as it was before. Well, at least, it seems to be that way in Atlantic City.

Newsday reports:

With a slow economy and competition from neighboring states cutting into their revenues, Atlantic City’s 11 gaming halls have begun to offer fewer complimentary benefits _ and they’re focusing those more on high-end players.

“No longer does everybody get a comp no matter what,” Andrew Zarnett, a gaming analyst with Deutsche Bank AG, told The Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer. “They have to be very discerning to give those comps to people who earn them.”

Overall, Atlantic City casinos spent $375 million on premium hotel rooms and other perks in the three months ending June 30. A year ago, they spent about $422 during the same period.

Some Atlantic City casino operators say the days of courting slots players with hefty comps probably won’t return. Slots revenue accounts for more than 70 percent of casinos’ revenue, but this year it is down eight percent.

“You are seeing a shift in the entire marketplace on how we market,” R. Scott Barber, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Resort, told the newspaper.

This is both alarming and saddening. I know for a fact that comps makes people want to play even more. Without the comps, will the casino experience ever be the same? What do you think? Do comps matter that much to you?