Free coupons, or comps, are found throughout Las Vegas! Here are some ideas on where to find them.
Las Vegas is the city of free entertainment. Called "comps" or "comping," the habit of exchanging a coupon for something free is done throughout the city. The items offered are considered complimentary for guests of the casino. Keep in mind that there is no free lunch, even in Las Vegas. In exchange for a free drink or free tokens, the casino hopes that they will profit from your visit. If you have a gambling limit, keep it, even if you are given free gaming tokens or chips. The psychological effect of using other peoples' money sometimes can influence the amount of money that you will spend.
Drinks and Food
Drinks are the easiest free coupons to find in Las Vegas. Register for these online or ask for the Customer Service Casino desk at the hotel. These desks will be in the rear of the casino. Expect to wind your way all around the casino, sometimes twice, to find the guest desk, since the objective is to have the guests gamble. In addition, newly arriving, excited guests will drop quite a few coins in the slot machines and try a hand or two on their way to the service desk. Many hotels and casinos offer gaming clubs. As part of the registration, each guest will receive a coupon book that will include free drinks, food, and sometimes a small free souvenir. Many clubs will offer free drinks with a reduced price for the hotel or casino buffet. The casinos do not want guests leaving to eat, so wonderful, multi-course, as much as you can eat buffets are available at all of the larger casinos on the Strip in Las Vegas. Many downtown buffets are a great value for the dollar. The guest desks there also provide free drinks and sometimes a free deck of casino playing cards.
A newer innovation is the gaming card. Casinos hook these cards on key rings, or long bungee-type cords that can be attached on pant loops or purses, so the guest remembers to take the gaming card from machine to machine. When the card electronically collects a set amount of points, then free food and drinks are offered as part of the gaming program. As you add coins, the card will show the number of points your card has earned toward rewards. The cards are a way to encourage guests to return to the hotels and casinos on their next visit. Couples can receive cards that share a number so that rewards will be easier to achieve with two people using he same account.
Shows
Main casino shows are extravagant productions and are not usually offered as freebies to visitors, however, lounge shows in the smaller rooms can be obtained with a search for coupons. The best place to find these coupons is on the Strip. Take a walk, especially in the late afternoon or early evening. Some of the casinos coordinate with vendors who operate from small booths directly on the Strip. You will need to register for these books, and you will need to be from out of state to receive the shows. The street vendors should have identification from the casinos. Be cautious about offering personal information without first checking the identification of the vendor.
Rooms
Casinos will offer out of state visitors free rooms. This comp is sometimes made on a buy-one-night and receive a free night at the hotel. Many times, especially during the off-season, rooms will be given for Tuesday through Thursday nights as free to out of state guests willing to drive or fly to Las Vegas. Do not expect to find free rooms during the winter snow in the Eastern US. This is the peak vacation period for Las Vegas. Free rooms will also be offered during the peak heat in Las Vegas from mid-June until mid-August.
Condominium or vacation sharing developments will attempt to entice investors by offering a free room and dinner at the development. On the surface, these sound like an excellent way to have your room and dinner comped, but the purpose of the offering is to show off the development. The group does not want you to leave. They will have you try the golf course, swim in the pool, or enjoy a massage. If you are excited about these possibilities, then this freebie is for you. Most of the developments will qualify guests to ensure that they have the minimum income to afford the investment. Some require that both husband and wife, if married, be present. Others exclude seniors from visiting on the free offers.
Airfare
The major casinos and hotels offer junkets for out of town guests. The key to receiving these coupons is to put up a specific amount of money at that hotel. A weekend at a hotel will include airfare, a room, and meals. The hotel expects to make the money back in the gaming that you will do while visiting. Most casinos will require a significant amount of money to be placed in a casino account upon arrival. This money can be taken out in chips and the number of chips will be closely monitored to ensure that the guests are using them to gamble. Serious gamblers best use this freebie, not the casual guest interested in visiting Las Vegas for the first time.
Tournaments
For guests who have visited the hotel a number of times, usually on junkets with free room and airfare, the casinos and hotels host tournaments. Craps, poker and blackjack tournaments are the most frequent invitations. These tournaments require the guest to post a large amount of money into a hotel account. 25,000 to 50,000 is not an unusual amount for the most lavish tournaments. The events will usually have a theme and the gifts that guests will receive can be quite extravagant. One hotel hosts a Western event with guests receiving Stetson Hats and string ties to wear during their craps tournaments.
Unless you are a high roller, investigate the smaller tournaments. With the high cost of gasoline, many casinos have smaller day-long tournaments for poker and slot machines. Check the websites to see what day tournaments are offered. Free room and a meal or two is usually given at these small tournaments.
The large hotels in Las Vegas offer free drinks, food, hotel rooms, and even airfare, if you know how the program works. As they say when they make change at the gaming tables in Vegas, "Best of Luck!"
