What Is a Casino Loyalty Program?

How Do Loyalty Programs Work?

If you are planning on participating in loyalty programs at online casinos, you need to be aware of how they work. That is exactly what we are going to explain next.

All of the best online casinos offer loyalty programs. Members of these programs are provided with exclusive rewards, many of which can be used while playing casino games. To be a part of a loyalty program, you first need to be a registered player at the online casino.

The process of registration is pretty fast and simple. All you have to do is supply the casino site with some basic information about yourself. Considering the fact that licensed and regulated online casinos are powered by the latest SSL encryption software, you can rest assured knowing that the sensitive information that you provide to the casino will be kept out of harm’s way.

After you register and verify your account, you will instantly become eligible to be a part of the casino loyalty program. VIP programs consist of several levels. The higher you go on the scale, the better the bonuses will be.

Rewards programs usually feature the following rewards:

• free spins
• higher withdrawal limits
• better cashbacks
• bonus money

Not only that, but casino loyalty programs also offer a variety of other benefits such as a personal account manager, access to VIP tournaments, faster withdrawal processing periods and VIP support. To reap all the benefits of casino loyalty programs, you need to play the featured games for real money.

In doing so, you will earn loyalty points, which are most commonly referred to as Comp Points. Each VIP program will require you to collect a certain number of points to level up. In most cases, 1 point is earned for every $100 that you wager. However, the case varies at most online casinos.

Terms and conditions also apply to the exclusive bonuses given to members of casino loyalty programs. Some of the terms and conditions include wagering requirements, eligible games on which the rewards can be used as well as the bonus validity period.

That is why it is important to read the T&CS before you take any action. That way, you will be able to fully understand how the bonuses featured in loyalty programs work.

Thanks to the fact that online casinos offer exclusive bonuses, members of each VIP Club will have the feeling that they are special customers at the most popular casinos in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.

The Goal of Offering Rewards for Loyalty Programs in an Online Casino

Casino loyalty programs serve their purpose and there are two main goals as to why online casinos offer them. First, they are able to stimulate players and turn them into loyal customers and secondly, they are an important addition to the overall casino offering.

Turning Players Into Loyal Customers

Let’s start with loyalty. As the name suggests, it is designed so that casinos reward players that continue placing wagers on their platform. In most cases, these players are so-called high rollers or players that wager higher amounts of money.

Of course, they need to feel like they are appreciated, and hence, a casino website will provide them with bonus cash, free spins or other forms of no deposit bonuses. The better the exclusive rewards are, the more likely the players are to continue wagering at the casino.

Additionally, the online casino can attract other high rollers that are looking to join a VIP club that offers massive rewards.

An Addition to the Casino Bonuses and Promotions

As you may know, online casinos feature much more than just rewards programs. Registered players at these sites can claim various deposit and no deposit bonuses. That includes the likes of:

• Reload bonuses
• Welcome bonus
• Cashback
• Tournaments
• Free spins

Adding a VIP program is something that most online casinos are happy to do as they can “brag” about featuring a variety of lucrative bonuses.

Online Casino Loyalty Points

Speaking of needing to earn points to level up in casino loyalty programs, that is the next topic in this article. As we mentioned earlier, if you wish to become a VIP member and level up, you will have to earn loyalty points.

The higher you are on the scale, the more you’ll feel like a VIP player who is placing stakes at some of the most reputable casinos in the world, such as Green Valley Ranch casino. So, how do you collect online casino loyalty points and what is their use?

First off, loyalty points are earned by playing games featured at the online casino. The more real money you wager on the games, the more loyalty points you will be able to earn. Each online casino has a certain exchange rate – casinos reward 1 loyalty point for every $10, $100, or $1,000 that you wager on the featured games.

Interestingly enough, these points can also be exchanged for cash prizes. Exchange rates are also featured here and they depend on the casino itself.

One important thing about earning points at the best loyalty programs is that you cannot do so with bonus money. Bonus funds do not contribute towards these points. So, if you claim a welcome bonus and receive $500 in bonus funds, these will not be considered eligible for earning loyalty points.

Casino Loyalty Program Rewards

Throughout this article, we stated that all great loyalty programs offer a plethora of amazing bonuses and promotions for their members. Thanks to these rewards, the overall online gambling experience of the player is enhanced and they are able to enjoy the games even more. Let’s take a look at some of the featured loyalty program rewards.

Free Spins

The first and arguably the most popular and most sought reward from casino loyalty programs are free spins. The number of free spins that you receive depends on the points earned and of course, the level.

Loyal players will receive them on a regular basis but it is important to note that you can’t use them on any of the casino’s games. Free spins can only be used on a certain selection of online slots.

Additionally, their validity period is extremely short. Most casinos feature a 24-hour validity period on free spins and if you do not use them in this timeframe, the casino will forfeit them.

No Deposit Bonus Money

Next up, we have no deposit bonus money. The VIP program most often rewards players with weekly or monthly cashback, depending on the policies. Cashbacks are usually given as non-withdrawable funds, meaning that you will have to use them on the featured casino games.

Cashbacks are loved by loyal players due to the fact that they are not accompanied by extra T&Cs and hence, are easy to claim and use.

Casino Currency

This is one of the rarest benefits that you can receive as you earn points in loyalty schemes. Casino currency refers to coins that the casino provides you with. These coins can be used for various purposes, including purchasing free spins.

Character Boosts and Upgrades

In some online casinos, the VIP Club may feature certain quests and missions that you need to complete. If you manage to go to the next level, you will reap all the benefits that come with it. The casino will provide you with character boosts and various upgrades, all of which can make the gaming experience all the more exciting.

Exclusive Rewards of the Loyalty Program

Of course, the aforementioned bonuses are not the only benefits that come from being a member of VIP programs. There are several additional exclusive rewards that you will be provided with.

Now, they do not include a casino employee offering you free valet parking, but it is the second-best thing. The online casino loyalty programs often feature birthday gifts and will provide you with higher withdrawal limits, faster withdrawals, personal account managers and access to VIP events and tournaments.

Not only that, but you will also gain priority customer support and as a VIP member, customer service will always be there to cater to your needs. As we mentioned earlier, depending on your status in the VIP program, you might have higher cashbacks as well.

Faster Withdrawals and Higher Deposit Limits for Loyal Members

The most popular benefit aside from the unique bonuses that you can reap from VIP clubs is the fact that as a member of a certain loyalty scheme, you will be provided with higher transaction limits and faster withdrawals.

Faster withdrawal is a major benefit as every single player wants their winnings to be transferred as fast as possible. But, not every casino features fast withdrawals. For example, withdrawals made with credit and debit cards usually have a processing period of 3-5 business days.

Bank transfers are even slower as it can take up to 7 business days before the funds are cleared and sent.

By being a member of a loyalty program, you can rest assured knowing that the processing period of your withdrawals will be faster, regardless of the chosen method.

Deposit and withdrawal limits are also higher, which is a massive benefit for high rollers as they are always depositing and cashing out huge sums.

The Cost of Qualifying for Loyalty Program Bonuses in an Online Casino

Being a member of a certain loyalty scheme comes with tons of benefits, all of which will be explained later on. However, qualifying and being an active member of a certain loyalty program comes with a certain cost.

That cost is the fact that you will have to wager a lot of real money at the online casino. Just as we mentioned earlier on, you cannot earn rewards from the loyalty scheme by using bonus funds.

If you wish to be a member of a loyalty program, you will have to wager real money at the casino and collect comp points. The exchange rate may be a bit high and not benefit you if you are a casual player.

That is the reason why high rollers are the most common players that participate in these programs.

Online Casino Loyalty Program Levels

Now that we’ve gotten familiar with loyalty programs, let’s try to explain them with a practical example.

You’ve registered at a certain online casino that you think is generous and its design reminds you of the luxury interior of casinos such as MGM Grand and Red Rock Casino. Once you take a look at its loyalty program, you see that it consists of the following levels:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Diamond
• Platinum

Bronze level requires you to have 100 Comp Points, Silver requires you to have 500 CP, Gold requires you to have 1,000 CP, Diamond requires you to have 5,000 CP and Platinum is by invitation only.

Once you register an account, you will instantly become eligible to be a part of the loyalty program. The terms and conditions of the casino state that in order to receive 1 CP, you need to wager $50 of real money on the featured games.

That means that in order to reach the Bronze level, you need to wager $5,000. Silver is reached when you wager $25,000, Gold is reached when you wager $50,000 and Diamond is reached when you wager $250,000.

Considering the fact that Platinum is reached by invite-only, you will have to wait until you reach Diamond level first. Then, when you become eligible to be ranked in the top level of the loyalty program, the casino will inform you/send you an invitation via email.

Online Casino Loyalty Program Rules

All loyalty programs come with a set of rules that you need to abide by. For starters, if you want to be a part of a certain loyalty program, you need to be a registered player at the online casino. The second general rule concerns Comp Points and types of games that contribute to the exchange rate.

It is important to know that not every game contributes equally to the exchange rate. For example, slots contribute far less than table games. For example, if table games require you to wager $100 to gain 1 CP, slots’ contribution will be 0.5 CP for every $100 that you wager.

Live casino games usually have the best exchange rates, which is why they are extremely popular, especially when it comes to someone who’s considered a serious gambler and plays to win the highest rewards. Betting on sports events at the best casino might not even be considered eligible for gaining CP.

Finally, you cannot progress to the next level of loyalty programs unless you collect the required amount of points. So, players that wish to climb up the scale need to collect more points. When they’ve earned the required points, customer service will review their progress and provide them with an update.

The Most Important Advantages of Bonuses From Loyalty Programs in an Online Casino

Participating in a loyalty program comes with certain cons, such as the fact that you need to wager a lot of real money, but there are tons of advantages that you will be able to reap. Let’s check some of those advantages.

The Rewards are Far Superior to Standard Casino Bonuses

First off, bonuses from loyalty programs are far better than standard casino bonuses. For example, if the casino offers regular players a 10% weekly cashback, loyalty members will receive 20%. The more points they earn, the higher the cashback will be.

This also concerns free spins. In most cases, free spins are given as part of a welcome bonus or as a reward from tournaments. That is not the case with loyalty programs as players will often receive them on a weekly or monthly basis.

They May Boost Your Social Life

Bonuses don’t have to be just promotions that are related to the online casino. The casino may be generous enough to reward VIP members with access to special events or give them a rewards card that they can use to purchase plane tickets or hotel accommodation for a much cheaper price.

These offers/benefits are not available to regular players and that is what separates a VIP member from a standard registered player at a certain online casino.

Priority Support

When regular players contact the support team of an online casino, it can take the team up to 72 hours to respond. However, the waiting time is much smaller if you are a member of a VIP program. In most cases, customer support will answer the inquiries of VIP players within a day.

To make things even better, you will also have a personal account manager that will handle a lot of the matters and will make your overall gaming experience pleasant.

Access to Unique Tournaments

Finally, we have access to unique tournaments. Not only are these tournaments available to a certain group of players, but the prize pools are also far bigger. They feature free spins, cash rewards and unique bonuses such as cars, booked vacations, etc.

The rules of these tournaments are always the same as any other regular tournament. There are pre-selected eligible games and all you have to do is play them for real money.

Types of Casino Loyalty Programs

Each online casino wants to stand out from the competition and that is why each site has unique programs and offers unique rewards. The one thing that all of them have in common is the fact that you need to earn points in order to receive better rewards.

Below, we’ve listed some of the most common types of loyalty programs and explained what exactly they have to offer.

Loyalty Points Program

First off, we have the general loyalty points program, where you earn points and gain exclusive rewards, depending on your level. The rewards vary, depending on the level and they feature free spins, cashbacks, bonus money, etc.

Cashback Program

Next up, we have a cashback program, where you will be provided with a certain cashback rate on a regular basis. The rate depends on your current loyalty level and in most cases, the money can only be used on certain games.

VIP Scheme

VIP schemes work in a similar way as the loyalty points program. The more real money you wager, the higher you will go on the scale and thus, the more lucrative bonuses you will be able to receive. The only difference here is that VIP schemes do not feature loyalty points – they are by invitation only.

Casino Shop

When we were talking about casino currency, we mentioned that these coins can be used to purchase stuff from a shop. A casino shop is the next type of loyalty program that you can come across, although this is a rare sight.

Players Club

Players Club is a type of loyalty program where you can receive rewards that you can use in your real life. For example, if you reach a certain level, the casino will give you a voucher for spa services, plane tickets, or discounted hotel stays at popular places such as Santa Fe Station.

Casino Races

Casino races are competitive forms of loyalty programs where you compete against other registered players to receive a reward from a certain prize pool. The good thing about this type of program is the fact that the prize pools are massive and a majority of the participants will receive a certain reward.

Missions

Finally, we have a missions-based loyalty program where you need to complete quests provided by the casino itself. For example, these missions can be playing certain slots in the given week, wagering a certain amount of money on table games in a given period, etc.

The casino will provide you with various rewards as you progress forward and go to the next mission.

FAQ

As a concluding matter, we are going to take a look at some of the most commonly asked questions about loyalty programs and answer them with the goal to provide you with a bit of extra information.