For the record, my asking about what is billed as a three day tournament actually being over in three days was a legit question and not a troll post.

They stick to those days pretty solidly. They know people make travel plans based on it. That's why we poked at you a bit.

No you have to keep them active which you can do minimally by once every 6-months sticking your card in a CET slot machine and earning a point or buying something online from their total rewards marketplace where you can "shop online at hundreds of your favorite brand-name retailers".

I did this for a few years and never saw the benefit of doing so.
Never once did I get a special offer. So I no longer bother. I just use up as many points as I can before I leave. Unfortunately the system does not always update you point total as fast as it should.

It's good to know that they stick pretty solidly as concern over my travel plans is what prompted my question. This will be my first paid multi-day Vegas tournament and I want to be able to play all the days if I get lucky enough to make it to the end.

Doc you have to know people around here like to mess with you. Always expect 5 sarcastic replies before you get a sincere one

Five? I must be moving up, or maybe down, in the world as it used to be seven.

Also, as I recently discovered, if you have the TR credit card you can just use it once every six months. Up here in the Great White North we don't have a lot of CET properties to pop into.

So, now for my dumb ultra-noob question: is there a simple breakdown of points to $$$? How many points would I need for a comped room? (Thinking simple here, I'm sure it changes depending on demand).

100 points is a buck...

So the bonus 10,000 points with the TR Visa + some gamble and I might be able to get a free night at the Quad? WOOT!

6/5 at Cosmo though?

Resort Fees. 6/5 blackjack. Grumpy nits at the poker tables. Is Vegas still a worthy destination? I visit about once a year, but I'm starting to wonder...

Probably not, just stay home IMO.

Ha. I'm coming out in May and am totally looking forward to it. I guess if you are into the club scene, it's great. The restaurants are incredible. The vibe is still good. But the nickeling/diming of the gambling options makes me wonder. The trends are not good.

Follow the $$$.

A majority of Vegas revenue now comes from shows/food/shopping and not gaming. It is a tourist destination not a gambling destination. In most of the country Vegas is within driving distance of your house now that Nevada doesn't have the monopoly on legal gaming. I live in South Louisiana and I have 20 casinos within a 3 hour drive (three 15 minutes from my house) that offer great comps, free play on a weekly basis, and free drinks (even if you're not gambling!).

What used to be 'Players Clubs' are now 'Rewards Clubs'. Rewarding money spent in shops, at shows, and in restaurants and not just at the tables. Sure they will still cater to the whales that will drop five figures at the tables, but not the EV grinders who try to capitalize on every dollar bet.

Sure my local casino has Pai Gow and VP with free drinks and 1/2 and 2/5 with donk after donk minutes from my door, but I will continue to to visit Vegas because it is Vegas baby, and I love it.

This myth is going to endure regardless of how little sense it makes i guess.

Full Report Here

I think you may be mistaken Turyia.

Revenue vs profit and profit margin are very different things. But the revenue has shifted significantly there is no question.

I totally agree. I own a small business and understand the difference. Point being though, strip properties are not shifting their focus from gambling to high-end entertainment and retail because the profit margin/overall profits are lower.

this is circular logic. youre basically saying that they're shifting thier focus because theyre shifting their focus.

There are a lot of reasonable explanations for the change in revenue composition. By definition, if youre adding the same amount of profit from two sources, the source with greater profit margin is going to produce less revenue, but that does not mean its less important. In fact, usually the opposite is true. If I own a business that requires me to spend 500K a year to make 100K a year profit, and another business that requires me to spend 150K to make 100K profit, the second one, the one that generates less revenue but the same amount of profit, is going to be the one im interested in keeping if i have to choose between the two, becasue it is less of a capital burden.

Also the change in revenue isn't very compelling even if we assume it means a change in priorities. Over the past 10 years, revenue from gambling has declined about 5%, most of which is accounted for by modest gains of about 2% each in food and beverage.

Over the past 5 years, the revenue composition has been pretty much static.

CET is not very interested in folks that come out a few times a year to play poker, whether they have the Rewards credit card or not. On the other hand, those that lose $10K in the slots every trip are well rewarded.

I have a room booked in June for edc weekend at MGM through air canada vacations. Two adults staying in the room. Anyone know if there is an issue adding another adult to the room for the full stay upon arrival or do they check room keys at the elevators.

I don't think they are trying to replace one with the other. They are trying to grow the pie any way they can. Doubling the size of casino floor at an already huge casino makes less sense then adding a cirque theater and high end shopping arcade. Each property is trying to keep all their customers on site for their entire trip. That's all it really is. And to attract and profit from people that aren't big gamblers

They don't care, at all. Call housekeeping and have a rollaway bed sent up. Tip them $5. Or upgrade at check-in to a larger room or suite.

Sarcastic answer is you aren't supposed to let the hooker stay with you.

Non-sarcastic answer is they will charge you more for three people as opposed to two based on a search for availability I just did on their site. Two people came out to a $370 rate while three returned a $405 rate.

I don't know about the checking room keys thing as I've never stayed at MGM but never had to show a room key at Rio or Trop, but I did at Mirage although it was around 2006 when I stayed at Mirage.

Ok I stayed at Venetian last year and had to show a key every time to get to elevators. Travel agent we booked with for a group said she can't just add another person without them booking a full trip thru her. Think she just wants more commission it seems