Find out everything you need to know about this independent casino host service via this Q&A. Learn how URComped can help you get the most out of your casino play and gambling experience.

What is a casino host? And how is an Independent Casino Host different?

A casino host is like a mix of a salesperson and concierge that works on behalf of the casino to recruit and retain VIP casino customers. Casino hosts hustle to get players to visit the casino, make the players’ trips as enjoyable as possible and then do everything they can to bring the players back. Typically a casino host’s success is determined by how much “theoretical” gaming revenue they drive from their players. (Theoretical is a derived from multiplying a player’s average bet by length of time played and the house edge on the game being played. Theoretical is often used instead of actual win or loss because “theo” takes the variability of chance out of the casinos’ calculations.)

The biggest difference with an independent host like URComped is indicated by the word independent – independent hosts generally work with multiple casino brands and thus are able to offer a broad set of options to our players, instead of just one property.

We learn what our players like and don’t like and thus can offer what will be most appealing to our individual customers across our entire portfolio of properties, not just one. The URComped Partner Casinos list is extensive, and we will be examining many of these properties and programs in a future article.

One question we often receive from players is “as an independent hosting business, will URComped be able to get me the same level of comps as an on-property host would?” Our answer is a resounding yes. Here’s why, the least favorite part of the job for any casino host is telling a player “no”. So for years they never did it! Hosts would give players whatever they asked for and over time casinos decided that these discretionary comps were taking too big of a chunk out of profits. So the casinos put very specific comping rules in place; players are generally “comped” at a rate of 30-40% of trip theoretical or 10% of loss.

If they want to go above the preset threshold, the hosts will have to explain to a Director or VP why they “over-comped” a player. That is not a conversation that they want to have. Plus on-property hosts are evaluated based on theo but quite often on profitability as well, so anytime they can reduce the amount of comps they can give to players, that is a win for them.

We work directly with the Directors and VPs that have ultimate comping authority and we negotiate to make sure our players receive the maximum value possible. We aren’t on any one casino’s payroll and so we know building the loyalty of our players is the only way we will thrive as a company..

But, I don’t play enough. (Or I didn’t realise I qualify for a host.)

Properly qualifying new clients is one of the tougher parts of the business as an independent host. Generally we are able to start delivering significant value to players that have a casino host assigned to them at at least one property. Having a casino host is a good indicator to us that someone plays enough that we can dedicate our resources to serving them and earning their business.

One recent exciting development for URComped and our clients is a deal we struck with Tropicana Las Vegas. Now players that don’t quite play at the level to have a casino host yet have the option to book a significantly discounted room at Tropicana and then have the chance to play to earn the comp room during the stay. So either way it’s an amazing deal that players can’t get anywhere else – the room is either comped based on play OR it is a room rate lower than anywhere else online.

We are finalizing a similar offer with a handful of other casinos so stay tuned.

I tend to only visit one casino property, and have a good host there. Why would I want to sign-up and get an independent host?

When players have a host that they love I tell them to stick with them. Really good hosts can be hard to find, if you have an on-property host that you like, by all means, keep using them.

But there really is no downside to signing up with an independent host like URComped as well. If you want to try somewhere new, you can let us know and we’ll use our extensive network to get you hooked up like a VIP.

Plus we send out weekly emails to keep our players up to date on what new offers and events are going on at all of our casino partners. Inevitably, an offer will come across that strikes your fancy and before you know it you find yourself enjoying a drink on the beach at a casino resort in the Caribbean.

My wife and I are both players, can you help both of us?

Yes. And I’m glad you brought that up. One of the downsides of the “computerization” of casino marketing is that couples’ will sometimes get less than what they deserve based on the casino’s offer algorithm and we, as an independent, can negotiate to get couples into an event based on their combined play. It’s common sense really.

Here’s a hypothetical example: let’s say there is a special VIP wine tasting and dinner event. Players worth 1000 ADT and above are invited and can bring one guest.

Let’s say Sheila Slotlover is an 1100 ADT player and her husband doesn’t play at all. She receives an invite and she brings her husband along to the event.

Now there’s a married couple, Pete Paigow (800 ADT) and Patty Paigow (650 ADT). Combined they are worth more than Sheila Slotlover (1450 ADT vs. 1100 ADT), but because neither Pete nor Patty are worth 1000 ADT, neither receive an invitation to the event.

We often negotiate on behalf of our players to make sure that couples’ play is combined so we can get them into events they otherwise would not have access to.

This is just the beginning of a multi-part series about casino hosts and maximizing your casino loyalty program points, so please visit TravelZork often and subscribe to our newsletter.

Please feel free to share you host experiences, or questions below. The TravelZork team and community are an excellent resource to help enhance and increase your casino loyalty benefits.