When live casinos were owned by individuals, and not big corporations, a player could get a comp without a great deal of trouble. The comp could range from breakfast or lunch to a dinner show and a free room. The pit boss made the decision based on the player’s action and if they were a consistent player at a certain level of wagers.

Online casinos rarely have a comp program like live casinos. The best they can come up with is matching bonuses on deposits and loyalty points based on the players activity.

Now days the comps are controlled by computers and playing cards that tally the players total play. Slot players have a card that they insert in the machine that keeps an accurate record of their wagers. Table game players need to get the attention of the pit boss and make him aware of their level of play. Buy in at the dice table with $500 or a $1000 dollars. Then bet as you want either high stakes or low wagers. The pit boss knows that you have the ability to roll for higher amounts if you want to so they are more interested in the buy in than the specific first wagers. This idea still works at some of the bigger casinos that are not completely new school.

Another way to bring the house into play is make a deposit with the cashier and then play off the computer card they give you that shows you have money on deposit with the house. This works well and the record of your play stays in the computer even if you do not go back for a while. I have used this to get comped in both Vegas and Reno.

One thing about live casinos that does not happen online is the level of excitement that flavors the ambiance of the casino. A hot dice table in a casino is like a huge magnet and people will flock to the table to watch and try to get up to the table so they can play. If the online casinos ever can bring that excitement to their games, the online industry will grow by another dimension. The play in a live casino is all about noise, bells and people yelling and groaning with the play of the dice, the spin of the wheel and the turn of a card. This is not captured online yet, but in a virtual casino it may be possible to do so someday.