Slot cards spreading at big LV gambling houses

David Strow

Monday, June 18, 2001 | 10:56 a.m.

In the race to develop the Las Vegas Strip area's second multi-casino slot club card, it appears Mandalay Resort Group will win by a nose.

On Friday Mandalay officials announced they have begun introducing the unified slot card at the Excalibur. A new Strip property owned by Mandalay will be brought on-line each month through September, when the system will be fully in place.

Mandalay operates five Strip casinos -- Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo and Circus Circus. Once this system is in place, players at any one of these casinos will be able to earn points on their card at all five properties, and redeem these points immediately at any other property.

Transferable points "are the new wrinkle," said Glenn Schaeffer, president of Mandalay.

"This is the most advanced product on the Las Vegas Strip," Schaeffer said. "It's very important if they stay at one of our properties ... that their second choice, third choice are properties in the company's family."

The slot club concept isn't new.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas, owner of the Harrah's and Rio hotel-casinos on and near the Strip, has linked together all of its casinos nationwide for more than a year with its "Total Rewards" card._

Locals' gambling giant Station Casinos Inc. does the same thing at its Las Vegas properties with its "Boarding Pass."

Park Place Entertainment Corp. and MGM MIRAGE aren't too far behind.

Park Place will begin introducing its own company-wide slot card in the fourth quarter of this year, said spokeswoman Debbie Munch. The first step will be to link together Park Place's five Las Vegas casinos. Similar programs will then be implemented at other casino markets where Park Place controls multiple properties.

In the final step, all of these separate markets will be linked together, providing Park Place customers will be the ability to earn and redeem points on a single card anywhere in the country. Munch said the time frame for reaching this goal hasn't been set.

"With our clusters of properties, we have a prime opportunity to encourage visitation from one property to another," Munch said. "That's an opportunity to increase our business."

Each casino will have its own branded slot cards, though these cards can be used at any Park Place casino once the system is in place, Munch said.

MGM MIRAGE has a different approach. Spokesman Alan Feldman said the company will introduce a single slot card ("The One Card"), rather than having separate cards for each of its properties.

Properties will begin introducing the card in the fall, Feldman said. By March, all MGM MIRAGE properties, including Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., and the MGM Grand Detroit, will use the system.

"With this card you can get golf in Primm, show tickets at the Golden Nugget and buffets at the Bellagio," Feldman said. "Brand loyalty is probably the simplest way of putting it. In the end, it's about serving your customer best with your products."