Players card rollout about to begin

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 | 11:02 a.m.

MGM MIRAGE of Las Vegas will begin rolling out its multiproperty gamblers' card in April, and will have it installed at all eight of its casino properties by April 2003, Chairman and Chief Executive Terry Lanni said Wednesday.

"When people know the value of the card, they will travel from one MGM MIRAGE property to another," Lanni said at a gaming investors conference in New York.

The Las Vegas company first announced in January plans to start introducing the card at the Mirage, starting April 2. Multiproperty loyalty cards allow players to redeem points earned at one casino for benefits at another casino owned by the same company; such cards have already been introduced by Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and Station Casinos Inc., and are being rolled out by Mandalay Resort Group and Park Place Entertainment Corp.

However, Lanni told investors the MGM MIRAGE card would have an advantage over the Harrah's "Total Rewards" card, as MGM MIRAGE has both mid-level and high-end properties.

"Harrah's product in Illinois is no different than their product in Indiana or Las Vegas," Lanni said.