Bonuses and offers
What is a casino comp program?
Comps are complimentary items given back to players in proportion to how much a casino expects to win from them. Land-based rooms give rooms and meals; online rooms give bonus credit, spins and cashback.
The calculation is theoretical loss multiplied by a comp rate, and that rate is usually between a fifth and a third of what the operator expects to keep.
The theoretical loss calculation
Average stake, multiplied by decisions per hour, multiplied by hours played, multiplied by the house edge on the game. That figure is your theoretical loss, and it drives everything.
C$10 a hand, two hundred hands an hour, two hours, at a half percent edge is C$20. At a four percent slot edge it is C$160. Slots generate far more comp entitlement than table games for the same stake, which is why the offers you receive are mostly slot offers.
Comps online
Digital comps arrive as cashback percentages, bonus drops, free spins and tournament entries. They are cheaper to give than a hotel room and easier to attach conditions to.
Watch whether cashback is real money or bonus funds. Real money is a genuine rebate. Bonus funds with playthrough is a new wagering requirement described as a refund.
The honest framing
A comp is a partial refund on an expected loss. It only exists because the loss is expected, and no comp rate anywhere approaches a hundred percent.
Playing more to earn comps is spending four dollars to get one back. That is fine as a discount and disastrous as a strategy.