Every New Jersey gambling site feature some kind of VIP program designed to reward players for their loyalty to the site.
Membership can get players invitations to special events, or discounts on hotel stays and free dining at partner brick and mortar casino properties in Atlantic City. But these perks are perhaps secondary to the bonus cash or cashback players can earn through these VIP programs.
Ultimately, players earn points they can convert into cash on the site, which they can then use to gamble.
Loyalty programs are hugely popular at brick and mortar casinos across the United States. They are used as a way for players to earn comps they can use on the property or at partner casino resorts.
Although some New Jersey online casino VIP programs offer players the opportunity to transfer points from the online program to their brick and mortar casino loyalty programs, most New Jersey online casino VIP programs differ.
Cashback
Instead, they keep the loyalty program online and only offer players the opportunity to redeem the points for cash they can use to gamble on the site.
These VIP programs essentially offer players the chance to earn back a percentage of the amount they wager online. However, they are not all built equally. In fact, the different program’s cashback values range from just 0.03 percent at Virgin and Tropicana, all the way up to the 0.86 percent available at Pala Casino and Scores Casino.
The cashback value for most New Jersey online casino VIP programs that offer it sits between 0.05 percent and 0.30 percent. However, looking at the cashback value of a particular New Jersey online casino’s VIP program isn’t everything. In fact, cashback value percentages don’t necessarily tell the whole story when it comes to a VIP program’s true value.
Tiered programs
That’s because New Jersey online casino VIP programs are often tiered. That means there is very often a certain total number of wagers required to achieve the maximum level of cashback for most New Jersey online casino VIP programs.
Until that total wagers figure is reached, many New Jersey online casino VIP programs offer cut-rate cashback rates that pale in comparison to the maximum achievable. The real value isn’t found until certain monthly or annual wagers are reached.
As an example, Caesars’ New Jersey online casino VIP program offers only 0.10 percent cashback on slots. At first glance, it certainly looks like a lot less than the 0.86 percent available at Pala Casino and Scores Casino mentioned earlier. However, the 0.10 percent Caesars offers is available to all players by default. It doesn’t matter how much volume they put in.
Meanwhile, the NJ online casino VIP programs at Pala and Scores only offer that 0.86 percent cashback rate to players who bet between $58,140 and $250,000 on the site every month. Plus, it may also depend on the games played.
Players whose volume only amounts to no more than a few thousand dollars every month will get 0.34 percent cashback from Pala and Scores instead. Plus, they’ll only get it by playing games with the lowest return to player rates on the sites.
Depending on your volume and choice of games, Caesars’ online casino VIP program could ultimately provide more value to you.
Lower house edge, fewer points
For the most part, online casino games with a lower house edge offer fewer opportunities to earn loyalty points redeemable for cashback. Lower points mean lower cashback value and the difference can be significant. In fact, with Pala and Scores, it can be as large as a 400 percent difference.
At Pala and Scores, players earn about 0.08 percent cashback for playing the slots on the sites with the smallest house edge. However, if they are willing to wager on the games with the highest house edge, they’ll get 0.34 percent cashback.
The same is true at Golden Nugget. Golden Nugget’s New Jersey online casino VIP program offers 0.05 percent cashback on all slots wagers. However, it only pays 0.01 percent on all other games, such as blackjack, which generally offers a much higher RTP than even the best slots.
Cash versus bonus cash
For the most part, New Jersey online casino VIP programs offer players straight cash as a reward. There are no restrictions and the cash be either withdrawn or wagered on the site. But there are exceptions.
For example, the New Jersey online casino VIP program at Virgin awards players bonus cash that comes with a 1x wagering requirement. That means players need to wager the money at least once before they can withdraw it. Essentially, they keep only what they can win gambling with the bonus cash.
Betfair does something similar, making it impossible to withdraw any of the cash generated through its online casino VIP program. Instead, Betfair awards players what amounts to casino free-play. Again, the money must be wagered and players can only withdraw winnings generated from those wagers.
Expiring points
No matter the New Jersey online casino VIP program, the points, and cashback offers, come with a shelf life. For most online casino VIP programs in New Jersey, points earned must be exchanged for cash within a certain time frame. It’s usually 180 days.
However, playMGM reward points expire one to two years after they are accumulated, depending on the tier achieved by the member.
Other perks in NJ online casino VIP programs
Of course, some New Jersey online casino VIP programs offer more than just cashback value.
Being a member of Caesars’ Total Rewards VIP program gives players the opportunity to take advantage of a 20 percent discount at gift shops on Caesars properties. Plus, they can get access to VIP reservations hotline, VIP lounges, and free dinners.
It gets even better for the highest earning players, who can earn invitations to signature events, get early and late hotel check-ins and check-outs, or additional vacations.
In the meantime, Golden Nugget offers faster withdrawals, concierge services, random bonuses, and access to special events for its most loyal players.
As a general rule, New Jersey online casinos that don’t offer any perks have higher cashback percentages. Pala, Scores, and playMGM all fit into that category.
The more perks, the less cashback a player can expect to earn. Caesars follows that model.