What is Free-Play?
These are slot credits awarded to gamblers by the casino, allowing them to place wagers on slot machines without risking their own money. Freeplay is awarded in a variety ways, including but not limited to the following forms: discretionary awards, earned credits, service recovery credits, loyalty program sign-up credits, and promotional prize credits. But of all these forms, the discretionary awards comprise the bulk of the free-play credits issued. These offers far exceed the combined dollar value of the other forms of free-play. The value of an individual’s discretionary award is a function of his/her tracked play during a predetermined historical period (e.g., the previous 30 days). Overall, free-play offers represent the majority of player reinvestment costs for most U.S. gaming properties. For some, the dollar value of annual redemptions is staggering. For example, annual free-play wagers have exceeded $100 million in some U.S. casinos.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY DR. ANTHONY LUCAS IN THE 2024 FALL EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.