Almost too good to be true
In the early days of the online poker boom, internet poker rooms and casinos often had very juicy deposit bonuses. The dollar amounts offered were high and the playthrough requirements were low, making it quite lucrative for players to “bonus whore,” or jump from site to site collecting bonuses with very little effort.
This week, the Treasure Island hotel-casino in Las Vegas launched a promo that was essentially a throwback to those early online gambling days, but it was even better. And because of its popularity, it did not last long.
The promotion was simple: both new and existing Treasury Club rewards members could receive $200 in free slot play. The only requirements were that players must wager at least $200 before cashing out and must do it within 24 hours of receiving the free play credits. Once the $200 was wagered – and everyone had it since everyone received $200 in free play – customers could cash out.
There were no restrictions on what could be cashed out, either. If a customer won, they could walk away with their winnings and the $200. If they lost, they could still cash out whatever was left, if anything. It was a no-lose situation for the players.
Frantic rush shut it all down
The promo was intended to run Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from August 10 through September 7. But because the terms of the promotion were so generous, things got out of hand and Treasure Island announced on Thursday that it was over.
“Due to overwhelming response,” the casino said in a message to players, “the offer reached its planned capacity earlier than anticipated.”
Perhaps it was for the best. Reports from casino patrons were that lines stretched through the casino and people waited for hours to get their hands on the free $200. One person on Reddit said after checking out of their room earlier in the day, she and her boyfriend decided to return to claim the $200 in free play. They got in line a little before 7:00pm and while employees began cutting off the line soon thereafter, the couple was assured they would receive the promo as long as they remained in line.
So remain they did, for five hours. Just before midnight Treasure Island staff said that the promotion was over.
“Instantly, the crowd started to scream. I felt horrible. People started to film the yelling and threatening to sue. For what? I guess I don’t know. I started to get nervous in the chaos, and we decided to leave,” the Reddit poster said, adding that she felt ripped off that they wasted the final night of their Vegas trip.
One would think that a casino will think twice before trying a similar promotion, but you never know, maybe this was an “any news is good news” situation and Treasure Island is happy people are talking about the casino.
Image credit: Thank You (25 Millions )
