A big part of the locals' casino culture is drawings. Most casinos have them at least weekly, often on Friday and/or Saturday nights. In addition, many have added drawings on weekdays at part of their seniors' days. Some have daily, several-times-daily or monthly drawings. Drawings for cars and other big prizes are not uncommon.
Drawings and other events such as tournaments can add to the return on a player's gambling dollars. But with all the drawings out there, which ones are worth entering? (And remember, in most cases, winners must be present to collect the prizes they're awarded.)
Entries to most drawings are awarded based in whole or in part on amount of money bet. So if you're a frequent player and a high roller, you're in a good position to win. If not, your chances are slim. This may seem unfair; many casinos depend on a large number of small players for their profits. If it's any consolation, the prizes awarded in most drawings may be only a small fraction of what the high rolling winners wagered to earn their entries. If you're a low roller, your chances will be better at small, neighborhood casinos than at the Stations or Coasts.
The move by many casinos to electronic drawing tickets has allowed them to award large numbers of entries to each qualifying player. To an individual this may seem advantageous, but if hundreds or thousands of other players also have a virtual drawer full of tickets, it doesn't improve anyone's chances of winning.
For all but the highest of rollers, I believe the drawings that still use paper tickets are best. Among big casinos, the Las Vegas Hilton is the only one I know of that still uses paper for its weekly drawings. This drawing also gives low rollers a good chance. Players can earn two tickets a day by playing any slot, video poker or table game at any denomination for 40 minutes. Regular players get coupons in the mail for a few additional entries if they earn tickets on specified days. Those who play every day earn more tickets, but not so many more that anyone has that much more of a chance of winning than anyone else.
The drawings are held at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays in the Spacequest Casino. Five people are called to spin a wheel, which has spaces for prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Some of the $1,000 spaces have a decal awarding a bonus that the player claims by picking an envelope. If any of the people called to spin are not present, names are called until five people get a chance to win.
One more thing -- tickets must be obtained at the players' club booth the day they are earned. If you play Thursday, plan to pick up your tickets before 7 p.m. The lines at the players' club can get pretty long as the drawing approaches.
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