In the world of land-based casinos comps (ie complimentary items or freebies) are easy to understand – the more you play, the more you get rewarded, whether that’s with dinner in the restaurant, free drinks or even an upgrade on your hotel room.
The comps are designed to breed loyalty in the players, of course, but a steak dinner is a steak dinner, a very real benefit, giving you time away from the tables, time to reflect on your entire casino experience and hopefully refreshing you for the sessions ahead.
In the online gambling world, things are not so simple. It’s almost impossible to give anything tangible, so the comps tend to be along the lines of bonuses, play credits and free spins. These are fine as far as they go, but they’re all just methods of keeping you playing, rather than rewarding you for having played.
It’s hard to replicate the idea of comps online, but one casino – Purple Lounge – has come up with a novel way to give its players very real rewards.
Purple Lounge runs a Loyalty Program in which players accrue points by playing games. There are four levels (Dedicated, Exclusive, Premier and Elite) and players move up through the levels each time they reach a points threshold.
This in itself is similar to other schemes offered by more forward-thinking casinos. What sets the Purple Lounge scheme apart is the rewards offered when players reach the Elite level.
Elite members automatically get access to Quintessentially, the world’s most exclusive private members service. Quintessentially assists Purple Lounge’s high rollers in gaining hard-to-get concert tickets, exclusive privileges at the finest gyms, spas, nightclubs and restaurants, and a concierge service that includes food, drink, property, cars, personal shoppers, stylists – all around the world!
Described by GQ magazine as one of the ‘100 things you should do’, Purple Lounge has always been known as a sophisticated and exclusive gambling operator. Quintessentially membership is an extension of this. Members have been presented with prizes such as a Bentley Continental GT, and all-inclusive VIP tickets to the FIFA World Cup in Berlin. Can your current online casino make such a boast?
And as a casino, Purple Lounge is up there with the best. Running Microgaming’s Viper software (widely acknowledged as the best) Purple Lounge offers 300 games including 18 Blackjack variations and over 200 slots. Unusually for a Microgaming casino, they don’t offer gimmicks such as 1 hour free play or £1000 worth of practice credits. Instead, they offer a simple 100% match bonus up to £75, with wagering starting at 25x on all slots.
Comps are one area where online casinos have traditionally struggled to compete with their bricks-and-mortar counterparts, but sometimes, you need to feel you’re being given a reward, not just an incentive to play more. Purple Lounge has addressed this issue in a novel and exciting way and separated itself from the general body of online casinos.
If you want real benefits from virtual gambling, Purple Lounge is the only place to be!
Andy Follin runs Fortune Palace, an eCOGRA reputable casino portal that includes full details of Purple Lounge and its Loyalty scheme. See Purple Lounge casino review, Purple Lounge casino bonus and Purple Lounge casino deposit options for full details.