Today junket casino tours become more and more popular. Now let me explain what it is for those who don’t know about them. According to Oxford Dictionary, the word “junket” means 1) a dish of sweetened and flavoured curds of milk 2) an extravagant trip or celebration, in particular one enjoyed by government officials at public expense. The Merriam Webster explains this word as follows: a: a festive social affair; b : trip, journey: as (1) : a trip made by an official at public expense (2) : a promotional trip made at another’s expense.
Junket Tours Throughout Decades
Junket tours started in the mid-1950s in the USA. Their aim was to encourage people to gamble in Las Vegas. That time junket programs include free airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, shows and more. Players in their turn engaged themselves to play casino games a certain number of hours per day at a definite average bet size. The casinos were sure that the players would lose more than casinos spent on their travelling, accommodation and meal. Similar tours have long and successfully practiced to Monte Carlo and Baden-Baden as well. Not long ago junket casino tours became popular in Eastern Europe and China. The popularity of such tours often grows after a country prohibits gambling and opens special places for casino activity.
What Stands Behind “Junket”
A junket tour is all-expense-paid trip for casino players. It is part of casino’s marketing strategy. There are independent junket reps (representatives) that are the intermediate party between casinos and proven VIP players. These people make all the arrangements and accompany the gamblers. There is a special rating that casinos assign to each VIP player. This rating is based on the equation: (casino’s theoretical profit) = (gambler’s average bet) x (hands (spins) per hour) x (hours played) x (casino edge). This rating defines several things like: flat fee, percentage of front money, commission on dead/live chips, percentage of player’s loss, or casino’s theoretical win. Junkets are not organized in peak seasons and at weekends. The reason is that fares, accommodation costs rise, therefore marginal costs grow as well. This becomes unprofitable for casinos.
How To Choose A Casino Junket Tour?
If you want to go on a junket tour, think it over carefully. Choose it as you usually choose a casino to play. Pay attention to its safety, reliability, travel company and services they include. Read carefully the terms of the contract. Compare as many offers on the market as you can. Find reviews in specialized forums and ask contact persons. Choose a junkets casino carefully because this all is about your safety and entertainment.
