Penny-pinching gambling

Ever since I went to Marina Bay Sands casino for the first time in June, 2010, I’ve been an MBS Premier Advantage red card member, which is the lowest of the low among MBS Premier Advantage membership categories.

The next levels are Gold, Platinum and Diamond respectively.

I had signed up first and foremost because it’s free and is supposed to give me freebies, tho I never really knew what these were at the time of signing up.

Later, I discovered I could redeem the horrendously expensive $24 parking charge by using up some of the Premier $ that resulted from “points” I earned by gambling in the casino.

Since I’ve already visited the casino a grand total of 7 times with the last visit on Jan 17 (other visits: twice in June, once in July and December and three times so far in January), I decided to explore a bit more on what
exactly my Premier red card delivers.

So, I logged onto my membership account tonight and discovered

1) I had accumulated 80 points that left me 308 points short of the next level of membership — a gold card that needed 388 points to qualify. As it has taken me almost a year to earn about 25% of the required points for elevation, it will likely take me another three years of the same level of gambling to get upgraded!

2) At my membership level, every 10 points translates into $5 premier. That means I should have a total of $40 premier. However, I’ve had six free parking passes, which at $4 premier per parking pass (one wasted because I misplaced it just be4 I exited the carpark) must have eaten $24 premier. So the balance of $16 premier in my account tallies.

What I’m really curious about is just how much one must gamble to earn 1 gambling point? Can’t find any info on the MBS website. Nor was I any wiser after asking at one of the membership service counters at MBS, the last time I was there.

So I’m left to guess: Is 1 gambling point equal to $100 gambled?

If so, my 80 points would reflect having pumped $8,000 into the slot machines (my only mode of gambling) or more than $1,000 per visit.

But I’ve only been down at max $350 — and only once on Jan 2 — and lost much much smaller amounts on two other occasions, while coming out quite handsomely on the other four. So most of the gambling points earned must have come from the constant recycling of my capital and that of the casino!

Yes, MBS?

Sixth visit & biggest win so far

It’s exactly the sort of day the doctor would have ordered, if I were under the eye of a doctor — which thankfully I’m not.

What I want to say is that today I did things I want to do in the way I want to do them, with no ifs or buts.
I met up for lunch with LW, KL and MK2, the latter two whom I haven’t seen since July 2010 when KL took a room at the Marina Bay Sands and MK2 and I among his many friends went along to look-see and get a freebie gander of the Sky Park.

After lunch, LW and I headed off to run an errand; thereafter we split, she Ang Mo Kio and I decided to head for the MBS casino -- for my 6th visit since its opening -- where I had dropped about $350 (X!!!&**@ff?) after going there from Z’s birthday lunch on Jan 2.

I had some $37 worth of voucher left over from that loss to be used within the month or else see that paper go to waste. (So the actual loss was $350-$37).

Fortunately, today’s outing was a complete success as I won a gross amount of  $620! Which leaves me beaming from ear to ear, and with some fresh capital (after offsetting losses from the Jan 2 visit) for the next round which alas, given my calendar, will not be till after mid-January!