Loyalty programme value

A VIP tier is a purchase, not a gift

A loyalty programme's value is one subtraction: the rakeback percentage minus the house edge. If you play a game with a 1% edge and get 0.5% back on stakes, your effective cost is 0.5%. If the rakeback is 0.05%, practically nothing changes and the programme is marketing.

The other half is the required turnover. Reaching a higher tier means staking a certain amount, and that amount costs you the house edge on average. €100,000 of turnover in a game with a 1% edge costs an average of €1,000. The question is not "is the tier good" but "does the tier give back more than reaching it cost".

The calculation basis changes everything. Rakeback can be calculated on stakes or on the house edge. The same 5% means a hundredfold difference in those two cases — on €10,000 of turnover either €500 or €5. You will not find that difference in the marketing text; ask support in writing.

Cashback is a third thing. It is calculated on losses rather than stakes and is usually paid at the end of a period. Useful, but only when you are down — rakeback you get even when you win. Compare them with the cashback calculator.

What the programme does to you. A VIP tier is built to make you play more, and in many programmes the tier drops when turnover falls. If you notice you are playing for the tier rather than for the game, the programme has achieved its goal — take the self-assessment and see the VIP programme comparison, which records which ones have public numbers and which do not.