Casino, how does it work?

[pooky303]

Hi, I am fairly new to cruising and have never used the casino on-board. My friend and I have booked a cruise on the Regal Princess and fancied going to the casino, but I'm struggling to understand how it works? I see pictures of fruit machine type games which is I'm sure all we would have a go at. But how do you pay? Do you need £1 coins? $1 bills? Etc. I didn't want to get onboard and then need to buy cash, I'd rather take it with me. Thanks in advance, you can probably tell I've never gambled before either lol. 

[davemorton]

You use your cruise card on the machines, no cash in the machines.  You can use cash or your cruise card for the tables but it will be $.

[johnnylikely]

10 minutes ago, pooky303 said:

Hi, I am fairly new to cruising and have never used the casino on-board. My friend and I have booked a cruise on the Regal Princess and fancied going to the casino, but I'm struggling to understand how it works? I see pictures of fruit machine type games which is I'm sure all we would have a go at. But how do you pay? Do you need £1 coins? $1 bills? Etc. I didn't want to get onboard and then need to buy cash, I'd rather take it with me. Thanks in advance, you can probably tell I've never gambled before either lol. 

 

Exciting! The casino odds on a cruise ship are likely worse than on land as they have a captive audience so be prepared to lose lol

 

As davemorton said- you can use your cabin card and charge it otherwise I think you'll probably be able to use dollar bills- when it's time to get your money I think you have to transfer your balance to your cruise card or you get a slip of paper with your balance on- in any case you'll need to go to the cashier desk and they'll give you your cash back in dollars

[skynight]

Slots

Use your medallion and the play is charged to your on board account. There are instructions on each machine which requires log in and selection of the amount you wish to play/risk. Some slots have the option of inserting cash, US$. When your are finished you cash out by placing your medallion in the circle (may not have to do this) and push the cash out icon. The payout goes into your casino account. You then visit the cashier window to collect your cash.

Table games

Charge to your on board account by providing your medallion to the pit boss. Mention how much you want, example US$100. Dealer will then provide you with US$100 in chips. You can also just drop cash onto the table, lets say US$100. Dealer will then provide you with US$100 in chips. When finished visit the cashier to cash out the chips for cash.

You can retain slot balances on your account from day to day and cash out at the end of the cruise. You can also hold chips until the end of the cruise. But, there will be a deadline. Any funds not cashed out by the deadline will be lost.

[pooky303]

Wow thanks so much for all your help. I am using a credit card for our account which doesn't charge for currency conversion (Halifax Clarity) so hopefully this will be ok. Didn't really want to purchase US$ if I didn't need to as unlikely to use them elsewhere in the future. I think I will just use my card. Thanks for all the advice!

[JF - retired RRT]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Any funds not cashed out by the deadline will be lost.

@pooky303 Very important to know💯

Edited June 20, 2021 by JF - retired RRT

[neverbeenhere]

How it works: You give “them” money. You hit plastic buttons, roll dice, or touch cards. You go back to your stateroom without the money you gave to “them”.  
 

Enjoy your cruise. 

[Thrak]

Remember: You need to cash out any winnings the day before your cruise ends.

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, neverbeenhere said:

How it works: You give “them” money. You hit plastic buttons, roll dice, or touch cards. You go back to your stateroom without the money you gave to “them”.  

If you give them enough money...

 

They will give your your next cruise at a discount rate, to give you the opportunity to give them more money.

It is very thoughtful of the cruiseline to do this!

 

As a blackjack dealer in vegas once told the table I happened to be sitting at:

 

"They didn't build these hotels on the backs of winners."

 

And, I thought I was negative at my job!

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

8 hours ago, davemorton said:

You use your cruise card on the machines, no cash in the machines.  You can use cash or your cruise card for the tables but it will be $.

You can put cash in the machines but when you cash out you will get a ticket.

[MishelleMcc]

As others have said... No cash...  all transactions go on  your Cruise card which is secured by your Credit Card...  Even table play is cruise card for chips... 

 

We aren't huge gamblers but were offered a great rate + huge casino credit of $350 EACH on our next cruise in Jan 2022!  So, yeah, the new ship builds aren't done on the backs of winners!  Ha!

 

Our 2023 Cruise hasn't been given casino credit yet...  It will be be based on how much we play (loose) in 2022...  😜

 

I like to be entertained so I always turn the volume up on the machines... When I went gambling with friends last winter, if they found a machine with high volume, they said:  "yup, Mishelle has been here already."

 

Also, when researching Casinos at Sea for a "slot pull" on our last cruise, I read a lot of different opinions regarding "winner odds".  I suspect it's slightly in favor of the cruise line (not regulated like Nevada) but no one would play if there weren't winners so enjoy yourself!  Someone is going to win, right?

Edited June 20, 2021 by MishelleMcc
add

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

You can put cash in the machines but when you cash out you will get a ticket.

 

You do not get a "ticket".  Winnings are added back to your card (or medallion????).  Be sure to "cash out"/return funds to medallion before you leave the slot.  You can also add "extra" credit via the slot machines.  It will be charged to your On Board Account.  When you cash out, you will receive funds in US dollars.

[famski740]

If you have chips and cash them out, they will give you US dollars.

 

If as you say you will not need to use US dollars again, go to the quest services desk and use these dollars to pay down your on-board account.

[Papa Yoda]

 

Also, use the Casino as a free ATM with benefits.  If you get cash back or points on your credit card - those will be earned as well.  Go to a machine, create and charge your casino account, play a bit, cash-out and go to the cage to get cash.

 

All the machines on Princess will take US cash $1-$100.  As noted, payouts go on your casino account.  The tables (BlackJack and those other games) with a live dealer will take cash or can charge your casino account for chips.

 

NB:  the casino doesn't count your losses or even your winnings for future perks - only your "drop":

 

"For a casino, the drop is the money (or credit) exchanged for chips."

 

Also what you charged on the slots or other tables.  So the more you churn through - even if you never play much of it, will be counted towards your drop.

[matadams4u]

Lots of good advice here.

 

1. Currency depends on where the ship is or is going but charging to your account is probably the simplest although I do use USD when it is available..

2.  Even if you gamble a little you can get some decent offers on future cruises.

3.  I have not been very lucky but have stayed within my budget.  Video poker has a higher denom for maximum play - the equivalent of playing 50 cent machines in Vegas.  
4.  The casino is a bit stingy on drinks but now that beverage packages are pretty standard not really an issue.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

You do not get a "ticket".  Winnings are added back to your card (or medallion????).  Be sure to "cash out"/return funds to medallion before you leave the slot.  You can also add "extra" credit via the slot machines.  It will be charged to your On Board Account.  When you cash out, you will receive funds in US dollars.

Sorry, I don’t know why I said that. The ticket is in Vegas.  I know on the ship that it goes back to my account. There are two separate accounts one for onboard spending and the other for the casino.  It’s been a rough day.

[cr8tiv1]

6 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Sorry, I don’t know why I said that. The ticket is in Vegas.  I know on the ship that it goes back to my account. There are two separate accounts one for onboard spending and the other for the casino.  It’s been a rough day.

 

It's okay...I have many of those days.  This past week has been a huge collection of them.

 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

There are two separate accounts one for onboard spending and the other for the casino. 

 

Correct.

 

And it is the casino account that must be cashed out (if you have a balance) at the casino cashier window by the last day that the casino is open or the balance will be lost.

[Lucky TGO]

13 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

How it works: You give “them” money. You hit plastic buttons, roll dice, or touch cards. You go back to your stateroom without the money you gave to “them”.  
 

Enjoy your cruise. 

Neverbeenhere you know a lot about Casino gambling because all my friends do it the same way as you.😳😁😁.

Tony

[skynight]

13 hours ago, MishelleMcc said:

As others have said... No cash...  all transactions go on  your Cruise card which is secured by your Credit Card...  Even table play is cruise card for chips... 

Pre-pandemic you could use cash. For table games just place the cash on the table. The dealer announces the amount and then provides you with chips. Slot machines will also accept cash. On our last pre-pandemic cruise we had a slot pull. Each participant donated $20. The cash was then inserted into the slot machine. Payouts are not cash. The payout amount is placed into your casino account accessed by your medallion. You can then exchange for cash at the cashier window.

 

[USCcruisecrazy]

18 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

If you give them enough money...

 

They will give your your next cruise at a discount rate, to give you the opportunity to give them more money.

It is very thoughtful of the cruiseline to do this!

 

As a blackjack dealer in vegas once told the table I happened to be sitting at:

 

"They didn't build these hotels on the backs of winners."

 

And, I thought I was negative at my job!

 

Pit Boss in Vegas told me years ago that the Casino/Hotels are bought and paid for by the slot machines.  The Table games are just a side attraction.

[skynight]

40 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Pit Boss in Vegas told me years ago that the Casino/Hotels are bought and paid for by the slot machines.  The Table games are just a side attraction.

Correct. Casino income on slots range from around 10% on the 1 cent machines to maybe just a few percent on the higher dollar machines. 75 years or more ago it was the slots that were the side attraction for wives of the table game players. Time has flipped the two. Slots are now the main source of casino income, which is why they take up the most floor space. Table games house percentages range from around 1% for craps to say 8% on roulette with all kinds of variations based on betting. It is easier to win at a craps table than at a slot machine. But, you have to risk more and can loose hundreds in just a few rolls. Like any casino game you have to know when to stop.

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Pit Boss in Vegas told me years ago that the Casino/Hotels are bought and paid for by the slot machines.  The Table games are just a side attraction.

when visiting casino's' I tend to stay with the side attraction part of the equation. The return for my time and financial investment has better odds 😄

Edited June 21, 2021 by c-boy

[USCcruisecrazy]

2 minutes ago, c-boy said:

when visiting casino's' I tend to stay with the side attraction part of the equation. The return for my time and financial investment has better odds 😄

Yeah, I do too.  Much more fun rolling dice or a good card game.  Definitely better odds, especially if you play at a table with skilled players. 

[suzyed]

On 6/20/2021 at 9:59 AM, pooky303 said:

Wow thanks so much for all your help. I am using a credit card for our account which doesn't charge for currency conversion (Halifax Clarity) so hopefully this will be ok. Didn't really want to purchase US$ if I didn't need to as unlikely to use them elsewhere in the future. I think I will just use my card. Thanks for all the advice!

You can also use cash in the slot machines.  At least that was the case up until our last cruise on the Coral last year.   I don't know if the Medallion changes that, but I wouldn't think it should.