MGM M life Rewards, Looking to Lure More Players, Will Match Loyalty Program Tiers

Posted on: September 2, 2020, 04:18h. 

Last updated on: September 3, 2020, 09:32h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

In a bid to gain more players and pilfer some business from rivals along the way, MGM Resorts International’s M life Rewards will match guests’ tier status from competing customer loyalty programs through the end of this year.

MGM Will Match Loyalty Programs
Hoping to lure more customers to venues such as Bellagio, seen here, MGM M life Rewards will match tiers from other players’ clubs. (Image: Reuters)

The promotion is open to current and new M life members and is available in most states in which the gaming company operates. Only specified loyalty programs and tiers will be accepted.

In order to participate in the promotion, a participant must visit a participating M life Rewards desk in-person and produce and present his/her valid competitor loyalty card (with his/her name printed on the card) from an eligible competitor program (together with his/her valid government-issued photo identification) to receive his/her Tier Match in the M life Program,” according to MGM.

News of the tier match program emerges just days after MGM reopened the Mirage, one of its more iconic Las Vegas Strip venues, and just days before the Labor Day holiday, which is usually one of the busiest weekends of the year in the largest US gaming hub.

Regional Rules

In Nevada, M life Rewards tier match will be extended to members of a slew of other loyalty programs, including Caesars Rewards, arguably the most direct rival to M life because MGM and Caesars are the two largest Strip operators.

Caesars was recently acquired by Eldorado Resorts and the buyer’s rewards plan is being blended into Caesars Rewards. MGM is extending tier match to players with select statuses accrued at the old Eldorado Northern Nevada properties.

Assuming they meet certain requirements, patrons of rewards plans from Boyd Gaming, Golden Nugget, Las Vegas Sands, and Penn National Gaming venues in and around Sin City are eligible for M life’s tier match. Interestingly, Wynn Rewards members aren’t eligible for the M life tier program in Nevada.

That’s also the case in Massachusetts, where Wynn owns Encore Boston Harbor and MGM runs MGM Springfield. Customers of Plainridge Park Casino (PPC), a slots-only venue controlled by Penn, are eligible for the MGM tier match in the Bay State.

In Atlantic City, NJ, where MGM operates the Borgata, players from the Caesars, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Ocean Casino, and Resorts Casino loyalty programs, if they are at certain status levels, can participate in the M life matching plan.

Perhaps in a bid to lure more players to its Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York venues, MGM is opening the tier match effort to Pennsylvania gamblers, even though the operator doesn’t control a casino in the Keystone State.

Targeting Tribal Operators, Too

The M life Rewards effort to lure more customers isn’t solely focused on rival commercial gaming firms. It’s targeting tribal operators in some states, too, notably California and Connecticut.

Both states make sense. In the case of the Constitution State, which is home to two tribal casinos, MGM needs to win some of that business to shore up struggling MGM Springfield.

As for the Golden State, that area accounts for nearly one-in-five visitors to Las Vegas. Members of players clubs at seven California tribal casinos can participate in the M life match plan.

M life Rewards has 34 million members, making it one of the largest programs of its kind.