Gambling Whale Stories
In this opening episode of Cheating Vegas, we learn the classic tricks and scams that vegas cheaters pull to get away with millions. We learn how to spot a c. This story is being highlighted as one of Gamasutra's best stories of 2013. Discussion is focused around comparing free-to-play 'whale' spending with 'whale' spending in the gambling industry. Stories Of The Top Casino Whales Of All Time Adnan Khashoggi – an international arms dealer that stiffed the Ritz Casino in London, England for over £3.2M over 12 visits to the casinos in the 1980’s. In high stakes gambling, there are two terms which you should understand:”whale” and “high roller”. Generally, it’s assumed that a high roller is someone with a gambling budget of $100,000 to $1M for a regular 3-day weekend visit to the casino. The casino will consider you a whale if you begin to get over the $1M bankroll mark.
The “whales” of the social-gaming world are a mystery to most of us. As the biggest spenders, they make up a tiny group (think about 2 percent of audiences) that drives most of the revenue for publishers of these games. But the word “whale” isn’t a flattering term, and neither are the numbers associated with it. These are people, not just customers.
It’s easy to think of whales anonymously because we’re not quite sure who they are or how they think — they’re often elusive due to the stigma that surrounds them. We know they play social games, but are they social? Are their habits casual or obsessive? What kind of people are they?
Gambling Whale Stories Games
‘Whale’ has many meanings
Whales existed in online and mobile video games long before they started appearing in the West. Longtime game analyst Michael Pachter told GamesBeat that Asia has used free-to-play with microtransactions for 15 years, but it still feels like a relatively new phenomenon here as we wonder whether the business model holds a place in our future.
Today, the idea of a “whale” carries a different weight for each company. 5th Planet Games, a developer of social games for both casual and hardcore audiences, starts classifying its players as whales when they spend $100 or more a month. That’s a big jump from whales on Facebook, for instance, where social gamers could drop $25 per month to meet the same qualification.
5th Planet chief executive Robert Winkler revealed at the Game Developers Conference Online in 2012 that with its game Clash of the Dragons, 40 percent of revenue came from 2 percent of players who spent $1,000 or more. Ninety percent came from those who spent $100 or more, and the top whale had spent $6,700.
Other companies, like social casino developer Blitzoo, defines various categories of whales based on a combination of factors: total money spent, playtime, experience points earned in-game, and so on. Play sessions tend to be three or four times longer than what an average player’s would be.
But these are all still numbers, not faces or personalities. Winkler told us that a strong sense of community is important for encouraging whales to not only engage but also monetize, and that’s a clue to who they are as people.
“We’ve found that most players are more willing to spend money to help out their fellow gamers than to try to defeat them,” he said. “As an example, players who take part in our ‘guilds,’ or groups of players who come together to accomplish communal missions, are 8.5 times more likely to monetize than players who do not belong to a guild, and the ARPU [average revenue per user] of players in our guilds is 53 times higher than other players.”
For that reason, building community is a huge priority for 5th Planet. It’s a way to attract more whales and monetize more successfully.
“This could be by participating in your forums, by running contests and giveaways, by forming special guilds or councils, or simply by talking directly with your players and showing that you’re listening,” said Winkler. “When players feel like they’re part of community, they become more invested in the outcome of game. And when they’re more emotionally invested in the game, they’ll invest with their wallets as well.”
5th Planet declined to inform us whether their whales receive any special benefits, and as for whether these players subsidize the game for others, it only said, “As with any free-to-play game, there are a group of paying players, including whales, whose in-game [spending] allows game houses to bring new, fresh, and updated content to all players.” We were unable to acquire responses from the other companies we spoke with for this article.
Are whales different from ‘normal’ gamers?
Talking to whales isn’t easy; their habits and relationships with social-game publishers are touchy subjects. But as I found with one player, who goes by the handle “Bludex,” all you have to do is disarm their defenses a little. Aside from the amount he spends every month ($100 on average and sometimes as much as $400), he shares many of the same interests and concerns of regular gamers.
Like many whales, Bludex prefers to stick with one or two games — in his case, 5th Planet’s Clash of the Dragons (a free social massively multiplayer online role-playing card game) and Legacy of Heroes (a free collectible card game). He doesn’t stray much into other platforms.
“To me, a game is only as good as its following and associated community,” he said. “Without quick queue times for competitive events and a bustling forum, games tend to lose interest with me.”
He’s not exactly glued to his computer screen, though. Bludex says he plays for roughly 20 minutes in the morning and one to three hours in the evening. Just because he spends a lot of money doesn’t mean this routine conflicts with everyday living.
“When I’m at work, I barely have any time to think about games,” he said. “However, most of my social time with friends involves lots of gaming. Board games, card games, going to a casino, playing Magic [the Gathering], etc. So gaming is very important to my social life.”
Gambling Whale Stories Videos
That’s social life outside of games, not necessarily in them. Bludex supervises a network operations center for a large company and enjoys active pursuits like hiking and eating out at restaurants. That’s part of why he doesn’t prefer single-player experiences.
“I’m a social being at heart,” he said. “When there’s nobody to share my experience with — whether it be some friendly trash-talking or a virtual high-five of an accomplishment — the games just become less interesting.”
He doesn’t leave those friendships solely online, either. “I have friendships going on 10 years or more with people I game with online that I’ve almost all met in real life at some point or another,” he said. “I would definitely say gaming has been the main driver in my social life both online and offline.”
Like most dedicated gamers, Bludex actively follows news announcements related to the titles he plays, but frequent content additions are what keeps him coming back. With each break he took from Clash of the Dragons, for instance, he returned to check out a new update. And when he played World of Warcraft, he would quit for as long as a year — until Blizzard released a new expansion.
The more we talked, the more Bludex opened up about his passions and thoughts on current issues in the industry, but one question remained: How does it feel to be called a “whale”?
Casino Whales. They’re Big All Right.
Have you ever heard of a strange creature called a Casino Whale? This isn’t something you’re likely to see surfacing off the coast of Vancouver or the Cape of Good Hope. These boys and girls are to be found in the gambling palaces of Las Vegas, Macau and Monaco and they are BIG. Big Spenders that is, and the casinos love ’em.
Let’s take a look into their mysterious world, shall we?
Casino Whales is an industry term for big spending high rollers in the world of gambling. These players can regularly bet hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in a single session.
If you follow movie trends, you might think that roulette and poker players make up most of the numbers (something to do with the James Bond film perhaps?) And yes, there are many roulette whales, but the game of choice for your typical Casino Whale is baccarat, particularly in Macau. One of the world’s most famous whales, the late Kerry Packer, probably had a lot to do with this statistic.
In April 2017, a group of Casino Whales won $10million at the Wynn Palace Macau. Ouch!
Casino Whales have been known to bet as much as $5 million in one night – you can see why casinos bend over backwards to try and entice them through the doors. They are a double-edged sword though- some businesses over the years have had to issue profit warnings too their shareholders after a lucky run from one of their high roller punters.
In July 2017, for example, Casino tycoon Steve Wynnreported during a conference call with stock analysts, that a group of Baccarat Whales won $10 million in his Wynn Palace in Macau in April 2017. The win even shocked the casino billionaire. One of his leading casinos lost money for the entire month.
How to Fish For Casino Whales
So how do you attract a whale to your casino? They can be slippery, elusive mammals.
Well, lots of free stuff helps like free luxury limos, cash back on gambling losses, and a free credit card to shop with – that’s always good for persuading the other half to come along for the ride.
You might want to to organise a private concert with one of the Whales favourite bands, and you’ll need somewhere flash for them to stay such as the penthouse suites in the Cosmopolitan. If you bet big enough, you’ll be staying for free (a so called “comp”) or you at least get a fat discount.
Gambling Whale Stories Caught
The Nobu Penthouse at Caesars. Not too shabby.
Gambling Whale Stories Videos
If you want whales, you’ll also need a special place for them to play as they only like hanging out in smaller pods (with other whales mostly). So make sure you have some swish VIP tables, and string some purple rope across the entrance with a few big bouncers on the door.
Whales Like to Eat
Joël Robuchon in the MGM Grand should sort the Whales out from the Minnows. It has 3 Michelin stars and a meal here will set you back around $500. Unless you go crazy on the wine list, in wish you are looking at a considerably higher price tab.
Joël Robuchon
These whales don’t care much for plankton, but they do like their grub, so if you want them in your casino, you’ll need some fancy restaurants, preferably with some Michelin Stars. A meal will probably set you back about $500 by the way, but if you’re a Whale, you might get a freebie.
Other things to pull out of your hat include amazing views of the Strip, an exclusive check-in service, and guaranteed privacy during their stay,
Oh, it’s a Whale’s Life alright!