My sister has sent me many emails she's received for casino shops.
They typically require a hotel stay and lots of out of pocket costs (some up to $2,000 US)!!

So I wanted to get some info on them, if you've ever done them - or if you've done them and won a lot of $$ gambling.

If it's worth it. Etc. I'm fully aware that the reports are extensive, that's not my concern. Just if they are actually fun and worth it.

Thanks!

I think they are worth it. Lots if tasks to do but manageable. Go for it!!

I love them, but there is definitely a learning curve. My first couple of casino shops were not very much fun because I was stressed about doing all the interactions, getting timings right, etc. Once I found my groove, I found them fun and enjoyable.

I shopped the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. They do hotel shops and they do casino shops (one or the other); I did a casino shop. Odds are so bad you won't win any money, but if you like the atmosphere of a casino, it's not too difficult to shop. You have to log every interaction, quoting what was said, who said it, and what time they said it.

They have dropped the fee since I shopped it. It was worth it when I did it though.

Agreed on the Hard Rock shops not being worth the price they are paying. However, I live in an area with lots of casinos and there are other ones that pay over triple the going rate for Hard Rock shops for the same amount of work.

We do casino shops for Bestmark and HS brands. The pay is good, even though the forms do take time. My suggestion is to try one and see how you like it. I agree with TowerOrchard in that the first one was very nerve racking, but after 2 years, we can't wait to be assigned casino shops.

I have shopped casinos in four states. The worst was 8 different full interactions for $75.00 and the buffet. Kind of like Ikea, and Ikea had better food and fewer drunks. The best I have seen require your money up front, and play at high limit tables. Yes I have had some good sessions, but don't count on winning to supplement your pay. Most of the games are just voluntary taxes paid by people who are bad at math.

I have done casino jobs for 5 different companies. The reports varied widely in pay, reimbursements and difficulty. One paid well, but didn't reimburse for food or gambling although it required both. However, the report was a series of check marks and a brief summary that could be done in less than an hour. Another paid about the same and reimbursed food and drinks, but only required observations with few interactions. Then there's the one that reimburses and pays the best: A fee with a bonus for a quick turnaround, reimbursed food, drinks, gambling, valets and the gift shop, BUT a killer report that is super redundant and detailed--EVERYTHING must be restated in the narrative, positive or negative. Takes me hours to do, but you get 48. No hotel stays on any of mine.

Sandi , the good one you mentioned with the lengthy report is the one I'm getting emails about and thinking hard about giving them a shot or not.
My massage shops take hours writing long narratives for every single part of the shop but I have gotten pretty good at them. I'll keep thinking about the casino ones. Might be a fun/interesting/stressful date thing like all the other fun shops I take my husband on!

I have done three different casinos for three different MS companies. One I continue to do regularly, it is specific to one main gambling aspect (either poker, black jack or slots), and two visits to either the cashier/housekeeping/players club. The last two take approximately 2 minutes each, and they want you to play for an hour. It pays $24 + up to $100 in losses, but you can keep anything you win. I love these shops, they are super easy and allow me gamble on someone else's dime. They also have separate dining shops, which you can pick up simultaneously if you choose.

The second one was Hard Rock, which they allow one shop something like every 3 years. It involved a generous reimbursement for all games, alcoholic drinks, and dinner for 2. Mine involved a healthy bonus, so it was a really good shop for me.

The third was actually the first casino shop I have ever taken (should have put these in a different order) and it was horrible! They only provided a very small amount of reimbursement, which did not allow you to play for the required time before you were out of money. $10 for slots, and I had to sit there for over 20 minutes waiting for a waitress. I felt like a complete buffoon playing one penny at a time so I wouldn't run out of money. At one black jack table I was out of money well before a waitress ever even came into sight. I was so stressed out. The report wanted to know every single item I ate off the buffet with a full description. I was sick to my stomach in the next few days before the report was finalized. However, it did pay very well. Now that I have a better understanding of how things work, I think I would do another one and it would be much smoother. The fee sure makes me think about it every month, and I just got an email about a huge bonus on of them. I would take shift one, as it would be less busy and easier to get a waitress than the second shift I had taken and they were packed!

Hello all, I just signed up here. I started mystery shopping just a couple months ago. I registered with several agencies but have not come across shops for casinos yet.

I'm in the Tampa Bay area and would love to shop the Hard Rock. Which agencies offer these shops?

Thanks for all you help.

I wouldn't know who shops casinos in your area. The easiest thing is to use the search feature here. Put in casino or casino shops and be sure to change it to "all dates." There should be some mystery shopping companies mentioned. At one time both Bare International and Bestmark each shopped a chain. I don't know if they still do. You will be able to find the names of the companies, but nobody will post which company works with which casino brand. It violates our independent contractor agreements and the forum guidelines.

Casinos are owned by Native Americans, so the mystery shopping company will vary with the tribe. One mystery shopping company does all the casinos owned by the Sac and Fox tribe of Oklahoma. Another mystery shopping company does all the casinos owned by the Osage tribe. I can't name the MSCs because all you'd have to do is look up the casinos owned by the tribes I mentioned.

The Hard Rock Hotel works with different tribes. In Florida I believe it's the Seminoles that owns the casino. In Oklahoma it's the Cherokee Nation. Since different MSCs work with different tribes, wouldn't the MSCs for the Hard Rock be different?

towncountry, you say you've registered with several agencies. You need to register with a whole lot more to find out where all the shops are. I'm registered with over 50. Also, depending on how some MSCs filter their sites, you might not be able to see the casino shops until you get more experience under your belt. Good luck!

BTW, one limitation I didn't see mentioned above. For the Sac and Fox casino shops, if you win a jackpot over $600, you can only keep $600. The rest has to be returned.

Thanks for your reply.

50 agencies? LOL I'm only half way there.

Most of us are registered with anywhere from 125 to 200

Niteowl--I did not think that all casinos are only owned by Native Americans. That is news to me!