There is a casino shop with around $750 in gambling outlay, a hotel for two nights, valet, food, and who knows what else. The MSC will not show you the form or list of interactions. If the MSC doesn't accept the shop, this would be multiple days of work and lots of money lost. Has anyone done something like this?

@SoCalMama

@Niner wrote:

There is a casino shop with around $750 in gambling outlay, a hotel for two nights, valet, food, and who knows what else. The MSC will not show you the form or list of interactions. If the MSC doesn't accept the shop, this would be multiple days of work and lots of money lost. Has anyone done something like this?

Yes, I did shops with over $3000 to shell out between the hotel room, gambling, dining, bars, and so on. You have to trust the mystery shopping company with which you work on those. I've never had any issues getting reimbursed, but those shops are not for beginners. There's tons of details to remember and things to note, the best way to manage those shops is to be extremely organized. They're fun, but a lot of work. The MSC will usually work with you and have someone available with their cellphone to answer any questions you might have while on location. I shopped once a casino in Las Vegas around Christmas time, and lots of outlets were closing for the holiday period, the MSC communicated with me throughout the stay to adjust the shop.

The MSC that’s been posting hotel/casino shops also takes it’s time paying shoppers. Just another consideration- waiting 90+ days for payment.

I have not completed this type of shop for the MSC. However, I have completed other shop types for them. This company has always paid as promised.

I would say: if you feel good about your ability to complete the assignment, are comfortable with the covid levels in the general area, and can afford to wait for payment, go for it.

I have done these as well. Agree with SoCal, it's not for beginners but it's not impossible. My credit card charges were reversed fairly quickly but I had to wait about two months for reimbursement of non charged items. I'm fine with me because I have the funds to deal with it and it's an MSC that I trust.

I can outlay the money, it's more not knowing how much work is involved and I could think of other uses for 1k if something did go sideways.

@foodluvr wrote:

I have done these as well. Agree with SoCal, it's not for beginners but it's not impossible. My credit card charges were reversed fairly quickly but I had to wait about two months for reimbursement of non charged items. I'm fine with me because I have the funds to deal with it and it's an MSC that I trust.

Ah, did I respond? But, that's what I would have said. Not for beginners. You generally cannot miss any interactions. If you do, plan on staying to complete them. You could be stuck there an extra day or you could choose to not get paid. The client pays good money for a complete report, not a pile of excuses. Make it happen. Poker room comes to mind. If there are not enough players, they won't open a table. Miss a graveyard interaction because they closed at midnight? You'll have to wait until 11 PM the next day to get it. Sucks when that happens. Oh, some clients want a mix of table games. I had to learn "Let It Ride" on my laptop and then go downstairs to play it. In the first five minutes, I caught a dealer error. Damn it if they did not have to watch the video. I was right. What are the odds that I am going to have to challenge a dealer on a game I just learned how to play a few minutes earlier? My heart was ready to explode in my chest.

I usually pull $2000 in cash. Weird combos of bills. $1000 in $100's (if you don't know why, you aren't qualified to do table games) and 2 x $50 of $1's for tips. The rest is a mixture of $5's and $20's. Never take a $50 into a casino. That's trouble.

It could be one of a few MSC's. One of the big MSC's gets hundreds of applications, but is really waiting for just one of a couple of their best shoppers to apply in most cases.

So, I really could not answer as to the likelihood of not being reimbursed without knowing the MSC.
Even within the MSC, different clients have different rules. Some let you keep winnings, and some require that they are returned. Losses are reimbursed at different schedules as well. Depends on many factors. 75% of the time, I end up ahead, so that's a nice big bonus when I keep it right under the wire. $250 shop fee plus $1199 winnings is a nice payday.

That being said, no amount of money would get me into a casino right now. I went to Las Vegas in October. I never stepped inside a casino. I could have been in Phoenix for as much gambling as I did. It's like a 2-digit IQ club convention in the casinos right now. People not wearing masks properly, no physical distancing, ignorance. Hard pass.

It's a huge investment - the cash for gambling plus hotel and food, you're looking at $3k+. On the plus side it's an awesome way to get credit card points for the places that reimburse you instead of reversing the charge. They are extremely hard because there are so many staff interactions involved! I wonder though if they would be easier during this time of COVID because there would be fewer interactions, fewer players at gambling tables, and limited services available. In Maryland I saw a last minute hotel/casino shop but the week before that the state closed down all indoor dining and drinking, including casinos. Plus no housekeeping in hotels.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2020 05:01PM by hotsauce1.

@SoCalMama wrote:

@foodluvr wrote:

I have done these as well. Agree with SoCal, it's not for beginners but it's not impossible. My credit card charges were reversed fairly quickly but I had to wait about two months for reimbursement of non charged items. I'm fine with me because I have the funds to deal with it and it's an MSC that I trust.

Ah, did I respond? But, that's what I would have said. Not for beginners. You generally cannot miss any interactions. If you do, plan on staying to complete them. You could be stuck there an extra day or you could choose to not get paid. The client pays good money for a complete report, not a pile of excuses. Make it happen. Poker room comes to mind. If there are not enough players, they won't open a table. Miss a graveyard interaction because they closed at midnight? You'll have to wait until 11 PM the next day to get it. Sucks when that happens. Oh, some clients want a mix of table games. I had to learn "Let It Ride" on my laptop and then go downstairs to play it. In the first five minutes, I caught a dealer error. Damn it if they did not have to watch the video. I was right. What are the odds that I am going to have to challenge a dealer on a game I just learned how to play a few minutes earlier? My heart was ready to explode in my chest.

I usually pull $2000 in cash. Weird combos of bills. $1000 in $100's (if you don't know why, you aren't qualified to do table games) and 2 x $50 of $1's for tips. The rest is a mixture of $5's and $20's. Never take a $50 into a casino. That's trouble.

It could be one of a few MSC's. One of the big MSC's gets hundreds of applications, but is really waiting for just one of a couple of their best shoppers to apply in most cases.

So, I really could not answer as to the likelihood of not being reimbursed without knowing the MSC.
Even within the MSC, different clients have different rules. Some let you keep winnings, and some require that they are returned. Losses are reimbursed at different schedules as well. Depends on many factors. 75% of the time, I end up ahead, so that's a nice big bonus when I keep it right under the wire. $250 shop fee plus $1199 winnings is a nice payday.

That being said, no amount of money would get me into a casino right now. I went to Las Vegas in October. I never stepped inside a casino. I could have been in Phoenix for as much gambling as I did. It's like a 2-digit IQ club convention in the casinos right now. People not wearing masks properly, no physical distancing, ignorance. Hard pass.

So why do these during non-Covid times?

@Niner wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

@foodluvr wrote:

I have done these as well. Agree with SoCal, it's not for beginners but it's not impossible. My credit card charges were reversed fairly quickly but I had to wait about two months for reimbursement of non charged items. I'm fine with me because I have the funds to deal with it and it's an MSC that I trust.

Ah, did I respond? But, that's what I would have said. Not for beginners. You generally cannot miss any interactions. If you do, plan on staying to complete them. You could be stuck there an extra day or you could choose to not get paid. The client pays good money for a complete report, not a pile of excuses. Make it happen. Poker room comes to mind. If there are not enough players, they won't open a table. Miss a graveyard interaction because they closed at midnight? You'll have to wait until 11 PM the next day to get it. Sucks when that happens. Oh, some clients want a mix of table games. I had to learn "Let It Ride" on my laptop and then go downstairs to play it. In the first five minutes, I caught a dealer error. Damn it if they did not have to watch the video. I was right. What are the odds that I am going to have to challenge a dealer on a game I just learned how to play a few minutes earlier? My heart was ready to explode in my chest.

I usually pull $2000 in cash. Weird combos of bills. $1000 in $100's (if you don't know why, you aren't qualified to do table games) and 2 x $50 of $1's for tips. The rest is a mixture of $5's and $20's. Never take a $50 into a casino. That's trouble.

It could be one of a few MSC's. One of the big MSC's gets hundreds of applications, but is really waiting for just one of a couple of their best shoppers to apply in most cases.

So, I really could not answer as to the likelihood of not being reimbursed without knowing the MSC.
Even within the MSC, different clients have different rules. Some let you keep winnings, and some require that they are returned. Losses are reimbursed at different schedules as well. Depends on many factors. 75% of the time, I end up ahead, so that's a nice big bonus when I keep it right under the wire. $250 shop fee plus $1199 winnings is a nice payday.

That being said, no amount of money would get me into a casino right now. I went to Las Vegas in October. I never stepped inside a casino. I could have been in Phoenix for as much gambling as I did. It's like a 2-digit IQ club convention in the casinos right now. People not wearing masks properly, no physical distancing, ignorance. Hard pass.

So why do these during non-Covid times?

Me? I have never had one denied. I'm quite good at these. I have done the test-shop or first-shop pretty often to land the client. I usually get to keep my winnings, depending on the arrangement. The MSC pays for my travel. 2-3 days in a nice hotel and all meals and drinks paid. I am very comfortable in a casino, so it's not much like work to me. It also depends on the fee. I expect a minimum of $500 for this type of shop. Not every client contract allows for that. Not every job is difficult either. Lots of things to factor into the equation. $3000+ in expenses paid and a big fee, makes it worth it to me in many cases. There are lots of little casino & hotel jobs that pay less that don't require a lot of skill.

That makes sense. This pays around $125, two nights in a hotel and food is covered. You have to return anything over $500 in winnings. Hopefully, that would be after they accepted the job and paid you, otherwise you would be paying them for the privilege of working.

So what did you decide, Niner? Taking the shop (and doing the $1K outlay) or not?

I don't think it's worth it right now, so I will pass. I've been valuing my time more than money these days.

I also had done several casino shops in MD until the company apparently fired the MSC. These were great because I also could keep any winnings, but yes a good amount of work involved. Now I'm seeing another MSC with a couple different casino locations, one of which you can't keep ANY winnings, and the other you can. I will NEVER do a casino shop that doesn't allow you to keep winnings. But this one they're offering does but I still don't know how much work is involved. $125 pay, $25 bonus.....but worth it?