What Is A High Roller
- A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish ' comps ' from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers, limousine use and use of the casinos' best suites.
- The High Roller has quickly become a must for any visitor to Vegas. Step aboard the world’s tallest observation wheel at 550ft tall and 520ft in diameter. Before getting on, make a pit stop at the bar and purchase a beverage to take onto the High Roller. Drink in hand, hop in your pod for a ride above the neon-lit landscape.
A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish 'comps' from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers, limousine use and use of the casinos' best suites. Casinos may also extend credit to a player to continue betting,[1] offer rebates on betting turnover or losses,[2] and salaries of employees may also contain incentive arrangements to bring in high rollers.[3]
The definition of a high roller varies. At Crown Casino in Australia, for example, it involves bringing between AUD$50,000 and $75,000 to the table.[4] High roller players often have very high table limits allowing the high roller exclusive use. Casinos compete on bet limits. In Australia limits of AUD$300,000 are common, in Las Vegas they are between US$150,000 and $300,000, and in Macau they are up to US$500,000. Only casinos with 'substantial financial firepower' can accommodate high-stakes gambling due to the volatility of results.[2]
High roller definition is - a person who spends freely in luxurious living. How to use high roller in a sentence. Synonyms for high-roller include spendthrift, profligate, squanderer, prodigal, waster, wastrel, spender, fritterer, overspender and dissipater. Find more similar.
High rollers may also be subject to exceptions from various rules and regulations; for example the high roller rooms at Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia are the only licensed venue in the state not subject to a ban on smoking.[5]
High rollers are said to provide only a small fraction of casino business. John Eidsmoe, in his book Legalized Gambling: America's Bad Bet, claims that it is actually gamblers from the lower and lower-middle classes in the United States that provide much of the gambling money. 'The occasional wealthy 'high roller' does indeed exist, but he is the exception, not the standard. The fact that more than 50% of Nevada's gambling income comes from slot machines as opposed to the card tables should be an indication high rollers are not the main source of revenue.'[6]
One example of a high roller is an Australian man who turned over more than AUD$1.5 billion in a 14-month period from 2005, becoming 'one of Crown's largest Australian players but not in the same league as [its] top international players'.[3] There have been many cases around the world where high rollers have committed fraud to provide funds for gambling beyond their means, after becoming seduced by the lifestyle.[1][7][8] This was the case with famed gambler Terrance Watanabe who reputedly lost over $220M in Las Vegas over a 5-year period, and was ultimately sued by Caesars Entertainment for failing to pay up on markers he took out during the binge totaling $14.75M.[9]
While high rollers may not provide a significant portion of the revenues in the casino industry as a whole, they can have a major effect on the net income of casinos that cater to them. There are significant costs associated with attracting the highest-stakes gamblers, so if a casino takes this risk and the high roller wins, the casino's expenses can be extremely large. Likewise, if the casino's investment pays off and the high roller loses, the casino's gain can far exceed its expenses for the high roller's visit.
Related to high rollers are low rollers. These are people who do not wager large amounts of money, but are nonetheless knowledgeable about gambling and enthusiastically participate in casino programs such as comps and loyalty programs. 'Low roller' may also refer to average casino patrons who are not high rollers.
References[edit]
- ^ abRichard C. Paddock (February 15, 2009). 'Debt finally topples a Las Vegas high roller'. Los Angeles Times. articles.latimes.com.
- ^ abKate Hagan (June 4, 2009). 'Crown defends high-roller enticements'. The Age. theage.com.au.
- ^ abMichael Warner (June 5, 2009). 'Court told of concealed gambling by Crown Casino'. Herald Sun. www.news.com.au. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009.
- ^Muriel Reddy (October 5, 2003). 'Betting $330,000 on the turn of a card - National - www.theage.com.au'. The Age. www.theage.com.au.
- ^Michael Warner (May 16, 2009). 'Second high-roller deal for Crown casino'. Herald Sun. www.news.com.au. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ^Eidsmoe, John Legalized Gambling; America's Bad Bet, 1994
- ^Anson Cameron (June 7, 2009). 'High-stakes gamblers and the luck delusion'. The Age. theage.com.au.
- ^Chee Chee Leung (August 28, 2004). 'Casino glamor seduced lonely man into $1m fraud'. The Age. theage.com.au.
- ^Vegas Guy (May 15, 2015). 'Casino whale stories and profiles of biggest high rollers'. Vegas Guy. www.vegasguy.com. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
External links[edit]
- The dictionary definition of high roller at Wiktionary
What Is A High Roller
noun
informalWhat Is A High Roller Gambler
North American A person who gambles or spends large sums of money.
- ‘corporate jets still ferry in high rollers to the tables of Caesar's Palace’
- ‘State regulators on July 10 approved the MGM Grand Hotel Casino's application for Nevada's first private gambling salon for high rollers.’
- ‘Think casino gambling and you think high rollers playing high-stakes games, dropping thousands of dollars a night.’
- ‘Named after the Tipperary stud farm they own, it refers to a group of immensely rich Irish high rollers who are gamblers by nature, trade and inclination.’
- ‘The VIP room will be monitored by tuxedo-clad security personnel and will offer high rollers a private hors d' oeuvre buffet.’
- ‘For Miami's high rollers, looks and money will get you everywhere.’
- ‘They were both high rollers, spread money around lavishly and had female hangers on wherever they went.’
- ‘Mr Quinlan, whose backers are mainly Irish high rollers, has approached the investment bank NM Rothschild.’
- ‘I admit, I'm no high roller and the most gambling I've ever done is low stakes poker with friends, but I am completely baffled by the overwhelming popularity of Internet gambling.’
- ‘If you're feeling lucky, and are ready for a bit of casino action, try a night out with the high rollers at one of our sophisticated gambling spots.’
- ‘And then there are the high rollers, representing chambers of commerce, big business, the healthcare, banking, and insurance industries.’
- ‘But more than that it confirmed the deep public suspicion that politics is a rotten business and politicians are eternally on the take to the corporate and big union high rollers.’
- ‘Plush, opulent and somewhat decadent, it used to be a popular hang-out of the city's hip gay crowd; now it caters to high rollers and moneyed movers of all persuasions.’
- ‘The only thing most people know about the most famous course in Las Vegas, Shadow Creek, is that the high rollers play there for free.’
- ‘After all, hedge funds had long been seen as the province of the financial world's high rollers.’
- ‘She knew soon Jose Marcel would come down to the pit and check in with his dealers and meet the high rollers.’
- ‘A real T-shirt-and-jeans kind of guy, he certainly doesn't look like a high roller, but American Express Co. knows better.’
- ‘Sure, he still felt like a high roller every time he got a direct deposit on his nearly $75,000 salary - double what his buddies in his native Salt Lake City make.’
- ‘He was not a high roller, but he enjoyed fine things.’
- ‘But often, these expensive products end up sitting on the shelf, gathering dust, waiting for the high roller to walk in the door.’
- ‘Don't pull out your wallet unless you're a high roller: Minimum investment is $100,000.’
Origin
With reference to rolling dice.