do comps count as winnings or am i just coping
Genuine question for the degens here. Do you count comps and cashback as "winnings" or is that mental accounting nonsense?
I got into a semi-heated thing with my brother-in-law over Thanksgiving about this. I had a pretty rough month at the casino (down like 4 figures, don't wanna say exactly because it makes me feel worse typing it). But when he asked how I was doing, I said, "Eh, basically break even," because I factored in host offers, a comped steakhouse dinner for me and my wife, a free room for two nights, and some random cashback stuff I had going on from my regular spending outside the casino. I had a couple of purchases earn cashback that morning, which put me in a decent mood before the conversation started.
He lost his mind. Said comps aren't real money, they're a marketing expense the casino writes off, and that if I wouldn't have bought the steak dinner on my own, then getting it "free" isn't saving me anything, it's just the casino paying me back a fraction of what I lost with extra steps.
And like... I hear him. I do. But I also genuinely would have taken my wife somewhere nice that weekend regardless, so to me that's a real ~$200 I didn't spend. Same with the room. The free play I agree is fake money until it's cashed out.
Where do you guys draw the line? Do you track your yearly P/L with comps included or strictly cash in, cash out? Because if it's strictly cash, I have to admit I'm a way worse gambler than I tell myself I am, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that lol.