The tremendous nationwide scope of Harrah's gaming empire reaches into every major market and population center, something the company took skilled advantage of to perfect the art of cross-marketing among its various properties by making the brand Total Rewards synonymous with Harrah's.

Starting this Sunday and continuing through Nov. 10, Horseshoe Hammond is giving Total Rewards members a chance to win a Bentley Continental GT, a luxury automobile valued at around $175,000.

Horseshoe guests may swipe their Total Rewards card daily at the Bentley kiosks located in the pavilion to receive one entry into the drawing.

Additional entries (one entry per 250 base reward credits earned) will be awarded based on play with double entries awarded every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The winner of the Bentley will be announced at Horseshoe via a taped broadcast by Tonight Show host Jay Leno at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10.

Harrah's continues to stoke the power of Total Rewards. One of the first extensions of the concept was allowing patrons to redeem points for gifts from a catalog.

Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel has taken Total Rewards to the next level by introducing "Rewards Around Town," which allows patrons to redeem points for gift cards to be used at participating Chicago area merchants.

"We launched Rewards Around Town with a few partners, including Bolingbrook Golf Club and the Richard Petty Driving Experience," said Debbie Highland, Total Rewards manager at Harrah's Joliet.

"We then expanded it to include Macy's, Mario Tricoci and even grocery store and gas cards."

Redeeming points for a gift card at a participating establishment is as easy as stopping off at the Total Rewards center in the casino. You'll be issued the gift card on the spot. The minimum number of points required is 5,000.

Casino news

The Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin has a "Hybrid Hysteria" promotion scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday, Sept. 18 to Oct. 25. Eight winners will be randomly selected at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. drawings each day.

Each winner will receive a cash prize and entries into the grand prize drawing for a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid to be given away following the 8 p.m. drawing every Thursday.

The Buckinghams, a Chicago-based pop rock band that recorded a string of top 10 hits in the '60s, will appear in concert Sept. 21 in the Grand Ballroom of the Blue Chip Casino Hotel in Michigan City. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance are $20 each and available at the casino's gift shop or by credit card at (888) 879-7711, Ext. 3608.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at jbrokopp@comcast.net.