Never been there, so please educate me… I have heard that numerous casinos offer free alcolhol drinks to people at their machines and tables. True? Do they also enforce that a minimum amount of gambling occur, and limit someone’s alcohol intake?
I ask becacause I have a cousin who is a long-term alcoholic and just ending the latest in a string of failed relationships. He has decided to “break out” of his environment by moving to Vegas – not escaping for a couple of weeks, but moving permanently.
I suspect he envisions drinking for free for the rest of his life – possibly even drinking himself to death – “suicide by casino”. I could be wrong, of course. I understand he’s attempted suicide once before.
Can anyone tell me what obstacles there would be to someone with a plan like that in Vegas.
I was married there 10 years ago, and no one bought me any free drinks. They’re very inexpensive as I recall. I think you have to be “seriously” gambling to get the freebie stuff you hear about. Plus, I don’t think they tolerate sloppy, obnoxious drunks (a la Leaving Las Vegas). They have a business to run and an image to maintain (and wealthy guests to suck up to). They want a classy environment in most of the places. I’m sure there are plenty of dives that will tolerate him for a while. Tell him he’d best not go all Nicholas Cage with his bad self. It’s a very sad story.
No way. I turned 21 in January and I go to Vegas every two weeks for work. A few months ago, I sat at a blackjack . . .computer? game thing, put in $20, and sat there playing 50 cents at a time or something. Within 3 minutes, a waitress came up and took my order. Within 5 minutes of me getting the first drink, other waitresses were coming up and offering me things. You just have to get their attention.
I will say this to the OP: we are a representation firm for people with tax issues. Many, many, MANY of our clients are the worse for wear from being in Las Vegas. There are a whole lot of gambling and alcohol related temptations that can effect even the strongest person.
Well, the good news is that the free drinks they bring you in casinos are “drinks” in the sense that they are wet and may once have been near alcohol of some form. Smart people just ask for a beer, as the establishment can’t water that down - of course, all the casinos serve shitty beer (in Reno at least; Vegas may be different). The cocktail waitresses are more likely to approach you if you’re playing in a higher limit area, but they’ll be by once in awhile if you’re on the penny and nickel slots as well. It’s also frowned upon if you don’t tip the waitress after she brings your drink, so they’re not necessarily “free”.
The BAD news is that liquor is extremely cheap in all of Nevada, so he’d be able to walk into any store (grocery stores, gas stations, 7-11…this blew my mind when we moved here from Oregon) and get a ton of booze at bargain prices.
I was in Caesar’s not long ago, and never play anything more expensive than nickel slots, and got drinks all the time - especially later at night. Let’s say they weren’t the most potent drinks I’ve ever tasted. Consider it from the casino’s viewpoint - a buck or two of alcohol might keep you there spending a lot more gambling.
I have no idea if it is even possible to get drunk on these things, though.
I was a bartender in Laughlin,Nevada and of course know many ,many cocktail waitresses and have been to Vegas many,many times.
The drinks are free (as long as you are gambling).They are not watered down,at least weren’t anywhere I worked or went ,unless you give them a reason to,like not tipping or being a jerk…but in that case you are just as likely, if not more likely, to get a VERY strong drink as opposed to a watered down one.If the drink is to weak ask for a double next time,those are free also.
The waitresses have designated areas and work that area exclusively(are supposed to anyway) doesn’t matter where you play,high limits or penny slots,a motivated waitress will serve you as quick as she can to make more money.
Every casino and bar I went to served the same kinds of beer you would expect to find in any bar.
As far as tipping goes,you will get much more attention from you waitress if you tip well,$1 a drink is standard.A non-tipper is usually tolerated and served along with everyone else,but the waitress may forget you now and then.
If you play at blackjack tables with a $5.00 minimum (which is what I play at), you will get free drinks. A $1.00 tip is customary. Once, my wife was playing quarter slots in an otherwise empty slot area while I was JUST WATCHING, and the ubiquitous cocktail waitress brought me a beer. They want you to drink at least a LITTLE - it reduces inhibitions. If three free beers makes the difference between you standing with 14 versus 16, or hitting that hand, just once, they will GLADLY part with the drinks.
They have rules about minimum gambling,but it is at the servers discretion usually.If they like you, they won’t enforce the rules just so you are gambling something.
They do limit intake, but it varies from place to place,you can get sloppy drunk in a lot of places(specially if you are winning)
I drink a LOT when I’m in LV. At lower level slots or table games (less than $25 table or less than $10 slots) you mainly just wait for the waitress to come around. I generally start with beer and transition to crown on the rocks after a bit.
At the higher level ($100 and up BJ for me) many of the casinos have a bar in the playing area, and if you have an empty glass, you can be sure the waitress is on her way over. In addition, when I sit at the lower level tables, the pit bosses see my activity on my players card and if I mention I’m ready for a drink, they will immediately call for a server.
I’ve never had a drink that I felt was watered down, and I really think that’s a bit of a myth. I’ve never worked in the casino industry though, so I can’t say for sure.
At most Las Vegas casinos, the beer selection varies depending on where you are playing. Sit at the low-level slots, and it’s BudMillerCoors. Go stand at a craps table and you can get Sam Adams and Heineken. Same same with the mixed drinks. A bourbon and Coke at the slots is made with Beam. Play at a table and you can get Maker’s.
In any case, they will serve you until you get annoying. Failure to tip the waitress meets this criterion.
If you want a Heineken or Makers it doesn’t matter where you are or what you are playing,you’ll get it.At least in the casinos I’ve worked at and played at.
Make your friend sit down and watch Leaving Los Vegas. It might not stop him from killing himself, but hopefully it’ll convince him to find a quicker and less painless way than by alcohol (although I suspect that for liability reasons the bartender or casino staff will cut you off before you get to the point of immediate danger).
The scene where Nicolas Cage sits at dinner with a glass of wine trying not to gulp it down in one swallow is one of the most tense sequences I’ve ever seen. Og, what a depressing film, even moreso than The Bicycle Thief.
I gambled in Vegas and never got offered a free drink. Maybe because it took me like 2 minutes to lose all I cared to gamble. What struck me was the smoking. It was everywhere. The gambling areas were just smoky as hell. People walking around indoors, smoking. It’s like Vegas never got past the 50’s or something. The people at the slots were utterly zombified; I never saw anyone playing slots that looked like they were having fun.
The other thing that struck me was the dessicated look people seemed to be sporting; perhaps a combo of way too much sun, plastic surgery and lipo. That and the preponderence of white vehicles. I felt like I was on another planet; Tackyland…also the whole unsustainability thing was just dumbfounding.
It IS like another planet. The whole feel of it is surreal. I have a friend who moved there from the midwest, and I can’t help but wonder what kind of burn-in period a change like that entails. It must feel like living in a movie.
Not in Vegas. I’ve heard waitresses tell the players exactly what beers they could get sitting at the slots. This has happened at any number of places, most owned by Harrah’s, but not all of them. They don’t give free call drinks to people who play penny slots.
