Casino comps are more difficult to come by every day. There was a time where casinos would hand out complimentary meals, rooms, and drinks just to keep guests gambling. Forget meals and rooms. It’s a challenge to even find a good complimentary drink.
Waitress, please bring this slot player a free drink. They have taken away free parking and charge daily “resort” fees to stay in their hotels and now some casinos are making moves to put an end the most cherished of all traditional Vegas perks: free drinks. For decades, it was a Vegas given that if you gambled, you got free drinks. Drink For FreeKinda. Okay, so you’ll never get free drinks in Las Vegas. However, drinks on most casino floors are complimentary. The kicker is that you need to be gambling to get some. Just be sure to tip your waitress well and the free drinks will be flowing. Ethel M Chocolate Factory.
Admission is Free; Seating is limited. At Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. At one of the hottest spots in Las Vegas, Brooklyn Bowl. This is where Vegas goes to have a good time! Open on Select days on at 5pm. Click here for event calendar. Admission: Free Location: The LINQ, Suite 22 3545 Las. And as always, please remember to drink responsibly. If you do plan on leaving hotel (or coming to visit Rio for its $100 all-you-care-to-drink specials), make sure to catch a cab, ride share or (if you want to leave in style) take a limo. (Total Deal covers 12 drinks per person, per day. Offer applies to a two-person max per room. The free drinks at casinos make everyone feel like a winner. However, several casinos are killing the buzz: Select properties in Nevada, including Las Vegas, are no longer providing gratis.
Casino operators in Las Vegas today are mostly corporations looking to maximize profit everywhere they can. Casinos don’t dish out the freebies like they used to. The casino customer has changed a lot over the years and so have the companies.
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About 30-40 percent of casino revenue comes from gaming. That’s a huge decrease from the 1960s, ‘70s, and ’80s. Casinos have changed policies to match changing preferences in order to maximize profit. Here are a few things to be aware of next time drinkers visit Las Vegas.
Short Pouring Drinks
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Depending on where you gamble in a casino, there might be a different policy for complimentary drinks. Waitresses still fly around the casino floor offering table game and slot machine players complimentary drinks. Of course, depending on the casino the drink might taste a little different.
In 2016, MGM Resorts started to serve cocktails with only 1.25 ounces of spirits instead of the typical 1.5 ounces. This might not sound like much but that’s similar to paying 6:5 for blackjack instead of 3:2. It’s annoying and it’s a challenge to get a great drink.
The small difference might not be noticeable by every guest but most people should be able to taste and feel the difference. The short pours aren’t only for mixed drinks. All drinks, even a delicious Macallan scotch are measured a little smaller. Less booze = less buzz. Not cool.
MGM Resorts says that they aren’t the only casino operator to short pour drinks in Las Vegas. The quality of your mixed drink may depend on where you’re gambling.
Recommendation: Casinos can’t short pour the amount of alcohol in beer and wine. Consider these drinks in order to maximize your buzz.
Limiting Complimentary Drinks at Bars
While complimentary drinks still flow on the main casino floor, they’re limited at video poker bars. Most casinos on the Vegas Strip have installed drink monitoring systems at their video poker bars. These systems help casino operators limit the number of “free” drinks for guests.
The drink monitoring systems track how much the player is gambling. When a guest places $20 in a machine, they’ll receive one complimentary drink. If the pace and amount wagered (usually $1 minimum per hand) per hand meet qualifications, the bartender is alerted that they can offer complimentary drinks or the machine gives the player a ticket to redeem for a complimentary drink.
The systems are obnoxious but they shouldn’t hamper video poker players that play at a steady pace and max bet ($1.25 per hand) each hand. Some guests that are chatting with friends while playing video poker might have a problem keeping up with the pace needed.
The systems have a downside but they do weed out some video poker players that only play for a unit and expect the same complimentary drinks as a max bet player. This should keep seats empty for paying customers.
Some bars that don’t have the system have instituted a time limit to the number of drinks served. Last year I was served one glass of scotch every 15 minutes – and not a second sooner. Wild stallion slots. (More on this shortly.)
Getting The Most From Drinks At A Video Poker Bar
Limiting drinks to video poker and slot machine players at casino bars sound much worse than it is in reality. Drink monitoring players is not a great policy for casino guests. However, drink monitoring systems are more of an inconvenience than something that will limit how much players drink.
Video poker players who are also drinkers now have to think about the best way to spend their money. Does it make sense to put $20 in a video poker machine with bad paytables just to have one complimentary drink? Maybe, the vision of a $1,000 royal flush is alluring.
I tend to drink beer when gambling nowadays to get the most out of each experience. When given the option of where to play, I usually opt for a luxury property like the Cosmopolitan. Each drink ticket can be used for a cocktail with a $15 retail value. This keeps most booze options open.
Since the Cosmopolitan doesn’t short pour so it’s possible to even taste the booze in a mixed drink. Gasp! Most middle-shelf scotch and vodka are available as complimentary drinks for a ticket. I’ve enjoyed a delicious Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve as well as a fair pour of the bourbon on the rocks.
While Treasure Island limits drinkers to four drinks an hour, they offer Macallan 12 as a complimentary drink at the video poker bar. This is one of the best comps available for scotch drinkers on the Vegas Strip. Macallan isn’t available to table game players, so this is an especially nice treat.
The luxury properties tend to offer stronger complimentary mixed drinks than the lower end casinos on the Vegas Strip. Wynn only offers comp drinks at the tables. You might get the best “free” vodka/soda at their tables but that’s only at the tables. Video poker players will have to pay for their drinks.
Explore Comp Drinks At Your Favorite Casinos
This information is all subject to change. Casino operators may change the complimentary spirits available to gamblers throughout the casino. While the recommendations above have worked for me recently, they may be out of date by the time you visit the casino. Just ask the bartender or cocktail waitress for their complimentary spirits and go from there. Free slots super jackpot party.
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My exploration of different boozes are available started by trying to avoid Absolut vodka. This continued as I was looking to drink Macallan instead of other scotches. Exploring booze can maximize your complimentary drink experience in the casinos.
A visit to Las Vegas typically gets better once you’ve got a drink in hand. Make sure to skip those boozy slushies and enjoy the very best of what Las Vegas has to offer, whether on or off the Strip.
Long Island Iced Tea: Whether ordering in a casino bar or nightclub, a Long Island Iced Tea costs between $15-23, making it the best bang for your buck. Served tall with tequila, vodka, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a just a splash of sweet and sour plus cola, this heavyweight packs plenty of punch.
Cosmopolitan: Best remembered from its regular appearance on Sex and the City, this vodka-cranberry classic is the perfect compliment to another ladies classic in Vegas — the little black dress. The sweet and sassy cocktail is found (unsurprisingly) at bars throughout the Cosmopolitan.
The Barrymore: Tucked inside the Royal Resort near the north end of the Strip, The Barrymore is a true hidden gem in Las Vegas. Its signature cocktail is like a cross between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned, made with Gentlemen Jack, blood orange liqueur, and orange marmalade.
Flight of Icarus: A few servings of this exotic variation on the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, will almost certainly have you trying to fly toward the sun. Find it at Vesper at the Cosmopolitan.
Pink Flamingo Punch: Nothing says vacation like sipping this combo of Absolut Elyx, sparkling wine, dry vermouth, Aperol, strawberry syrup, and lemon juice in a flamingo-shaped decanter from Skyfall Cocktail Lounge on the 64th floor of the Delano.
The Painkiller: Head to Chinatown where the Golden Tiki serves up plenty of kitsch and rum-fueled cocktails. The Painkiller, first created in the British Virgin Islands back in the 70s, is given a makeover with a heavy dose of Pusser’s Rum, tropical fruit juices, coconut cream, fresh-ground nutmeg, and a dollop of Dole Whip, a frozen pineapple treat that was once only available at Disneyland.
Holland House: Almost like a tart Martini, the Holland House blends subtle lemon and cherry flavors with Bols Genever, a Dutch spirit similar to gin. It’s prepared perfectly at Herbs & Rye, an off-Strip industry clubhouse where other bartenders in Vegas go when off the clock.
Yardbird Old Fashioned: It’s no surprise that a Southern-style restaurant like Yardbird has a killer bourbon selection — including five takes on an Old Fashioned. Start with the house version, made with bacon-infused Wild Turkey 81, and continue from there.
Slotocash mobile no deposit bonus. Rum Swizzle: With a drink program put together by famed mixologist Tony Abou Ganim, you know any cocktail at Libertine Social is going to be good. Have fun with one of four swizzles that can be prepared tableside in a pitcher. The rum cocktail is churned by hand in crushed ice with a swizzle stick.
Mai Tai: You’ve probably had a sugary watered down version of a Mai Tai in a plastic cup somewhere, but to have one made right, venture to Rosina at the Palazzo — a haven for classic cocktails. The rum-based drink is served with crushed ice and a mint as garnish in a spooky Tiki-style glass that resembles a human skull.
Smoky Negroni: The smoky cocktail trend has been around for years at Hakkasan Restaurant inside the MGM Grand. The Smoky Negroni puts a new spin on the gin and Campari concoction with a Grand Marnier smoke infusion.
Moscow Mule: You’ll find a Moscow Mule on nearly any drink menu in Las Vegas, but it’s worth a trip to the Downtown Container Park to try one of nine variations by Oak & Ivy. The bar uses its own house-made ginger beer to give this (usually) vodka-based cocktail a crisp finish.
The Penicillin: The Dorsey is a sophisticated social spot with a drink menu curated by acclaimed New York mixologist Sam Ross. It includes his signature cocktail, The Penicillin, made with Scotch, lemon, ginger, and a touch of honey.
Verbena: Sometimes the coolest drinks are off the menu. Visit the middle level of the three-story Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan and ask for the Verbena, in which a mixture of tequila, ginger, and lemon is topped with an edible flower that when consumed, changes the taste of the cocktail itself.
Water: The last thing you might plan to drink in Vegas is the most important. The dry climate, summer heat, and excessive alcohol consumption makes hydration a key component of any night out — even if you have to buy a $1 bottle from a street vendor while wandering down the Strip.
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Main image credit: Libertine Social