Tipping at the Casino.........

Hiya LCB'ers,

Nothing aggravates me more than going to a Casino and seeing a player request a drink and they don't tip the server. Depending where you play liquor is either free or in all Casinos soft drinks are free every where you play. They are no different from any other server and rely on tips as part of their income and should be tipped. More often than not i see them not getting a red cent for delivering a players drink. I do understand many of us don't have loose dollars on hand and carry bigger bills especially when going to the ATM machine but at least dig out some loose coins!

On the other hand i never understood why we have to payout and tip a slot host when we get a Jackpot that requires a hand pay. These slot hosts get paid pretty well and their income is not dependent on tips so why is it proper protocol to tip them? It is their job and what they get paid for..........nevertheless i have paid them on every Jackpot hand pay but not entirely sold on the idea.

I do understand tipping the dealers at the table because they are dealing us the winning hand and are part of the reason we won in the first place.

Lastly tipping the server at a buffet. At the local casinos i play at when i go to their buffet which averages $25 - $35 per person the receipt will show a suggested tip of 18% and 20% tip payout based on the total amount of bill. Ok when i go to a restaurant and i have full service i always give a 20% tip or better but why should we pay a server that much when they only bring our soft drinks and we go and get our own food at the buffet? I can see leaving a few bucks but if your total bill is say $70 they are suggesting to leave a $14 tip for dropping a couple cokes off at the table. Mind you these servers at buffets are making regular wagers and not reduced server wages that depend on tips as part of their salary.

I am in no way a anti-tipper and very much a pro-tipper all the way but some of these tips we dole out seem a bit unjustified.

How do you tip at Casinos?

First let me start by saying that places that make good money such as a casino, should pay higher wages to employees rather than having the employee rely on tips.  With that being said, unfortunately that is not the world we live in.  Tipping has been a common practice.

So now because the whole "tipping" thing has been established in life I am not going to fight that system. 

I tip well, do it with a smile, have no problem doing it, and understand its a big part of most individuals income.  I do stick to the 20% rule and sometimes higher.

Buffet Waiter/Waitresses--- They should be receiving standard 15-20%.  They do make minimum wage or less than.  Tips are part of their income.  Its not neccessarily  just bringing drinks.  They constantly clean the table also.  If their is someone else doing that then the waiters will need to split their tips with them.  I think it is even more important to try to stick to the standard tip with the waiters because at the buffet they get stiffed by many people.  You are exactly right in saying that someone who has a $70 bill only leave Two dollars.  Just think about this the next time you go to a buffet. The waiters probably get an average of a whopping 7% in tips because of all the cheapskates out there.  Put yourself in their shoes.  And if you dont want to get to 15-20% just tip more than you normally do. 

Slot Attendants---  Its not really Mandatory, but it is a common practice.  Again the Slot Attendants do not make large money.  Again their income is going to be around minimum wage to a little hire.  Tips are calculated into their position, but not at as high of a level as waiters.  I do normally follow a 15-20% rule on Jackpots.  The only other time I tip is when they are watching a machine or getting me something, then i normally give $3-5 dollars. 

So in conclusion, could the casino afford to pay more so people dont have to rely on tips, YES. But they dont so I will follow common set courtesy that has been in place for a long time.

I couldn't agree more BMWSTACK. I have had that thought many times about the casinos paying them decently but then again its only fair since its not always the case.  I always tip the waitresses but never the slot attendant. Half the time they are fake and sugary sweet just because they want the tip and it turns me off.

I have to disagree with you BMW on tipping Slot hosts with a smile. Whether they are getting standard wagers or higher wagers the fact is they are getting paid and not making the same hourly pay as a cocktail server who should definitely be tipped! As far as buffet server they don't do nearly the work a full service server does so why should customers pay 20% on top of the already pricey expense of the meal. And contrary to belief i would place a wager that these buffet servers are making way more than the standard wages of the typical full service server.

Does it unnerve me when someone doesn't throw down a few bucks to a buffer server? Yes it does because they are providing a service...........just not a FULL service.

We as players have been conditioned and trained to pay out tips that in reality are questionable to do with some Casino staff. We do it because it is protocol but it certainly doesn't make it right. There are plenty of jobs that provide a service......where do we draw the line? I say if you are not getting server reduced wages you shouldn't be tipped.
Lips

Totally off the subject of casinos but the tip jar at the Starbucks window drives me nuts!

another off topic, what drives me nuts is that mandatory tip ( service included ) that some restaurants have.

excuse me but it should be my choice to tip or not .  and funny thing happened few years ago at jap restaurant in Budapest, where I learned the hard way what service included meant .

It was 15% and I left another 20% on top  of it all No wonder why that waiter looked at me funny

Oh wow, I know they do that at a lot of restaurants if you have 6 or more people. It's a lesson learned and you've always got to make sure because they can be sneaky.

Alright, because there's been a discussion over casino wages.  I decided to look around at 6 fairly decent sized Iowa casinos and get there wage information for a slot attendent, cocktail waitress, buffet server, regular restaurant server, casino cage, and even the bartender.  All positions a person can tip a person for in a casino.

Here's the average wages...

Restaurant Server:  $5.10/hr
Buffet Server: $5.10/hr
Cocktail Waitress: $5.50/hr
Slot Attendent: $8.00/hr
Bartender: $6.00/hr
Casino Cage: $9.00/hr
Live Dealer: $5.00/hr

Just to give you an idea how crappy the wages are really at casinos.  Hopefully this gives some insight to how cheap the industry pays it's employees.

I did some looking around too at Rivers Casino

Buffet server -  $8.50 per hour (asked the server tonite when i was there)!
Slot attendant - $24,000 a year

Checked only these two since they are the ones i questioned about tipping. Buffet server may be at minimum wage but make a whole lot more than standard wages for a server in a full service restaurant which is like half.

Drink server gets paid tween $7 and $8 an hour not bad pay either considering the tips they pull in and in this case truly deserve.

Well I'm hoping that a server in any line of business in a "good" restaurant or buffet.  Especially in like the city of Chicago would pull in some decent money.
After my little trek there, heck I'd want at least that $8.50/hr plus hopefully some decent tips.  Just to satisfy the tolls, price of gas, and I can't even begin to imagine what an apartment would run.  Otherwise why would anyone want to work in this line of work, if a person couldn't pull in at least $100/night minimum including base wage in the city of Chicago.
Plus that slot attendant is actually making less than me on base wage.  I make wind blades for a living and pull in around $38,000/year.  Yet all I do is apply bondo and sand it once it dries.  There making $2,000/month before taxes. Yet they also fix the machines when they break, answer questions about the machine if they know anything about it, and also make change for folks.  So I'm hoping a few people would tip just to help with the cost of living as well.
Just my opinion is all.

That tends to be life in a big city Cheetahwind. Far removed from smaller towns that don't have the hustle bustle lifestyle and so much industry.

Funny true store...........

I went on a trip with a group a couple years ago and one of the people in the group was very, very laid back. He came from a culture that didn't have a hectic lifestyle. I showed my true colors as a Chicagoan because i was constantly on the go go go and never quite took the time to just sit back and smell the roses. He pointed this out to me and it was then i realized i really envy people that come from a more relaxed atmosphere.

The traffic here is nuts, the tolls are insane but then again we have such a diversity of cultures and everything a city could offer and more..........would i want to trade it and give it all up? I am not so sure! But that mentality all changes when i'm sitting in a 30 minute traffic jam and i have visions of living somewhere out in the country with nothing but cornfields as far as the eye can see!

I always, always tip my cocktail waitress $1 per drink. I've done it since my 21st birthday in Vegas. They'll remember you, they'll always be on top of when you need another, and to me, that's important. If I'm chasing a win, I don't want to be irked because I don't have a drink in my other hand.

On a similar note and with regards to tipping the slot attendants.. I was playing at Harrahs Rincon last thanksgiving. I was alone, and I had to pee so bad. I asked the guy if he could watch my machine really quick, and he said he couldn't as the rules had changed and they weren't allowed to do it anymore. I was kinda mad. But I stopped playing and went to the restroom. I then went to another machine, played about $200 ($1 machine) and hit the jackpot for $5500. What do you know, but mr slot attendant that couldn't watch my machine is the one that came to pay me out. Lol I gave him $285 tip.. Had he not rejected watching my machine, I never would've gotten up to play another one. I decided not to stay the night as I had planned (I went to win and won.. I was leaving) so as I'm walking out of the casino, decided to check my points. Well, I finished smoking my  cigarette, and put $50 into the machine. I won another $2,000. Same guy came and cashed me out. I would've given him another big tip, but the pink slips he kept handing me for the irs just made me mad again. Lol! Jk. I gave him another $80.

ETA.. I never knew there was a % that should be paid to slot attendants. I just remember my parents always tipping them when they cashed out their royals. Heck, maybe I looked like a cheapskate. Lol

I agree with you 100% mer3801! If you don't tip most likely the cocktail server will ignore you like the black plague and you will left parched! It is not only customary to tip but beneficial to the player too that will get extra special treatment.

I can always tell around me at the casino who has not tipped the server (and there are more that don't than do) because they will never get "good luck" from the server as they walk away!

I know its really not very fair, but I really cannot seem to help myself when it comes to tipping the beautiful girls much more than the less pretty girls, or the lads - especially if they have made an effort to be nice to me or offer great service, I find myself unable to resist giving them a really quite inordinate tip ... I'm sure I'm not alone in this however

Guys, spend your tips with the employees who NEED and DESERVE them!  Next time you are in the ladies or gents room and you catch an employee cleaning up, mention how nice it looks (or smells) in there and slip them a $5!  There is a custodian at the land based I frequent, she has worked there 10 years and makes $9/hr.  She sends most of this back home to her sick mother who lives in Mexico.  She is an amazing woman, and I am more than happy to tip her more when I win!

When is comes to any kind of tipping situation in a casino, I believe in sharing the wealth. I always tip a fair amount depending on the amount won and the person who is paying it out. I have been in situations where the person acted like it was an inconvenience to help me, they were tipped but not as much as the person who actually smiled and helped me without looking for a tip. When it comes to servers 15 to 20, depending on the service. The restroom attendants, if I see one I always try to give them a buck or two.
Same with the housekeeping staff, I always leave at least 5 dollars and a little note saying thx, especially if the room is comp. You would not believe the looks on some peoples faces. If you work in customer service, god bless you, because it is not easy, and some people you will never make happy. I am very appreciative of the ones that try to make our days better, and I show that with a tip.
sorry if this is to long, but I feel the industry workers deserve it.

gl all
imakin1