The Latest From Park MGM, Plus Bad News About the Future of Comped Drinks

From Vital Vegas

The Latest From Park MGM, Plus Bad News About the Future of Comped Drinks

 No drink comping - Just ANOTHER reason to avoid the strip...

Actually it is only two bars.....so far........

From fewer drinks on the Strip to changes at the Hard Rock, Scott Roeben with VitalVegas.com stopped by 8 News NOW to break it all down. 

Vital Vegas: June 18, 2018

From LasVegasNow

Golden nugget didn’t come my drink at the vp,bar back in 2006.   I boycotted them for 5 years.

 I’ve now relaxed that and allow myself to stay at the hotel... but I still don’t spend money in their casino.

talk with your dollars.

i don’t know why the strip resorts even bother having casinos anymore.    They clearly don’t seem to value them or the people who frequent them

PJ Stroh,  I vaguely remember responding to a similar post, quite a while ago.   To give you background, I am quite friendly with several of the long time bartenders at the Golden Nugget.  In the past, anyone who was actively playing at the machines, not trying to lowball (one quarter play, etc) or slow play (a hand every 2 min for example), easily qualified for a comp drink.   Even when playing there with bartenders that did not know me, I have never been refused a drink when I played.

I have witnessed people being refused drinks, for the reasons I already mentioned, and others denied for being overserved.   So, as with many complaints we see posted online, there probably is another side of the story here in the case of your story.

Now of course, the bars there have tracking lights that light up when a player qualifies for a drink.  So things are different.

Next, it doesn't really seem to me that your "boycott" is very strong, in that you are now "allowing yourself" to stay at the hotel, giving them revenue, and paying resort fees.  

As far as strip resorts not even bothering having casinos because "they clearly don't seem to value" the casinos or the customers.  There are tens of thousands of people who differ with that opinion.  Just walk the strip and try to get by the crowds and stop and ask some of them!  Or count the tens of millions of dollars in investment that the companies have recently put into updating/renovating the casinos that you claim they "don't value".   Fill us in, should the downtown hotels close their casinos too?  Just the Golden Nugget, or others too?  Give us the full list of the closures.

I'm personally dismayed at many of the changes over time in Las Vegas, reducing the great values of the past, but I cannot agree with your extreme assement.   

Anyone else want to chime in?  Should the strip close all the casinos because "they don't care about their customers or the casinos"?  Has anyone ever read such an opinion (that they should close their casinos) posted anywhere like this before?

Frankly, this all sounds like a lot of sour grapes.  But that's probably just my take!

I'm a Strip girl (not a stripper, just one who likes the Strip-LOL) and have been since my first trip in 1987 or so.  I've always felt welcomed and valued by the Strip establishments (the staff, the dealers, Hosts, etc.); as best I can tell my comps are in line with my patronage, not a high roller but not a one coin-er either.  I've never ever paid for a drink while gambling. 

The Strip is for gambling fools who don't understand odds, while locals' casinos are for fools who do.

Some fools know very well when a line gets crossed. Resort fees, parking fees, 6:5 BJ, evaporating comps--if those beancounting strategies bother enough of us, we may go elsewhere.

Bottom line is that falling casino revenues certainly send a message, but it may be more about HOW MANY fools are out there, versus how foolish I am individually.