Players Win $10 Million on Megabucks at Aria, Here’s How to Blow It

From Vital Vegas

https://www.casino.org/vitalvegas/players-win-10-million-on-megabucks-at-aria-heres-how-to-blow-it/?fbclid=IwAR2Xsv5ZwBSG3VVIKm0CNSSOF6S3rKOr7UX8stgD9TFoAH9iIATo_eHBRe4_aem_AYOh_jAodiyUjBPygJdMOjm-mQoCUPZGXhS6Us9zz3VNUE55VqgPcRkpnUmalkfmHjg

  What makes anyone think a "tip" is warranted? For what? Tips should be earned, not expected just because you happen to be in the area where someone gets lucky.  Call me "scrooge" if you want, but if you don't have any money invested in an attempt to win a jackpot, you don't deserve to share in the winnings. 

David Miller's unhinged rant is silly. Slot attendants provide service to people who usually aren't winning anything; In fact, the vast majority are losing. A tip from a jackpot isn't in appreciation of services rendered specifically regarding the jackpot. It's for all those other times.

David may not ever have won anything significant, so he might not be aware of this.

I'd tip for sure, just like I do the cocktail waitresses, dining waitresses and the slot attendants on a slot or VP jackpot.  If I tip on a $2000 jackpot, why wouldn't I on a $10M jackpot?  Maybe it's just me, but I look at it as good karma to tip.  Probably in the minority, but I don't give a shit, it's the right thing to do. 

       Edso - why is it the "right thing" to do? Please explain that to me - I might change my stance...

I've always wondered and wished somebody would detail exactly what happens when a big jackpot like that is hit.

 - Somewhere in life I've been told if I hit real big like that I should FIRST call my financial advisor, money manager, etc. (as if I had any of those types, LOL), before agreeing/signing on the tax lines.

 - If that is true, do the guys in suits who show up with the paperwork and check give me time to discuss this with said financial advisors, as in "Buddy, should I take the whole thing right now, or the yearly payments, or whatever?"  Or "Should I let them tax it right now?"   Assumming I could get Buddy on the phone right then and he has my financial portfolio (another LOL) at hand, can discuss my plans for the money. I'm thinking this would be a discussion of some detail; will the suits stand by while Buddy and I discuss this and come to a decision?

 - Will they offer to give me a bit of the jackpot in cash--see, this could be the problem as regards tipping.  I sign the form, they give me the check.   Will I have enough to tip somebody a decent amount so they won't snicker about me in the break room, put me on the list of cheapskates with Michael Jordan (if that story is even true)?  Or will they count me out a few thousand in cash to distribute around, keep playing, etc.

- A recent $444+K royal flush in diamonds Progressive was hit at a tribal casino table in my state, with each of the other players getting a $5000 envy bonus.  I'll assume there was paperwork for each of those as well as the big winner.  I wasn't there, but it could have been me.  Tables there are $10, sometimes $5.  The Progressive would have cost $5 to play.  But I digress.

On the other hand, maybe I'm glad I wasn't there.  I'd appreciate the 5K, though.

Candy

Edso's answer will be different than mine, but here's my perspective, taken from my own past history of having worked for peanuts in casinos:

There's unmistakably a "tipping culture" in the US, and that exists more strongly in Vegas than anywhere else. From the moment you arrive, you're surrounded by service employees performing all sorts of functions to make your visit/experience more enjoyable, and those folks are usually being paid shit wages. The tacit understanding is that you (or somebody else) will tip them to make up for it. We accept this without a second thought in the case of dealers, valets, and waiters (all of whom are in fact so grossly overtipped that they make more annually than a bank executive), but not so much with other service staff. Slot attendants are supposed to subsist on minimum wage + the occasional tip from a happy player who hits big.

Now, do I agree with this whole culture? No. I would prefer to see people paid decently and customers not having to shoulder part of that burden. But once I go there, I'm tacitly accepting it.

And frankly, it seems like kind of a dick move to stiff the slot people et al., one of these big hits happens on their shift MAYBE once a year, and they might be thinking, hallelujah, I'm finally going to have more than $3 in my toke envelope today, and I say, no soup for you. Can't see myself doing that.

Hi Candy, here's my very limited knowledge, based on what casinos i worked in did some time ago:

First of all, you have some time to pick your method of disbursement (lump sum or annuity); I believe it's thirty days. If you want to consult a financial advisor first, the money can be placed in an interest-bearing escrow account in the interim. You can also elect for a partial immediate lump sum payment, say, $50,000 or whatever, to buy drinks for the house or hire a couple of hookers or whatever. And the casino will be happy to stuff some of that money into an upfront cage deposit if you want to give some of it back gambooling (anecdotally, very few of those big winners have any interest in that for the next several days, at least).

You can also designate a cash amount to be dispensed as tips, and many winners do that rather than go through the sometimes awkward rigamarole of handing out $100 bills. Though some winners like to do just that.

And just to clear up the tax question: the lump sum vs. annuity question has nothing to do with taxes, as from an accounting standpoint, the two amounts are functionally equivalent. Tax liability theoretically accrues the moment you earn income (so the second you pick up a nickel off the sidewalk, you owe Uncle Sam a penny), so you're liable for whatever you're liable for the moment you win, regardless of what or how you do with it afterward.

What I want to do when I hit the big one is buy five thousand $1 bills, stuff them into several huge bags, and then go to the intersection of Flamingo and LV Blvd and empty them into the wind, bringing traffic to a complete screeching halt for at least an hour.

Here is what I don't understand. All over America people are complaining about not being paid a "living wage", but for some reason Vegas seems to be exempt from this sentiment about the pay that casino employees make. Why is that? Where is the outrage? People bitch and moan about fast food workers pay being minimun wage, demanding $15-20 dollars per hour for these workers. But in Vegas, no one complains about the wages of casino workers, which is normally minimun wage. Shouldn't the casinos, who make tremendous profits, pay their employees better? If not, why not? The casinos have brainwashed visitors to think that they should "tip" the employees, who by the way, accepted the pay that the casinos offered for their services. IMHO, tips should be given only for great service - not just because one is visiting Vegas. Around the world, many countries do not allow tipping because the employers pay decent wages. People who work in Vegas should be paid more - the casinos can easily afford it - as the record profits that have been documented, especially the past 2+ years, prove.

David- It's the right thing to do because they are doing their job and providing a service, in this case, paying me a very big amount of money (Megabucks Win), and just like I tip the bartender for making and serving me a drink, and waitress for bringing me drinks if I'm not at the bar, they deserve a little token of my appreciation. Why not share the wealth with them a little?  When I get a nice bingo at the Indian Casino, $3 to 4K, I tip the person that comes to pay me, just like a slot attendant. It's not like I'm giving half the winnings, just a small amount to show my appreciation, and do something nice for them, and the staff.  

I agree that casinos should pay their workers better wages, but it still wouldn't keep me from tipping.  It's just what I do.  If there is a tip jar/container at food establishments, and I have a great meal or great service, I tip there, or if they don't have one, I will offer a couple buck tip to the cashier, which they either accept or don't. I know that they also share these with the cooks.  Hell, I gave the restroom attendant at the Westgate a Fin after a really good night there once. Guess I would rather be seen as a George and not a stingy bastard.  

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.