Tipping remains a popular topic. We share Brian Christopher’s advice on tipping etiquette elsewhere on the site, and our contributor Courtney did a deeper dive recently, but that doesn’t mean we’ve covered all the angles.
So here are a few more we’ve recently received:
During the last trip to Vegas, my husband and I won over 70K. Our casino always delivers handpays with the slot attendant and a security guard. We always tip our slot attendant but didn’t know if the security guard was to be tipped as well. Does the security guard need to be tipped as well?
Goldie
Brian was the original recipient of this topic, and shared as a response, “You can always ask the attendant and security person if they pool tips, or even if the security person is allowed to take tips (they may not be able to).”
This is a great question to ask more generally as some casinos pool tips, but others do not, so if you want to make sure everyone’s taken care of, you can ask them about it.
I understand “tipping is a personal decision”, but I do not understand why tipping the person who pays out the hand pay. What did they do to help you win the handpay? Did they come by before you hit the win to see how you were doing? Did you ever see the person before the handpay? Hence, why I rather tip the staff that comes around asking if I like a beverage.
Cal
Your response underscores why we say that tipping is a personal decision. But since you’re effectively asking us to defend the concept of a slot attendant tip, keep in mind that they’re often bringing you large sums of money, handling your sensitive information, making sure information is accurately captured (since it will be shared with the IRS), and of course restoring the machine to a playable state so you can get back to having fun.
If you don’t think that’s something you want to tip for, that’s certainly your choice, but as noted in the first question these tips are often pooled amongst a set of workers (sometimes including security and cashiers, both of which can also be involved in your payout) so it’s effectively a tip to the entire casino team. That’s certainly your choice, and isn’t required, so we share our advice and let people decide what they prefer.
Whenever I win a jackpot, I do the courtesy of tipping. Well last night, each time a payout was being made, they would get tipped and then turn it into a huge box full of tips to divide amongst the other workers. Does that happen in your state too?
Lexi H.
Whether casinos pool tips is not a state decision but an individual casino one. Pooling tips is pretty commonplace, but is not universal. Many casinos pool dealer tips, but some do not. Many casinos pool slot attendant tips, but some do not. There’s pros and cons to the practice, but ultimately, like tipping itself, it’s a decision that is down to each individual business.
So we have seen it, albeit not as public as the huge tip box. More subtly when dealers pool tips, the tip box stays put when the dealer moves, as opposed to casinos where dealers own their tips, because they take the tip box with them as they move to the next table or their break.
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How do we find out how much you have lost in slots and can you get a record of it to show the IRS
Hi Eva, and thanks for your questions. Check out our articles about win/loss records, as well as claiming gambling losses and what the IRS accepts as proof of gambling losses, for help on these issues!