Casino hosts is one of those areas we get a lot of questions about, largely because there’s no set rulebook people can refer to to navigate how to work with one.
I have a casino host who takes very good care of me. Although I haven’t seen him in person since we always communicate by email or phone call, he’s almost like a long time friend. My question is: Is it proper to give him a gift or some sort of appreciation? If so, is it best to give cash or in kind?
Dale
We’ll start off by saying that the rules for a host can vary by location, but generally speaking, we’ve found that gifting can absolutely be an appropriate way to recognize a host.
Also, like the topic of tipping which we also get asked about a lot, it’s important to acknowledge upfront that any sort of gift or tip is a personal decision, and it should be up to each individual to make their own decision on this – we’re not saying everyone has to or should tip or gift a host.
Cash is generally frowned upon for various reasons, and can be outright against the rules, but a gift card placed inside a card is generally OK.
Many players will get their hosts some sort of food or alcohol gift; if you know something about your host in a way that can make that gift have a bit more direct value, that’s certainly a plus.
The same goes for more personalized gifts – we’ve seen examples of hosts talking very fondly about special gifts that some of their more creative guests have gotten for them, including items that have shown up around their office.
So it’s certainly acceptable and thoughtful to get a host a gift if you choose to – if you know enough about them to get something with a more personal tie, that’s a great approach, but you also generally can’t go wrong with a personalized card with a gift card in there.
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