Today’s question revolves around tipping in casinos:
Do you tip slot attendants when they pay you for a pay out, and how much?..from parking and anything in between
Caudia B.
It’s a question I get a lot and so I’ll give you my opinion – but it in no way is ‘the standard’, if there is one. Keep in mind that everyone has their own idea of how much to tip for everything in life; at restaurants, in a taxi, at the hair dresser etc.
Drink Service
I recommend tipping what you would normally feel comfortable giving at a normal service bar. When I order a bottle of beer or a whisky, I usually give a dollar or two per drink. In Vegas Casinos, you get free drinks while you’re playing.
The minimum you should tip is $1 per drink. If you ask for a beer and a bottle of water, then tip $2. (For some reason, when I order a cocktail, I tip $2 because I feel more time was put into creating it.) And just like when you’re at your local pub and it’s your favorite bar tender working; or if they’re generous and bring you an extra shot; or remember your drink order – then perhaps give them more! I usually give $5 a drink to those servers. If you’re ‘buying’ drinks for 3 people, then you can shoot them $10. You can be sure that the more you tip, the better and more frequent service you receive. I have some friends that religiously give $20 – and boy is our service (and drinks!) superior!
Handpay Jackpots
At this point it’s less about the action of paying you out and more about the overall experience in the casino. My rule is to offer $20 a handpay jackpot OR 1%, whichever is more. Now I get it, 1% sounds soooo cheap, but believe me, it’s generous. Let’s have a look:
- $1,200 Handpay = $20 tip
- $2,000 Handpay = $20 tip
- $5,000 Handpay = $50 tip
- $10,000 Handpay = $100 tip
Every gambler knows that you lose more money than you win in the long run on slots. That’s why I feel these numbers are appropriate. You know that it cost you a LOT more than $10,000 to win that amount. I can also attest that as a bartender for almost a decade, I never once received a $100 tip (and I was an awesome bartender!)– so again, that’s where I see it being generous.
*Pro Tip (pun intended): When tipping the attendant, it’s always a good idea to ask the people paying you if they share the tips or if it just goes to them. If there are two people helping you, and they keep their own tips, then you can split the tip between them. Otherwise, you can rest assured knowing they will put it in a shared ‘tip jar’ in the back (they have to, there are cameras on them!).
As an aside, I often get criticized in my videos for not tipping out the attendants on my own or during group pulls. You can rest assured I always do, it’s just not the focus of my videos. For group pulls, I prefer to wait until the end when I can easily divide the money up equally amongst the group and give a generous tip.
Valet
It’s totally up to the person and their budget. I used to tip $2 back when I was younger, but these days I now do $5-$10 depending on service. Again, from the time they go to get your car, to the time it is delivered – you’re probably looking at 10 minutes of service. What is that worth to you?
To some of you reading, I’m a cheap bum – and to others, I’m very generous. I don’t think it’s the amount of tip that is most important, but rather the gesture. But what I’m most interested is where you stand. How much do you think is appropriate? Share in the comments below!
Line it up,
I think you have a good formula, but when it comes to valet ( I hate giving up my car,even if it is a rental, to someone .But in some settings there is no real option) I have a question. Do you tip both when you pull up and get out, AND when you get the car back? Sure, the person taking the car had to pry the keys out of my tightly clenched hand, but when I am ready to leave I want my car NOW, so I could see how a tip at the return part makes more sense (and could have an impact on what the tip is)
That’s a good point Jim, and a similar question could be argued for the Bellhops too right? They take your luggage and then they return your luggage. In those circumstances once you have a target in mind per use of the valet, roughly splitting between the two halves may make sense, when you also consider it may be different people doing the work. Similar to if you’re tipping housekeeping, spreading it out day by day ensures whoever is responsible that day gets the tip, instead of giving all the credit to whoever happens to be on at the end. It also lets you adjust the tip for any specific service reasons – you can bump up for instance for someone who goes above and beyond the call at a particular interaction.
These are salaried people who bring you your money: I’m not that generous, I don’t get tipped at my salaried position, and they don’t give me money when I lose. A $10 or $20 is more than enough.
Thanks for sharing your opinion! As we love to say throughout the site, tipping is a personal decision – we shared our opinion, and we appreciate you sharing yours.
They are not salaried. They are hourly employees who depend on tips to supplement their wage which is lower because it is supplemented by tips. A 1% tip is much lower than I tip. I tip $100 on a $1200 jackpot and $200 on a $2000 jackpot. If I win a larger jackpot, I will give more. These employees do more than just pay your jackpots. They are filing tax forms, fixing machines, and taking care of many other things that you may not think about.
I think we are somewhat similar in our tips. I do $2 per drink but if I’m doing good I will tip a little more. Slot attendants usually give them $20 for hand pays but when I hit $71,878 jackpot I gave the girl and security officer $500 each. Valet I give them $25 but I also tell them to leave my car out front.
That was a very generous tip on that big jackpot, Tricia! It does indeed sound like you and Brian think similarly around tipping.
I am a very generous tipper as well I got a 84,000 jackpot 21,000 taken out for taxes I gave the dealer 1000.00 My point is that no one knows how much we invested and tip all along and no one but you knows how much you lost. So when you win big I think most casino employess feel great ful for a tip.. On the other hand its awful when some one wins big and doesnt tip . I get so mad///
Thanks Lezlie for sharing your perspective as well! We agree that the employees tend to seem appreciative when tipped for processing player jackpots.
I’m not quite clear on valet services. Should I tip both times. ?
Thanks for the question Carolyn! People most often tip when their car is returned, but some will tip on both ends given the car is moved twice, frequently by two different people. So you can opt to tip at both ends, based on your personal preference!
I have a certain amount I usually always tip: $100 on $20000, $200 on $4000 and $50 on $1250. If I get a drink it will be a soda or water, and I tip $5, just to let the server know I appreciate them. Valet I give $10 on arrival and $10 on departure. They are always kind and helpful if you need something. Where I get confused is with bell service. If they take your luggage and hold it until you get checked in it’s usually someone else who brings it to your room. Do you tip both?
We’d handle it similarly to valet, with a service being provided on both sides of the equation, and it can often be different people.
I usually tip $5 for the first drink, and then $2 or $3 for each additional drink during the time I’m playing in the server’s area. It’s surprising to me that the servers that are NOT all that attentive after getting $5 for bringing one drink. I usually tip 10% of the jackpot, but not less than $15 – $20.
We hear from others like you who recommend an extra boost on the first tip to get the cocktail server’s attention, and generally the end result is pretty positive, so we’re sorry to hear that doesn’t always work out. Brian’s floor is $20 for a tip on a jackpot, so it seems like you’re starting in a similar spot.
What about the smaller casinos that do hand pays on any hit over $300. or $500 ? What kind of tip?
In those scenarios it’s probably fair to scale down our tipping advice to aim for something closer to 1% – so maybe 1% or $5, whichever is higher, given the lower threshold (and therefore likely more frequent jackpots accordingly).