Casino Ethics: Alcohol

Is the casino acting ethically when offering free alcoholic drinks to the player?

Arguments for yes:
The players want and expect the free drinks
You can order soda or other non alcoholic beverages
The casino is not your parent or guardian
They have to do it to compete with the casino next door

Arguments for no:
The alcohol lowers your inhibition and restraint on bet size, bet choice (hardways, etc), session length
The alcohol lowers your ability to play with optimal strategy
Most casinos will continue to serve a customer with drinks and gambling action long past their limit
The free drinks are offered only to players, not all casino guests
Casinos don't do anything for free, including free parking, which is now covered by resort fees

So is the casino merely offering a service to its guests, or is it really a way to increases the bottom line? What other arguments for the pro and con?

Sufficient argument for yes: You're an adult and responsible for your own actions. if yuo drink too much, knowing what the effects are on your play, you ahve only yourself to blame. It's as easy to say "no" as to say "yes" to a free drink offer.

I'd be willing to make an exception for alcoholics and other addicts. but then they shoulnd't be where the temptation is too great.

I don't see any issue about ethics, so I say the casino is ethical.

It's part of the experience and we are all adults.

Some points:

1. Free Beverages are only offered to PLAYERS. They are not offered to those who are watching or sitting around doing nothing. Slot waitresses normally take a very long time to provide service because they want the player to remain at the slot and lose money. Table players get served much faster because drinking affects their decision making abilities.
2. If a law was in place to not provide free drinks, all casinos would be on the same page and there would be no competition.
3. Alcohol is used as a ply by the casino to make people play dumber and longer, and they will serve you no matter how drunk you are (even though there is policy against that). That, in my opinion, is the very unethical part.

On the other hand, it is YOUR choice to drink, but we all know that after a couple of drinks, it becomes a slippery slope, and when you're passing the server a buck whether you're drinking water or a martini, you're much more apt to order the martini as it has more "value". Free drinks become a very big part of the gambling equation for many -- go gambling so I can get drunk, cheap.

Up here in Canada, where you pay for your beverages, I've seen people been cut off after a few drinks and have seen people been escorted out for being inebriated.

It's a loss leader to get more people to gamble and it increases the bottom line as the cost of providing free alcohol / drinks << the revenue generated from bad gambling decisions.

But just because I feel it's unethical doesn't mean that I feel that it's wrong (but casinos should stop serving and allowing players to play when drunk). Casinos are a place to have fun and to let loose for a while.

Maybe it would even things out if alcohol was freely available (both free in price and free flowing) not just to the players but also to the dealers, floor supervisors, eye-in-the-sky operators, etc. Then, with everyone tipsy and making mistakes, there wouldn't be so many allegations that someone is trying to take unfair advantage.

;-)

Quote: kp

Is the casino acting ethically when offering free alcoholic drinks to the player?

Why not also poll Casino Ethics: Table Games and / or Casino Ethics: Hole Cards?

Quote: Doc

Maybe it would even things out if alcohol was freely available (both free in price and free flowing) not just to the players but also to the dealers, floor supervisors, eye-in-the-sky operators, etc. Then, with everyone tipsy and making mistakes, there wouldn't be so many allegations that someone is trying to take unfair advantage.

;-)

Funny. Of course, there would be more drunken arguments between the players and the dealers.

At least half of the time, I get a water or a coffee from the cocktail waitress. In this case, it's just good service. When I get up in the morning, I always have to make a decision whether I'm going to pay the unethical prices at the coffee shop or whether I'm going to play penny slots for a little while and order a coffee.

Quote: CrystalMath

pay the unethical prices at the coffee shop

Anyone ever see a water fountain in a casino? I have heard that The Orleans is supposed to have some upstairs in an otherwise deserted area.

Anyone ever sit down at a slot for a few minutes just to get a bottle of water during a Vegas summer?

Quote: kp

Anyone ever see a water fountain in a casino? I have heard that The Orleans is supposed to have some upstairs in an otherwise deserted area.

Anyone ever sit down at a slot for a few minutes just to get a bottle of water during a Vegas summer?

this i have always had a problem with. there should definitely be more water fountains in casinos especially in las vegas where it gets hot and you can easily get dehydrated. i hate being thirsty and i hate having to wait for a cocktail waitress or go to a casino bar just to get a water. and the placement is easy, just put them by the restrooms.

Quote: kp

Anyone ever see a water fountain in a casino?

In AC, CT and PA, I see them all the time, usually next to the rest rooms.

Now that you mention it, I don't recall seeing them in Vegas.

Quote: kp

Anyone ever sit down at a slot for a few minutes just to get a bottle of water during a Vegas summer?

No, but I'll often buy a bottle off a waitress for $1. I'm just walking around and notice a waitress with a water on a tray and approach her and ask. I'll be nice about it: "Is that water spoken for, or can I buy it for a buck?" The few times I got refused, she had a tray full of drinks, and I believed her that it was spoken for. If her tray has mostly empties, she's probably heading back to the service bar and is happy to make another buck - and lighten her load.