Cosmo Drink Tickets (disgusting)

Put about $25 in coin in on Video BJ in 5 min, and nonetheless there was no free drink ticket that was printed for me. Casinos are the greediest of enterprises masqueraded as "loving winners"

Quote: CasinoKiller

Put about $25 in coin in on Video BJ in 5 min, and nonetheless there was no free drink ticket that was printed for me. Casinos are the greediest of enterprises masqueraded as "loving winners"

Wow! A whole $25? That'sounds probably a theoretical win for the house of $0.20. And you think you should get a $7 drink for that???

ZCore13

More like $1 theoretical win, those "blackjack" machines always pay 1:1 on BJ, and most of the drinks actual cost is less than that. But your exaggerated point is still valid, gonna take more than that at a carpet joint with a drink monitoring system

Quote: Zcore13

Wow! A whole $25? That'sounds probably a theoretical win for the house of $0.20. And you think you should get a $7 drink for that???

ZCore13

It's not a $7 drink. It's a $1 drink they charge $7 for. Making money on every customer, every time, is greedy for a casino. At a local casino nearby, have to get alcohol now with a tier drink benefit coupon, and not a milkshake I want. A simpler solution, would be to charge $2, $1 for the drink and $1 for the tip, with play. Then the casino would stop sweating and have happier employees and customers. They're greedy, so would insist on $2 just for the drink and the employees work for free as far as they're concerned.

Quote: mcallister3200

More like $1 theoretical win, those "blackjack" machines always pay 1:1 on BJ, and most of the drinks actual cost is less than that. But your exaggerated point is still valid, gonna take more than that at a carpet joint with a drink monitoring system

Yes, I was exeragerating for effect, but as you said, nobody is going to get a free drink, even at a cost to the casino of $1, for $1 in theo.

ZCore13

Publicly traded companies have a motivation to be stingy greedy entities

I played at a Cosmo bar the other month when a friend was in town. The first drink was free but the machine had to print out a ticket before the next drink could be comped. The bartender said something about it being more a timed thing rather than based on coin-in. It felt like it took a while to get the first coupon, but after I had the second drink, I got the vouchers before I was needing a refill.

Recently I was at MGM Grand and decided to play a VP machine at The Lobby Bar so that I could get a cocktail in a bigger (regular sized) glass. The bartender made my drink and then attempted to charge me $12+. I found out the first drink isn't free, I would have to play until the machine printed out a ticket. I said forget that, cashed out and went to another bar that isn't on the drink ticket system (but then got served a drink in the same tiny glass that is served on the floor.)

Quote: Zcore13

Wow! A whole $25? That'sounds probably a theoretical win for the house of $0.20. And you think you should get a $7 drink for that???

ZCore13

I'm not sure you could get a domestic bottle for $7 or less at a Cosmo bar. I agree with your point though.

Quote: CasinoKiller

Put about $25 in coin in on Video BJ in 5 min, and nonetheless there was no free drink ticket that was printed for me. Casinos are the greediest of enterprises masqueraded as "loving winners"

I know of some systems that require $6 per minute average to get the free drink. I think these casinos offer $0.25 video poker so they are looking for about five hands of $1,25 per minute. Some higher end bars have higher requirements especially if they only offer $1 and above denoms.

I think it was Westgate sports bar that had a system where a green light shows up on the back of the card reader. The bartender was explaining how much coin in and the timing (I forgot the specifics now). At the time I remember thinking, "Wow, the requirements were super low." It seems I'm currently over playing for some drinks.

If you are frugal and want to drink( at least until they implement this on the floor) how hard is it to just sit at an E-Table and pretend to be betting? It's not as if the cocktail waitresses have a clue what you are doing as you watch the roulletball spin around or whatever. Just tip the girl $3 and ask her to bring another one on her way back. It's amazing how quickly they get back to you with the next drink.

If you play craps at any of the urban cities, you will notice certain people hanging around the tables all day, while playing 5 bucks here and there, so they can drink all day for free. It is horrible.

Quote: WatchMeWin

It is horrible.

We all have different views on what is horrible.

The MBAs think bartenders letting people have free drinks all night and taking the money as tips instead of drink prices is horrible. All ticket systems annoy everyone, but the target is the bartender.

In a place where Swells go Strutting around luxuriating in their Upscaleness, the prices may beas inflated as the egos, but the ticket system is still aimed at ending the practice of a customer keeping the bar tender's tip jar happy rather than the MBAs happy by getting the money into the cash register.

Its often the same way with waitresses, be flirty enough and the guys will tip the waitresses rather than buying booze. No need for a casino for this to happen.

We all hate the tiny plastic cup, the ice cubes, the watered-down concoctions, the Tray-Lizard's delay and refusal to immediately provide us with her phone number. We alll have to deal with it, though. Back when the sevens place was known as Terrible's I actually felt embarrassed for the poor waitress who brought me such a teensy cup of orange-flavored water.

Casinos are more generous with slot machine players because a 12 percent slot is better than some piker doing an occasional red chip on the 1.414 percent pass line, yet casinos institute drink monitoring on slots too. Oh, sure they call it a drink ordering system and say it speeds the process by making CWs only deliver rather than take orders for drinks as well, but no matter what you call it, its a drink monitoring system and its done solely to please the MBAs.

Are there ways to get around such things? Sure, play at the Venetian where waitresses will bring you nice large drinks and won't be stingy. Know any other casinos where waitresses will bring you three bottles of water all at once? Or two glasses of orange juice, large ones?

The Cosmo has always been a strange mix of contradictory policies even before it opened. Last I heard its not really a gambling joint, just a chandeliered art gallery for the swells to strut in. Well, okay... enough hyperpole for the day.

Fake gambling to get drinks? Sure it goes on. Casino personnel are always observant. Always. And they see Everything. Even that waitress knows to keep her eyes open because if she sees you monkeying with a machine she gets a bonus for reporting it. You want to pretend to put bets on the bubble craps machine, go ahead but you won't be foolin' nobody for long.

Back when the mob ran Vegas, the mob rewarded their employees and did not screw them, but treated them fairly. Way back in antiquity when there were change girls in Vegas, one of them reported a man was standing unusually close to a slot machine and he was winning. That change girl got a certificate, a handshake and a check for ten thousand dollars. Vegas rewarded alert and loyal employees.

Now, Vegas is nothing but MBAs squeezing employees, the public, everyone. Benny Binion never served a watered-down drink in his life. Now we have some Swiss Bank owned Cosmo squeezing pennies in their VP bar. How loyal will that bar tender be if he sees something or over hears some scam?

Quote: FleaStiff

The Cosmo has always been a strange mix of contradictory policies even before it opened. Last I heard its not really a gambling joint, just a chandeliered art gallery for the swells to strut in. Well, okay... enough hyperpole for the day.

I have mixed feelings on this issue because I have seen it both ways. Not as a casino owner but as a bar and business owner. Most of us hate change and see it as a money grab but there also have had to be abuse to make them invest in the changes. Maybe some bean counter did the math, but at this point anyone playing a steady amount is going to have no issue getting drinks. Everything changes in Vegas and this is just another one of them. And there is always the option of playing elsewhere. Ellis island still has cheap drinks and they never let your glass get empty playing slow VP while watching the game and tipping 1-2-1-2. Hell your a high roller at that point to the bartenders.

As for the Cosmo, as a player there I have seen my offers go up in the past year for the same level of play. Seems like the new ownership group realized that were not maximizing the asset of the casino.

I will there in the very near future and will probably watch at least one game at the book and will see how fast or slow it works.
I will say if you like Craft beer and play VP, the guys at TAG in the Linq serve some high quality comp brews quickly.

Quote: FleaStiff

We all have different views on what is horrible.

Actually, my meaning of the word horrible was not regarding people scamming free drinks (more power to them).. It was regarding the people that crowd the craps tables slowing up the game and causing issues, while not even playing. Bad energy! Stay away.

Quote: WatchMeWin

If you play craps at any of the urban cities, you will notice certain people hanging around the tables all day, while playing 5 bucks here and there, so they can drink all day for free. It is horrible.

Sugerhouse?

Quote: FleaStiff

Now, Vegas is nothing but MBAs squeezing employees, the public, everyone. Benny Binion never served a watered-down drink in his life. Now we have some Swiss Bank owned Cosmo squeezing pennies in their VP bar. How loyal will that bar tender be if he sees something or over hears some scam?

The problem with the bean-counting approach is that it can either be localized and misused, or globalized. If someone who's paying full fare on their rooms and meals at the Cosmo wants to feel like he's scamming the system and getting cheap drinks by not gambling much, but he comes back every 3 months and keeps paying full fare on the rooms and meals -- let him have the free drinks! The whole point of being able to track a player means figuring out what he's worth to the property, not just to the casino. Honestly, if I were running a casino and I knew some 40-something guy was counting at a $15 table -- but he brought his wife and kids and they've already eaten 4 meals, seen 2 shows, visited the spa, and the wife has dropped $100 on slots, then count all you want, Sir. He'll want to come back, the family will want to come back, and my property will be more successful. Those are *exactly* the kind of guests I'd want, perhaps second only to the same family except with a dad who just shoots dice instead.

Now if it's just some local AP who's trying to spread $25-2x$250, playing uncarded, that's a different story. If someone has an actual negative value to my property, including the time/effort to get them gone, then I'll get them gone.

What a bad beat for the visitors. Resort fees, paid parking, stingy comping requirements for drinks, horrible paybacks on machines, etc. I don't even know why people come out here anymore. Stay home and go to your local casino.

On the other hand, keep coming here and filling the casino's coffers. We can AP some of that money :)

Quote: MathExtremist

...Now if it's just some local AP who's trying to spread $25-2x$250, playing uncarded, that's a different story. If someone has an actual negative value to my property, including the time/effort to get them gone, then I'll get them gone.

2x$250 seems like an oddly specific spread =).

All of this is just further proof of evolution, and the fact that ideas/businesses can evolve too. While I don't agree with it, I learned a while ago business that charge $10 for a product with 100 customers could make more money by charging $20 for the product knowing they'll lose 30% of their customers by pissing them off about the rate hikes in the process... after all 10*100 = 1,000, where as 20*70 = 1,400... 40% growth Mr. Bossman! The reason I don't agree with it is branding. People will hate your business and tell others about how they hate it and even if you have a monopoly (like time warner) eventually you'll piss off enough people that it will crumble before you. This, in my opinion, is ESPECIALLY retarded for casinos to do given there IS so much other competition around them.

The funny thing is, you can't blame the bean counters either. It ALLLLLL comes back to appeasing share holders and corporate greed. It's the pressure they put on the CEO's/bean counters because the corporate greed approach is "we can always make more." Businesses/share holders often don't realize there is a market CAP on what they can SQUEEZE out of people/etc. They just simply ALWAYS expect to make more next year, cuz after all if you're not growin you must be dyin!


Here's why... Let's say a casino nets $100 million this year (no idea how relevant that is but let's go with it). The share holders are like "hey that's great, so next year let's make our goal $110 million!" They don't think "where does that extra $10 mill come from?" They simply give that goal to the CEO and the bean counters and say "make it happen!" Then, knowing they'll get fired if they miss their goal (or not get bonuses, etc, etc) they have to find ways to make even more money... but you can only do that for some many years and after that you're no longer optimizing your business but ruining it by doing things like charging for parking, making people use your ticketing system for drinks, etc, etc. Because let's say they start charging for parking... Great, we hit our $110 million this year... Okay, next year it's $125 million! Um, let's cut back on drinks by using this ticket system? Yay, you hit your $125 million this year... Okay next year is $135 million! So on and so on until you get to the point you're nickle and diming the sh*t out of your customers to the point they hate you and your product/service and you see it all crumble and fall. Then, instead of realizing this, the share holders simply think "this CEO and group of bean counters can't get it done... let's fire all of them and bring in some new blood with more ideas on how to make us more money year after year!" instead of realizing what they're doing is inevitably bound to fail. They're entirely too focused on THIS YEARS RESULTS every year rather than the sustainable growth of the company for decades to come... even the casinos themselves apparently take the "burn it down" strategy.

It all comes back to the fear that the CEO's and bean counters alike have of getting fired for not hitting their yearly projections, which are all set higher and higher every year due to the ignorance that they think they can just expect more money year after year.

Quote: Romes

2x$250 seems like an oddly specific spread =).

Noticed that, did you? Heh.

Quote:

It all comes back to the fear that the CEO's and bean counters alike have of getting fired for not hitting their yearly projections, which are all set higher and higher every year due to the ignorance that they think they can just expect more money year after year.

I partly agree. Revenue growth makes sense for a product or service business that can sensibly grow, but the four walls of a casino tend to prevent runaway growth -- you can't just hold an extra 1000 people every day, you can't spread 100 more blackjack games, you can't just triple the table limits, etc. There's no way to rapidly scale revenue the way a software company can.

So on the one hand, slow revenue growth is expected at a land-based casino. But the problem is that a land-based casino is a business that, like any other business, has employees. And employees need raises, not only to cover inflation, but to cover their own career trajectories. If you don't hire or fire anyone for three years, you'd better be paying those employees more money at the end than at the beginning because they all have three more years of experience. That's a cost growth that, if not offset by revenue growth, reduces your margins. The problem is that casinos aren't like McDonalds -- you don't go to work at a casino thinking it's just temporary (at least, I don't think you do), so a casino owner can't get away with just having a revolving door of staffers and keep costs the same all the time.

If I owned a casino, I'd put all my senior managers on profit sharing plans and aim for revenue/cost stability, not significant profit growth. Growing profits wildly in a land-based casino means either significant revenue increase or significant cost decrease, both of which are likely to harm the player experience if you haven't changed something fundamental about the gaming products.

Quote: MathExtremist

Noticed that, did you? Heh.

=)

Quote: MathExtremist

I partly agree. Revenue growth makes sense for a product or service business that can sensibly grow, but the four walls of a casino tend to prevent runaway growth -- you can't just hold an extra 1000 people every day, you can't spread 100 more blackjack games, you can't just triple the table limits, etc. There's no way to rapidly scale revenue the way a software company can.

So on the one hand, slow revenue growth is expected at a land-based casino. But the problem is that a land-based casino is a business that, like any other business, has employees. And employees need raises, not only to cover inflation, but to cover their own career trajectories. If you don't hire or fire anyone for three years, you'd better be paying those employees more money at the end than at the beginning because they all have three more years of experience. That's a cost growth that, if not offset by revenue growth, reduces your margins. The problem is that casinos aren't like McDonalds -- you don't go to work at a casino thinking it's just temporary (at least, I don't think you do), so a casino owner can't get away with just having a revolving door of staffers and keep costs the same all the time.

If I owned a casino, I'd put all my senior managers on profit sharing plans and aim for revenue/cost stability, not significant profit growth. Growing profits wildly in a land-based casino means either significant revenue increase or significant cost decrease, both of which are likely to harm the player experience if you haven't changed something fundamental about the gaming products.

I agree with everything you stated. I guess in my vision of the "raise the profits" that was in directly relation to keep the margins raising. Still though, in any job there is a CAP. If you're a dealer and you have 10 years experience and make X per hour, just because you have 20 years experience doesn't mean you'll make 2X per hour, and 40 years doesn't get your 4X per hour. There's a cap, otherwise a regular old dealer would be making as much (or more) than the CEO. There's only so much they can make in their respective jobs. Likewise I think there's only so much revenue that can be brought in by the casino on a yearly basis... a "CAP" in its own right. Sure, they can focus their efforts on attracting more business from other competitors, but this is a cost to them and they're more interested in passing the cost of their inflation needs on to the consumer.

I don't disagree companies need to have some kind of growth to keep up with certain things (such as employee wages) but the way they go about doing it, such as passing the cost along to the consumer is surely something to be frustrated and upset with, which is why we see threads like this pop up and tons and tons of people start boycotting Vegas altogether. That was my point in the first post, was that eventually screwing the customer enough times will result in shooting your own business in the foot... So I just don't get why businesses do it. The best I can get is they're too stupid/ignorant about this years profits to think about the next 20 years profits. Would you like to have a business that makes $1 million per year for 5 years, or would you like to have one that makes $100,000 per year for 100 years? Most shareholders would take the immediate payouts due to their shaky trust in the markets. This fear leads to the yearly demands and the whole process of screwing the customer, which as I keep blabbing and reiterating will ironically end up screwing them.

Quote: MathExtremist

The whole point of being able to track a player means figuring out what he's worth to the property, not just to the casino.

NO!! Only what he is worth to the CASINO. Room, food, bars, movies, spas, even teen-age entertainment centers can be tallied up, but the casino is what is supposed to be the money maker, not the nightclubs. Of course, that is the "old" Vegas, but . . .

Benny Binion paid a florist a monthly fee for one of his players who filched a flower each morning and played craps in diplomatic day dress. Its action in the casino that matters. I once taught someone to play craps and somehow she took naturally to capping bets and past-posting. So I had to avoid her being embarrassed by tipping the crew everytime I saw her doing this stuff. The box was happy to have me handle the situation in this manner. No one spoke to her, but the crew was very happy with her play.

Quote: Romes

So I just don't get why businesses do it. The best I can get is they're too stupid/ignorant about this years profits to think about the next 20 years profits. Would you like to have a business that makes $1 million per year for 5 years, or would you like to have one that makes $100,000 per year for 100 years? Most shareholders would take the immediate payouts due to their shaky trust in the markets. This fear leads to the yearly demands and the whole process of screwing the customer, which as I keep blabbing and reiterating will ironically end up screwing them.

Well, with your particular numbers you're clearly better off with $1M for 5 years. Time value of money is important -- the annualized inflation rate over the past 100 years is about 3.18% (or 22.9x over 100 years). If that holds going forward, the $100k you'd earn in year 100 is worth less than $4400 today.

Point is, planning 20 years out rarely makes sense. Planning 3 or 5 does, but even that doesn't matter if you can't make it the next 12 months. For example, Twitter won't be Twitter in the next 3 years. It will either get bought by someone or fold altogether, because you simply can't keep losing $100M/quarter and expect investors to keep giving you more money to throw away.

Quote: FleaStiff

Fake gambling to get drinks? Sure it goes on. Casino personnel are always observant. Always. And they see Everything. Even that waitress knows to keep her eyes open because if she sees you monkeying with a machine she gets a bonus for reporting it. You want to pretend to put bets on the bubble craps machine, go ahead but you won't be foolin' nobody for long.

personally im not fugal or patient enough to do that.

Please eplain this bonus thing you are talking about for turning people in? I have not hear if this. My GF has been a cocktail waitress for 2 different places. She hasn't heard of this bonus you talk of. She didn't care if people were gambling or not if they ordered a drink she brand it to them (bad tippers and all). She said old people were the worst tippers and many didn't tip at all.

Even if they did have some kinda narc bonus I think they would gladly keep quiet if you were tipping well. I never seen a cocktail waitress upset with $2.

I seriously doubt for the most part anyone reasonably smart would get caught if they were to fake play to get drinks. Hell, just put a $20 in as you order.

I have no doubt someone looking like they are homeless or someone going in day after day would probably get noticed. Or if a bunch of youngster I have no doubt I could get away with it for 8 hours easy. I have been just standing next to machines or sitting and obviously not playing and the cocktail waitress will bring me drinks. There are some places that seem to be more adamant about you playing, but that's nothing a $20 in the machine and a one cent bet won't take care of. If someone's life has come down to playing penny machines all day just to get free drinks, they got bigger problems.

Quote: Boz

Sugerhouse?

Ive been there a couple of times. Sure seems to fit the mold! Do you play there? What has your experience been?

I do not like the way they are starting to police drinks and parking! However it is still very easy to go around to 5 cocktail stations and fake play and order a drink. If you don't want to do that you just pre-toke. Give the girl 2 or 3 dollars for whatever you want and you'll be fine. You want to only tip a buck? Stick money in the machine and wait. Tip a buck and move on. Honestly I have never had a problem having 6 doubles and 3 beer backs when I drank. My problem recently if I am at a bar and I am playing over 5000 coin in per hour and I pass off a beer to someone who isn't playing. I have had some good problems with that but I show them. I just never tip again to that bartender and I go to some other station or bar and order all I want and bring them back. Now if I really feel like being a prick I just order a beer and stiff that bartender, go to the bathroom and dump it out and come back and order another. If I'm really pissed off... I just spill the beer all over the bar and machines by accident of course! Oh I am sorry Bartender... Could you clean this up for me?? I know, I know... I'm an A**hole!

If you are going to do something like this after they give you slack, you have to tell the manager or bartender this: "Oh you guys want to play hardball huh? Ok... I can play hardball too!!"

What's even worse is the Wynn dosent comp drinks at all at the video poker bar. I'm truly disgusted at how cheap (but really the opposite) strip casinos can be. 6:5 crapjack everywhere, unreal VP pay tables, $24 a drink in the club, resort fees parking fees etc. it's disgusting situation for the non-AP/high roller...

Quote: CasinoKiller

What's even worse is the Wynn dosent comp drinks at all at the video poker bar. I'm truly disgusted at how cheap (but really the opposite) strip casinos can be. 6:5 crapjack everywhere, unreal VP pay tables, $24 a drink in the club, resort fees parking fees etc. it's disgusting situation for the non-AP/high roller...

The non-AP high roller makes $100 in passive income between the time he checks in and the time he gets to the gaming tables and doesn't care about spending $25 on a drink. The non-AP high roller is willing to pay the fees at the Wynn -- which to him are negligible -- to separate himself from the gamblers who think the fees at the Wynn are exorbitant.

There's a noticeable difference in the players around a $5 craps table and a $25 craps table. Wynn wants that for the entire property. The prices are high because the property is intended to be exclusive, literally by excluding those who can't afford it.

Quote: MathExtremist

There's a noticeable difference in the players around a $5 craps table and a $25 craps table. Wynn wants that for the entire property. The prices are high because the property is intended to be exclusive, literally by excluding those who can't afford it.

This is true.... and why I love The Wynne so much!

Quote: MathExtremist

The non-AP high roller makes $100 in passive income between the time he checks in and the time he gets to the gaming tables and doesn't care about spending $25 on a drink. The non-AP high roller is willing to pay the fees at the Wynn -- which to him are negligible -- to separate himself from the gamblers who think the fees at the Wynn are exorbitant.

There's a noticeable difference in the players around a $5 craps table and a $25 craps table. Wynn wants that for the entire property. The prices are high because the property is intended to be exclusive, literally by excluding those who can't afford it.

Bunch a bunk... go play low limit poker and order all the free drinks you want at your precious Wynn!

So this smart AP makes a C Note by just being a Smart AP and he justifies paying 25 dollars for a .50 cent drink because he made an easy C note?? BS ... I know a lot of millionaire APs and I see them credit hustle nickels left in the machine every time and they usually bring their own water to the machine/table. They ain't paying no 25 dollars for a Cubra Libra!

EDIT: If you really want free drinks at the Wynn you can get on a long list at the poker room and sit at an open table and order. Tip decent at least and you don't even have to bother with the list.

Quote: monet0412

Bunch a bunk... go play low limit poker and order all the free drinks you want at your precious Wynn!

So this smart AP makes a C Note by just being a Smart AP and he justifies paying 25 dollars for a .50 cent drink because he made an easy C note?? BS ... I know a lot of millionaire APs and I see them credit hustle nickels left in the machine every time and they usually bring their own water to the machine/table. They ain't paying no 25 dollars for a Cubra Libra!

EDIT: If you really want free drinks at the Wynn you can get on a long list at the poker room and sit at an open table and order. Tip decent at least and you don't even have to bother with the list.

That's exactly my point. The sort of person who is *not* an AP (i.e., most gamblers) and who has the money to throw around at the Wynn doesn't care about hustling nickels or bringing bottled water or getting a free drink by signing up in the poker room and not playing. When you have lots of money, effective use of your time becomes more important than saving a few bucks.

Millionaire APs are definitely not the target demo for the Wynn. They're after the Millionaire or Ten-Millionaire non-APs who are willing and able to pay for luxury and exclusivity. It's a significant mental shift going from a low roller without much of a gambling budget to someone who doesn't care about paying $25 for a drink or playing 6-5 blackjack or 6/5 video poker (huh, never noticed that before...).

Just an update but I played .25 DW at the Cosmo Sports book yesterday for about 2 hours and had 4 tickets left over and was feeling good. Talked to the bartender about it and she said it is easy to get tickets and they still have some discretion over issuing free drinks. Said the issue was people thinking they could put a $20 in and get 5 free tickets over an hour. I am not a fast player by any means and the system worked great. I ended up giving the extra tickets to 2 British guys drinking Newcastle and watching soccer.

Also note the tickets say they are good for 2 hours but the bartender said the are directed to take them for 24. Overall I had no issue with the system and anyone playing will have no issue getting free drinks as always. As for the pay tables, that is a different story.

Sitting in Cosmo HL slot lounge, without even playing (e.g. looking at UX, with no money in machine), waitresses will stop by quickly to ask if I want drinks.
Never bothered with "drink tickets."

They have fresh watermelon juice (but have to bring it from some other bar).
I usually tip $2.

----
P.S. Long ago, Vegas model shifted to profits from 50% gambling, 50% hotel, food, hotel, shopping
Most US casinos are like Reno - 90% gambling, 10% other.

Slot hold in Vegas was raised +1% in past few years, and revenue didn't increase.
Poppies feel if machines are looser or tighter.
Many of the most popular Indian casinos have the loosest slots (in my experience).
-> Tachi (Fresno, CA) is an exception. Very, very popular - yet very tight slots.

Not sure how much of a causal relationship there is here (on overall holds in a casino), however...
Looser slots get more regular customers hooked on certain games, which makes the games more popular, which attracts other new players (think original Wheel of Fortune). Without critical mass, a machine won't generate enough RPU, and I've seen the same machine popular in one casino...totally fail in 10 others.

There is an art to generating enough ploppy interest in a game.

When the first curved screen games were released, most casinos did not know how to place them so large crowds could watch the slots, ... so in many places their performance was not that great.

With some bonus games, it helps to generate multiple groups who compete to get games (some who play very tight, some who play loose). This can get large groups of poppies, regulars, (or wannabe APs) who chase games which are still 95-99%. Ideally for a casino, plopped & regulars will leave very little action for loose APs or tight APs.

Seems like many management folks are making bad decisions.
...but gross revenues can be 40-45%, so there's lots of room to make poor decisions, yet stay in business (and yes, Riviera failed).