Las Vegas Outrage: Drink Fees Anger Locals and Visitors Alike, Casinos Mum on Latest Hidden Charge
Posted on: September 9, 2019, 02:21h.
Last updated on: September 10, 2019, 07:02h.
Las Vegas drinks have recently become more expensive at certain Strip properties, with guests discovering mandatory “service charges” on their libations.
Our Casino.org article on the latest fees being discreetly attached to elevate the true cost generated a strong and passionate response from Las Vegas locals and visitors. The report has been shared in the UK by The Sun, and gained hundreds of comments on Reddit,?TripAdvisor, and YouTube.
The article has garnered more than 100 comments on Casino.org, making it one of our most-discussed reports in recent memory. The controversy sparked last week when two Las Vegas travelers shared their bar receipts from Park MGM and Sahara, showing a service charge on their cocktails.
MGM Resorts responded on social media, “This charge you’re seeing is a venue fee. It is not only applied for table service, but for bar service as well, and is being applied to every check in the venue.”
“This fee is applied to all things that keep the venue operationally running, like the gaming maintenance for all bar top games, Wi-Fi, and lounge maintenance,” the casino explained.
But wait – we’ve long been told those pesky resort fees, which are now as high as $45 a day – were to cover such amenities as Wi-Fi. I reached out to MGM for clarification, but didn’t receive a response. The main question I have is whether the drink service fee, venue fee, whatever they want to call it, would be waived if one is staying at the casino resort and already paying the resort fee.
Resort fees are the subject of two lawsuits filed by the Nebraska and DC attorneys general. The complaints allege hotels and casino resorts are participating in “drip pricing,” a scheme where a company advertises one rate and then incrementally increases the cost through mandatory charges.
Out-Of-Towner Opinions
The rollout of hidden fees on drinks will keep some visitors away.
Having been to the US over 30 times, I’m calling it a day,” UK resident Joe Colquhoun said. “The charges in Vegas and New York are crazy and the tipping culture is getting out of hand. Many people are staying in Europe to holiday.”
“I go to Las Vegas three or four times a year, and every time things have gone up,” John Barlow declared. “I will most likely stop going, as it’s getting very expensive.”
“Really appreciate this article and really disappointed to see them milking guests like that,” another commenter said. “I’ll have to ask about resort fees next time I go, and maybe stay around Fremont and Uber over to the Strip.”
Locally Speaking
It’s not only the out-of-town guests – which Las Vegas greatly relies on – who are voicing their opposition to the new fees.
Las Vegas resident Heidi Ennis told us, “I’m a local of 52 years and was employed as a cocktail waitress years ago. I would be mortified to work in the casinos now with all these ridiculous fees.
“They don’t even make sense. What happened to being grateful that a visitor chose your establishment to visit out of all the others?” she asked. “What are you all thinking? Or are you?”?
Another TripAdvisor comment noted that,”One would think that the Sahara, which is attempting to get some new legs underneath itself through a current rebranding/ownership change, would offer a discount or promo to draw folks into their establishment rather than adding another fee. I don’t understand that at all.”
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Last Comments ( 38 )
Doesn't vegas understand, I have casinos in my state. I spend money on gaming and having fun. I don't need to go to vegas, And after putting up with the low life crap on the streets of vegas, I don't care to return.
Vegas is out of control with costs and fees. It was fun but we have other options in today's world. Done with Vegas. To expensive.
My family and I reside all over the USA... We would gather together in Las Vegas for a week, every year. We would spend plenty of money in rooms and food and drinks and so on. However, due to the mandatory fees, like parking, even if you don't have a car, resort fees and drinks fees, we will never, never go back... We thought that spending that money somewhere else, where they would appreciate our business was the best idea from now on. So, as they say in the movies, we will always have somewhere else... Good bye Vegas.
If people respected hospitality workers, would stop pretending that since they are from another country they don't know or tipping procedure,If locals would stop under tipping because they live here and feel entitled.....look I get it seems unfair...but no one talks about the fact that some people tip 10% and then gives a compliment...because that can pay bills... help their children...or even feed them. So I understand being frustrated...but try serving for 90 days.....see if you don't get a different view about humanity....and they're Jack of humanity to the lowly hospitality worker.
This is one of the reasons why I continue to go to Atlantic City instead of Vegas! They do have resort fees there too but so far they are not nickle and dimeing you to death. I get free parking at the Golden Nugget and it costs me $20 to stay there each day. The Ocean Casino Resort also has free parking. We use Jitney transportation when we go back and forth to the boardwalk or other casinos at a cost of $2.25 a trip. The ocean and beaches are something you won't find in Vegas. And they have world class entertainment. I'm not going to Vegas anytime soon.
Bring back The Boys; great food, the pit bosses knew your name, real entertainment, real excitement, 20-minute room service, easy comps, and none of this "business" atmosphere which is killing the FUN of the city. Take your Republican "service fees" and shove 'em where the Vegas sun don't shine. You're killing the golden goose.
MGM is destroying Las Vegas tourism, and its own brand in the process.
Totally a rip off too late to cancel this trip!!!Last one
Go to Vegas at least yearly and have never thought resort fees were anything but deception on the part of casinos. These new fees are certainly out of line and I love Vegas for food, entertainment, and gaming but have decided not to go anymore or stay where these fees are not added or pour my own in the room. Downtown Vegas looking better option for me if I go.
Casinos are no longer thanking guests for their patronage, they are punishing guests for not playing enough to satisfy their greed.
No more vegas. Keep your fees and lose business. When your customer base is gone u will have no one to blame but yourself
The way I've always seen resort fees is they are to cover the actual costs so the casino can take any charges for room, meals, etc. and consider them profits. Now with the new 'venue fee' they want the resort fees added to the profits. Don't be suprised at how much money the new fee can pull in! The managers, executives and CEO have to get creative to keep those bonuses flowing!
Las Vegas is always a looking glass for money trends, and this trend dramatically highlights the rest of the US Greed Machine's harvesting of our money via gouging, nickel-and-diming us to death, ludicrous fees, blackmail, extortion or outright fraud, and it's nothing new; this started with Reagan's Rectum in the early 80s, but Greed is as American as Apple Pie laced with Sodium Morphate. Treating good customers as nothing more than Monopoly pieces became the sole obsession of the Bean Counters, who sit around watching Wall Street results hoping for a promotion which is already squirreled away into their bosses' wallets. My disgust was complete when I watched them TRIPLE THE AMOUNT OF CHANGE YOU NEEDED TO PUT INTO PAY PHONES in the poor urban ghettos in the Nineties . Harvesting cash from POOR HUNGRY PEOPLE. Isn't Capitalism a thrilling sport? All you need to know about America is this :: YOU NEED TO LIE TO PUT BUTTER & EGGS & BREAD ON YOUR KITCHEN TABLE. Since Daddy had to lie. He won't be down on Wall Street any more. Las Vegas is a Doomed Place. Extrapolate what you will about America, and Capitalism, from that.
The article did not mention the other fees. All strip casinos charge $3 for 15 cent bottled water. Getting Blackjack on a $10 bet now only gets you a $12 win instead of $15. The slots are also tighter than they used to be. The scary thing is that casinos seem to be getting together on these decisions which is illegal.
Vegas will be a ghost town if this goes on. Instead of offering free stuff to people there doing this.In a time where gambling is getting legalized slowly in most states Vegas is playing this tough guy act and its gonna backfire. MGM has created so much bullshit they start everything from parking to automated bartenders to this