Wynn Las Vegas balking at complimentary drink tradition
Of all the men and women who had a hand in shaping Las Vegas, none have quite as prodigious as Steve Wynn.
From The Mirage to The Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas, he’s come in and worked hard to class up the city from the gaudy, themed, family-friendly hotels of the 1990s. As good as he is for the city though, he may just be a little too progressively minded.
According to CasinoGamblingWeb.com, Wynn will no longer be comping drinks for people playing the video poker machines at the B Bar.*
Historically, bars have comped drinks for patrons playing certain dollar minimums at these machines.
Keep in mind that this is the same hotel that instituted a heavily unpopular toke sharing policy win which dealers for forced to share a tips with their pit bosses. The controversial policy led dealers to vote in favor of bringing the Transportation Workers Union in to represent them.
Having done my time in the casino game myself, I’m actually blown away by the audacity of this decision. Of course guests at the Wynn are likely to be about as high-end and well-to-do as it comes, so paying $10 for a cocktail may not be a big deal to them. Unfortunately things of such nature are rarely about the dollar amount.
People expect certain amenities from casinos, especially high-scale places like the Wynn and especially if it’s something they are already accustomed to. While clients can often gamble hundreds or thousands of dollars away on a whim and not think twice about it, asking them to pony up a few bucks for their drink is a likely to be taken as a slap across the face.
I’ve seen it dozens of times. The more money a people spend at any given place, the more the feel they are entitled to.
During promotional giveaways in my past, I’ve seen wealthy, Rolex wearing, Gucci bag toting guests fight tooth and nail for cheesy, chintzy merchandise that rarely cost more than $3.
And now the Wynn thinks it can get away with standing between a patron and his drink. I tell you, there is no quicker way to get into a fight at a bar.
As progressive as its founder is, the decision makers at the Wynn must have a tremendous amount of gumption to flout such universal tradition.
For more information, read the CasinoGamblingWeb article here.
*After speaking with a representative with Wynn Las Vegas, it needs to be clarified that this change will only affect the B Bar.
