One of the benefits of going to the casino is getting free drinks.
While many casinos offer complimentary drinks with play, there are some rules you have to follow. If you break those rules, things don’t always turn out in your favor, as a recent TikTok video shows.
In a clip with over 13,000 views, Las Vegas bartender and TikTok user Martisol Parker (@martiii_soulll) recounts an experience working at a gaming bar in downtown Las Vegas. According to Parker, her establishment “comp[s] drinks based on your play.”
Recently, Parker says that she saw a coworker come back from her lunch break. As she was making her way to the bar, she was flagged down by two men, who asked her for drinks. Upon bringing them back, she realized that one of them wasn’t actively gaming.
“She just tells the one of the guys who wasn’t actively hitting his button … ‘Hey, babe. Just do me a favor. Make sure you’re, you know, actively playing so I can comp your drink,’” Parker recalls.
Parker says that interactions like these are fairly common.
“That’s kind of our friendly reminder of, ‘Just play, ‘cause we aren’t really sure if you’re playing, especially if we just got back from break or we haven’t seen you play in a while,’” she explains. “‘We want to be able to comp the drink for you, but maybe you’re not playing enough.’”
What Happens When People Want Free Drinks Without Playing?
To the surprise of Parker’s co-worker, the men did not respond well to the reminder to game.
“The guy was like, ‘I have been playing! I have been playing!’” Parker’s co-worker told her. “And she’s like, ‘Oh, OK. I just got back from my lunch break. When I walked on, you weren’t playing, and I got the beer. You still hadn’t played … So, I just wanted to remind you just to play.’”
This statement apparently caused the two men to “go off on her.” Parker says that the co-worker handled the situation well and simply exited.
Soon after, the two men flagged down Parker. They then told her that they felt her co-worker was rude for asking them about their play, calling her “very disrespectful.”
“I said, ‘You know, it’s our job to make sure people are playing. It’s our job that, if you’re not actively playing enough—not just with money in the machine but actively gaming—it’s our job to not comp you,’” Parker says. “‘We, as a courtesy, ask you to actively play. Cameras are watching. My boss is watching. … This is our job. We will get in trouble. We will lose our jobs if we’re comping someone who actually is not playing enough to be comped.’”
The Dispute Continues
This answer did not seem to satisfy the two customers. Soon, it became clear to Parker that there was nothing she could say that would make them happy.
“I could tell he wanted something out of me,” she says.
Finally, after a little more time, Parker asked if there was anything else that the pair needed. The man responded that there wasn’t—but reiterated that “she was just so rude to me.”
“I said, ‘No. You didn’t like what she had to say because she told you you needed to play, because you weren’t playing. And I’m not gonna apologize for that, because this is our job. I apologize that you felt like this was a not good experience,’” Parker recalls.
According to Parker, the pair ended up continuing to sit in the same spot, not playing any games. Consequently, Parker says they did not receive any more comped drinks.
What Are The Rules For Comped Drinks In A Casino?
Many casinos in Las Vegas offer free drinks to gamers.
That said, as previously noted by BroBible, there are some rules that one must follow in order to receive free drinks.
Parker says that her casino requires customers to be continuously gaming before they are offered a comped drink. This is standard; if you are not playing, you are not entitled to a free drink. This includes parties with multiple people. In short, if several people show up to a casino, but only one person in the group is gaming, only the person gaming will be entitled to free drinks.
Next, there are some rules about which kind of drink you can order. Typically, casinos will only offer complimentary well liquor and basic beer. Anything above that generally requires an additional purchase, unless one is a high-roller at certain casinos.
Finally, not every casino will begin offering comped drinks as soon as one sits down. Instead, some casinos only offer comped drinks after one has hit a minimum.
Commenters Would Have Handled It Differently
In the comments section, many users commended Parker and her co-worker for their handling of the situation. That said, some claimed they would have done things a little differently.
“One courtesy reminder and then start a tab,” said a user. “Some bartenders don’t even give a single warning before presenting a tab. what you do is very nice.”
“Anything that isn’t a ‘yes’ is rude to them,” offered another. “They can’t handle being told no, no matter how nice you say it.”
“Just say ok and move on,” declared a third.
@martiii_soulll Can we just play or pay? #lasvegas #bartender #work #story #drink
BroBible reached out to Parker via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.