Page 20 - May 2004 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Page 20
May 2004
Tipping Guide for Slot Players by Bill Burton
Many casino workers get much of their salary from tips. is is the way it is for those employed in the “service” industry. Who I should tip and how much should I tip them has been a question that is asked by many players visiting the casino. Most table game players will tip the dealers while they are playing by making a bet for them. Some will just tip their dealer when they leave the game. But what about slot players, are they expected to tip, and who should they tip?
Tipping is a personal choice and your decision to tip anyone should be based on the service you receive. One criterion I use before tipping for a hand-pay jackpot is the amount of time it took to get paid. If the service is prompt, I may be inclined to tip a little more. If, however, I am waiting a long period of time, I may tip less. I do take into consideration how busy the casino is at the time of the jackpot. If it is a busy Saturday night you have to allow for the fact that there may be other winners ahead of you.
Column: Bill Burton About Gambling
Slot players usually tip when they receive a hand-pay jackpot from an attendant who must come and verify the jackpot and then come back and count out your winnings. If it is a jackpot over $1,199 the attendant will have tax forms that you will need to fill out before you are paid. There are usually two or three people in attendance during a hand pay. This is for security reasons to make sure the correct amount of money is being paid to the correct person. This often leads to some confusion as to which person you should tip.
You don’t have to tip each one separately. You can give one person a larger bill and tell them to split it. I usually give the tip to the person who actually paid me the money. There is not a set amount for tipping after a jackpot. Many players will tip somewhere between a half to one percent of the jackpot. For a thousand
dollar jackpot this would be between $5 to $10 dollars. One thing I have noticed over the years is that when you do receive a hand-paid jackpot some attendants never bring you bills smaller than a twenty. I often wonder if
they are just hoping that in the excitement of the moment you will hand them back a twenty- dollar bill regardless of the size of the jackpot.
When I am playing
The one is the
person all players should tip beverage server. In Southern California casinos all non-
I always
I carry a
and ten dollar bills to handle this situation.
alcoholic drinks are free. Again, use your own best sense when tipping,
but also employ the age-old “Golden Rule.”
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever!”
Bill Burton is the Casino Gambling Guide and columnist for the
Internet portal About.com. He also writes for several national gambling publications. He is the author of Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available for $15 postage paid. Send checks to Bill Burton, P.O.
Box 310299, Newington, CT 06131-0299 or online at www.billburton. com. Bill Burton’s website is located at: http://casinogambling.about.com
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