How to Tip When Playing Slots

Casino employees get a significant portion of their income from tips given by customers. It is a way for customers to show the employees that they appreciate their service. For first time casino visitors, a common question is how much tip should be given and who among the staff of the casino should be given such. For card games such as blackjack and poker, tips are given to the dealers assigned to their table. But for slots, who should be given?

Whenever players strike a hand-pay jackpot in a slot machine, an employee would come to confirm the jackpot and then count the money. If the slot machine winnings are over $1,200, then the employee assists with the tax forms. Usually, aside from this employee, there may one or two other employees who will witness the hand pay. This is for an extra precautionary measure to make sure that the slot machine prize is being given to the correct person and that the correct amount of money is being awarded.

The question now is who among the employees you should give tips, or are you obliged to tip them all. A good practice would be to give the tip to one of them and then ask them to split it among them. You can hand it over to any one of them, but the best one would probably be the person who handed over the prize.

There is no fixed amount for tips. After all, tipping is at the casino player's option. In practice, most players give about a half to one percent of the total slot winnings. Be prepared because most of the time the smallest bill in the prize money will be twenty dollars. If this is a tactic employed by the staff in the hope that in the player's excitement they will hand out a twenty dollar tip, we really do not know. But just the same, it would be best if you have smaller bills ready for tips.

Tipping should be based on the kind of service that was given you. If the staff assisting in the slot machines worked fast such that the prize money was handed to you the fastest way possible, then you may be want to give a higher tip.

One person you should definitely tip is the waiter whom you ordered a drink from. It does not matter whether the drink is free or you paid for it. Many of us do not know it, but the waiter is actually taxed for every drink they bring out of the bar. Tips are considered a part of their salary and hence, are taxed. Think about this the next time you order a drink when playing in a casino.

The guide on tipping given above is just a recommendation in whom and how much to tip in a casino when playing slots. The decision is still the player's whether they want to give a tip or not.