Not allowed to play due to drunkeness-- ever happen to you?

Hi all, long time no post. I was at the Riverside Casino just south of Iowa City, Iowa this past weekend for a conference. After the conference was over went out with a large group of attendees for dinner; had a few cocktails plus 2 glasses of wine with dinner, after dinner went to play craps. Got the dice right away and went on a pretty nice roll. I freely admit I was fairly animated, talking to the dealers, fist bumping a few of the players close to me when I would hit a number for them.

When I sevened out 2 floor people asked to speak with me. They asked if I had been drinking, and did I consider myself to be "inebriated" (their word). I cheerfully admitted that I was feeling the effects of alcohol, at which point they told me that they could not let me play "in my inebriated condition" and that I would have to leave! Several of the people I was with that night later confirmed that while I was clearly having a good time no one seemed to be bothered by it; the dealer I was standing right next to certainly didn't mind since I was throwing down a chip for the dealers about every 4-5 rolls. Nevertheless, for the first time in 30 years I was escorted off the casino floor, albeit in a polite fashion, fortunately I had a room. Learned later that 2 other people I know had similar experiences at the same casino. Unbelievable, if they used the same standard in Vegas I think they'd have to throw half the patrons out. Oh well, I was up when they booted me so it wasn't a complete loss.

 

Iowa Gaming has much stricter alcohol rules than Nevada.

 

I was playing craps at 3am at Encore with three other people. The dice kept passing one kid, the stick wouldn't even ask if he wanted to shoot. Eventually I asked him "you don't shoot"? The kid says "They won't let me!" I asked the dealer if he kept throwing them off the table. Dealer says, "No, he couldn't get them past halfway."

They still let him bet, though.

 

Friend from work was at my BJ table and he was smashed. He hit on a two dealt face card hand (20). They cut off his drinks, but let him keep playing.

 

I've seen a lot of people being told to sober up before playing again, i.e. Not being allowed to gamble. Generally it is usually in the players favor when they do so.

I remember one time where an older gentleman that was very quiet, but clearly smashed. He was playing high limit blackjack table maxing. He would double down on blackjacks, split twenties, double hard 13 thru hard 17. He actually was not doing too poorly, however when it started get ugly, the floor backed him off. Clearly it was to help him out.

I think most properties do not want to have the stigma of trying to take advantage of players

 

I assume vegas has a much looser standard. The worst I have seen involved one of my best friends (who was an alcoholic). He had been awake for 30+ hours, so drunk he could barely stand, and playing craps at the Monte Carlo. I found him at 9am, holding onto the craps chip rail to stay upright, and the dealers never said a word. They were still letting him gamble and bringing him drinks

 

I've been told in the poker room they would not give me a seat because I was too drunk. That's a little different though because a drunk will hold up action.

I turned around and went straight to the BJ table and they had no problem giving me a seat.

 

Fellow Iowan here. My local casino is Prairie Meadows, and they seem to be strict with the drinks at the VP bar - even though you have to pay for them! I've asked for another drink after I finished a beer in about 10 minutes, and they said I had to wait 20 minutes between drinks. I've never been asked about how many I've had though - although I think the max I've ever bought was 6 in one night.

Among other reasons, this is why I'd rather not gamble locally and instead just go to Vegas a few times a year.

 

I never got to that point, especially since quitting drinking all together years ago.

However, there was a time I was at the craps table at Flamingo and the shooter had to sit on the floor between throws but damn was he on a roll. After everyone would get paid someone or everyone would shout 'Get him up!". He'd get to his feet, shoot and sit back down again. Another time at Flamingo I was playing PaiGow and there was a sleepy drunk playing roulette alone next to me. He had mountain of chips, gave up trying to stack them several drinks ago and just let them spill, forming a pile about 2 feet wide and 8 inches high in the middle. He would literally pick up a couple handfuls of chips and half toss/half drop them on the numbers. Most of the time he had his head on the table using his folded left arm as a pillow. I was sure they would have cut him off, but he was winning huge.

 

It never happened to me but one incident at MSS there was a player that is well known to the casino. He was just full out wasted to the max. He was slurring, incoherent, weaving back and forth, and literally holding up the game. I swear 5 minutes would pass between dice throws, all because he was trying to either press his bets or make some of the bets in the middle, but he was so incoherent that the dealers and boxman (or the players for that matter) couldn't understand him.

It was so frustrating that eventually all the players left. But MSS never asked him to leave....

 

What was the result of that CA fellow who was suing the casino for allowing him to play when he was too drunk? He'd had lost BIG money.

The dealers do have rules about not allowing inebriated players. No idea what they are.

 

Never happened to me, but I have sat at a table where a BF & GF combination spilled no less than 5 drinks on their end of the table and was still allowed to play. They stopped serving them for a little while, but later they both received another drink and the girl promptly spilled it ...

 

I hear you TX-- I live about 10 minutes from Prairie Meadows. Place reeks of smoke and is just depressing.

 

I play quite frequently at four Iowa casinos and I know quite a few who also do regularly and usually imbibe while doing so. I've never heard of anyone ever being thrown out or not allowed to play for being under the influence.

One casino (Ameristar) does have a big "Visibly intoxicated persons not allowed" sign, but I've never seen it enforced.

About a year or so on the board here, somebody said that Iowa casinos could only sell you one drink every half hour. That weekend I asked the beer cart guy if that was true and he laughed and said that there was no way that could be enforced.

Then at a later time I was on line for beer at the beer cart at Horseshoe . The guy in front of me tried to get four beers, but she would only sell him two and they said a few things back and forth. When it was my turn I asked what the issue was. She said that by law (regulation? policy?) she could only sell him two beers at one time, but to simply get back on line and get two more.

 

At the casino I work at we have policies in place about intoxicated players. Typically, if it is not obvious by their behavior then if us dealers suspect they are intoxicated, we tell a floor supervisor, they observe them a bit and if they agree or are on the fence about it, then they will call security to come up, security then calls the food and beverage manager, the F/B manger will talk to the player with security present. If the F/B supervisor determines they are intoxicated, security then escorts them to the cage to cash out, and then either gets them into a cab off property or attempts to locate a sober person in their party to drive them home. They are not permitted on the property for 12 at that point. Surveillance then is required to do a review of film from the time the person walks into the building, seeing who served them, how much, how quickly and write a full report. If the server served them to much or to quick, and they have a pattern of doing such, they are terminated.

If the F/B supervisor determines it is just a good buzz, they instruct the waitress not to serve that person any longer, they advise that person they are not permitted to drink, security takes note and keeps an eye on that person. If they have another drink after being cut off, they are escorted out just as above.

If the player is a status player, they may have the casino manager in on the conversation, ya know because we do not want to piss off the big money players.

Our company has a "responsible gaming program" and one part of that program is not not allow someone to gamble intoxicated as to not be taking advantage of them. I will be honest, most of our supervisors do not give a rats behind unless the person is causing a huge issue, and then usually the supervisors are not even involved because they have already caught the attention of security.

I know quite a bit about the policies and procedures involved, more than the table games supervisors and dealers because I worked in the security department before becoming a dealer, they have no clue what all goes into these things.

As for a Vegas story, I was at Boardwalk and a couple guys were totally intoxicated and at the Craps table. It was around 7am and the pittboss told them no more alcohol and told the server when she came around. The guys started acting like @$$ holes and the pitboss told them that they were in an adult gambling establishment, if they wanted to remain they needed to act like adults, one of the guys said something and next thing I know four big security guys were there and walking them out of the building.

 

IWannaBeInVegas? Which area (state?) is this?

 

Ohio.

It is actually written in our state code that a casino, cannot allow one to gamble intoxicated, but ya know how that works, it also says a bar cannot serve someone to the point of being intoxicated and its a daily occurrence.

 

Lol, I seen it happen in Reno a couple times...but only when the person is causing a problem (making a scene, etc)
Funny story, a friend who played craps religiously, would get SMASHED all the time (every round was "Hinny & Heiny"; shot of Hennessy with a Heineken back)...only seen him get asked to "go to his room" ONCE...
Of course, myself...i could be smashed out of my mind...but as long as I could put the chips in the proper betting location, they'd continue to serve and let me gamble, hahaha.

 

I had a friend that was told he couldn't play roulette anymore at the Flamingo because he was too drunk. I wasn't at the table so I don't know exactly what he did. He wasn't initially kicked out of the casino. Then he started asking strangers to bet $100 on black for him because none of us that knew him would make the bets. It was at that point he was asked to leave.

 

Sure. Many such laws surfaced after prohibition failed. "Okay, well, people can drink, but they better not get drunk." Here in Texas, they're running an ad campaign that says "Drink, drive, go to jail." However, if that were the law, it would be illegal for bars to have parking lots. To the OP's point, seems a bit ridiculous to cut someone off from gambling because they've imbibed a bit. Any house in their right mind loves this type. Next thing you know, they're going to cut off people for making stupid bets.