Boycotting Bad Gambling And Resort Fees

I'm not sure how folks who voluntarily partake of something are being "bent over."

Look, most humans don't like change, even positive change. Change is the one, well, constant in life. Adapt or perish.

That Vegas is never coming back. We have a solid 20-year run going -- babes compared to some here, of course. And over that span of time, the popular thesis has been that Vegas is getting "worse" and "worse," and that the end is near unless those nefarious money-graspers change their tune. Guess what? Consumers don't give a fuck. Sure, a few gambling "purists" might balk; the casinos don't want you, anyway. Millions and millions pile in. Room rates, evening activities, food, shopping; the corporations found many ways to extract another pound of flesh, and as long as there is something resembling gambling those millions and millions will continue to pile in. You see, it's not just gambling, attitudes here prove that. It is ... VEGAS.

Go ahead, fall on that sword. You are going to be in the minority of minorities. I'm glad that as consumers we have choices. But if Vegas is really that much a part of one's bloodstream, this corporate formula is going to continue.

 

i just come to accept resort fess, i rather pay 35 in fees a night to stay at a nice resort like wynn or aria, then to stay at a low end place that doesnt have
resort fees

 

If a gambler wants good rules on table games, a fair slot machine, reasonable dining, free parking ETC they can still go to Reno! It isn't like gamblers cant find a fair shake in NV.

People go to Vegas so they can be in Vegas. That's why for every 1 visitor to Reno, Vegas sees 10. Vegas knows they have a great hook, and a unique experience that is unrivaled anywhere else in the world.

As they say "You pay for the price of admission" and that price in Vegas is, shitty gaming, fees, ETC.

All is not lost. There are so many bad local casinos out there that Vegas gaming seems great.

Strip payback on machines is just over 92% on average. If you gamble in West Virginia you are staring at 89%. Below is a list of entire states where the payback is lower than the strip. And most of these places dont even comp drinks.

• *CONNECTICUT – 91.77 percent

• NEW JERSEY – 91.41 percent

• SOUTH DAKOTA – 91.36 percent

• ILLINOIS – 91.00 percent

• RHODE ISLAND – 90.88 percent

• LOUISIANA – 90.74 percent

• INDIANA – 90.71 percent

• IOWA – 90.69 percent

• MAINE – 90.68 percent

• MISSOURI – 90.64 percent

• OHIO – 90.34 percent

• PENNSYLVANIA – 90.16 percent

• WEST VIRGINIA – 89.72 percent

 

I can't wait until this movement really gets going, and the handful of hotels not charging a resort fee get tons more business. With all that demand, paying $500/night to stay at Main Street Station will really show these casinos who's boss!

 

Given this discussion, what do you think the top 3 best spots would be? That is, which offers the best balance of fair gaming, fair room rates, no parking fees, no resort fees, decent location, decent amenities, etc? I feel like every casino will check some of the 'bad' boxes, some check them all, but which ones should we direct our loyalty to? I'm inclined to say Palms offers a pretty good value, though I haven't been there much in the last couple years. Likewise, there may be some locals oriented casino way up in North Las Vegas, or Summerlin, etc, but that isn't really practical for a tourist.

Edit: I think Main Street Station offers a decent amount of value as well, though it is lacking on the luxury side.

 

This isn't empirical, but for us the combo comes in at joints like M (despite a horrid location) and RRR, JW Marriott, Southpoint.

 

Southpoint! I wish I would have found my way over to this place sooner.

 

It always boggles my mind how many "dumb" gamblers I see. Not just in Vegas but everywhere. High rollers, low rollers and in between rollers. If you are going to play blackjack why in the world wouldn't you at least learn basic strategy? It's very easy to learn and brings the house edge down to a reasonable level (even with 6:5). And yet I see horrible play at every table. And while i understand the allure of the center bets in craps, if you put $5 on the pass line and then throw in $30 for various hardways, World. bets etc... you deserve to have your bankroll sucked out of your wallet. Roulette is becoming more popular, especially with the 20's crowd. It's only a matter of time before triple zero roulette is the standard in Vegas. And the 7+% house edge won't deter most of the players.

So yeah, I agree, it doesn't matter how many "smart" gamblers stay way from 6:5, there will be more fish to replace them.

 

Vegas has a much lower tax rate than the average state

 

I always plug Treasure Island. Better gaming, easier comps, great location ETC. Being Independent, on a strip packed full of corporations, they try harder IMO.

I listed all the reasons why on my blog. The #1 question I get on my website was "Where do you stay" so I wrote up this little entry.

https://sites.google.com/site/lvgrid/important-documents/where-do-i-stay-play

 

Absolutely true, places like PA steal from the casinos, which in turn steal from you. And that is why I pointed out that comparatively Vegas might seem "loose" if they draw gamblers in from states that will rob you blind in their casinos.

 

You got that right, I've talked with people who said they went to vegas(or local casinos that have 6/5), they'll say they played BJ and I'll say "could you find 3/2 or did you play 6/5" and almost invariably they'll say "whats that"?

I also see quite a few people(even at 3/2 tables), that when they get a BJ they tip the entire extra payout on the next hand. So they're pleased to play even money BJ.

 

People need to get over the blackjack 6:5 stuff. You have to understand something: the house edge at $5 or $10 blackjack with 3:2 is so low that Vegas doesn't care if you boycott 6:5 blackjack at those levels. If nobody plays $5 and $10 6:5 blackjack that's just fine with them. They'll eliminate blackjack tables and find something more profitable for the space. If I were playing a 3:2 blackjack table with good basic strategy at even a $10 game, with a .65% house advantage, the casino would be making less than $8 per hour off of me. Sure, they'll make more off of other players that don't play blackjack properly, but guess what? If they don't know how to play blackjack, then they also don't know what the difference is between 3:2 and 6:5, so why would the casino not take advantage of that?

They aren't bringing back $10 or less 3:2 blackjack and nobody can blame them for not wanting to do so. $25 3:2 blackjack will probably only soon be available at the mid and low tier hotels on the strip. I'm sure the luxury resorts will soon only offer it at $50 or $100, and many of them are already doing that at busy times.

 

Thanks everyone. I knew I was bringing up an impossible battle when I made the original. At least if nothing else there's a decent discussion here and maybe a few newbies to the board on their first trip will say hey....i have better options than giving the strip hotel my money with awful gambling conditions.

 

That is if you assume that undefined "awful gambling conditions" disqualify what in Vegas typically are better vacation getaway resorts.

 

I think it is extremely safe to say most strip visitors aren't there just for the gaming. I go to Vegas for the Strip experience and to gamble. I've been downtown and to a few off-strip properties, that is not what I am going to Vegas for. I have a decent gambling budget that I am putting at risk and and consider myself a somewhat savvy gambler.

 

Another takeaway from this is that only a small fraction of Vegas visitors even understand what all this chatter means. As someone else pointed out, if visitors were "savvy" there would be no slots or carnival games. That's why I object to some of these value judgments, the use of terms like "savvy." Who is to say that playing 00 roulette is somehow bad or wrong or idiotic, in isolation? Why eat at Ellis Island? Why eat at Charlie Palmer? Why isn't every hotel a Super 8 or a Ritz?

Now it is silly to play, say, 8/5 Jacks when a 9/6 platform is one machine over. But it is not silly to play 8/5 Jacks at a place you enjoy, where you want to be, where you want your comps to accrue, if the joint offering 9/6 simply is not your cup of vacation tea.

Then toss in the expertise angle ... time spent grinding away at home to get and remain proficient. It's silly to tee up some corporate entity for offering lower-EV gambling when one's playing style is reckless and seat-of-the-pants to begin with.

 

I and the wife have been going to Biloxi more and more rather than Vegas. We can drive there or take a relatively free junket ($40) by air. The MGM property we frequent has no parking fees and comped rooms charge no resort fees. Comp points grow slower but we have some good runs even with 6/5 BJ. Knowing the regular bar staff on three shifts makes our drink/VP time more enjoyable too.
Vegas is turning us off more each year with the nickel and diming they do.

 

Exactly! I play at VP bars where I stay and want to continue to be comped and enjoy chatting with the bartenders I've come to know at each. In the end if you're lucky enough to catch the Royal or Premium quad with kicker, the pay is the same (or better on progressives) and I want all the marbles. The bit of difference in paytables is just a longer grind in the end.