The Days of Free Booze in Vegas Are Drawing to a Close

Casinos are using tech to track the not-so-big spenders

October 26, 2016 9:00 am EDT

Old man voice (aka me): Used to be when your weekend in Vegas got a bit excessive, you could sneak over to a video poker machine, throw in a few coins and live off free drinks.

Looks like that boozy loophole is expiring.

According to the Los Angeles Times, casino behemoths Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts are experimenting with tech that can track how much you spend on casino games.

The fallout from this? The casinos will only serve up gratis booze to gamblers who spend. A lot. Indicator lights on the rear of certain machines will flash “green” if you’ve hit an undefined but high limit.

This follows an earlier announcement from the Mirage about using a voucher system to regulate comped drinks.

So far this “comp validation system” only applies to players in the video poker section at certain bars within the casinos. As for whether it will expand to other parts of the casino … the odds are good.

Meet your guide

Kirk Miller

Kirk Miller

Kirk Miller is InsideHook’s Senior Lifestyle Editor (and longest-serving resident). He writes a lot about whisk(e)y, cocktails, consumer goods and artificial intelligence.
More from Kirk Miller »

MEET US AT YOUR INBOX. FIRST ROUND'S ON US.

Every Thursday, our resident experts see to it that you’re up to date on the latest from the world of drinks. Trend reports, bottle reviews, cocktail recipes and more. Sign up for THE SPILL now.