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Complimentary Drinks At Casinos Disappearing

Posted on June 15th, 2010

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The changing times have transformed the gambling industry in the United States. Whereas before, Las Vegas and Atlantic City were the gambling capitals of the western and eastern regions of the United States, respectively, these two gambling hubs are now beset by fierce competitions. Nowadays, casinos are popping up everywhere across the country, in line with the gambling expansion moves of most states. As local lawmakers created regulations for their new casinos, some rules were altered that had an effect on the extra services usually provided by casinos. One such feature offered by most casinos and enjoyed by their patrons, the complimentary drinks, is slowly disappearing.

The regulatory guidelines of some new casinos have been dictated by the moral thinking of the local legislators, some by the economic situation. In Ohio, the four new casinos approved by voters last November have rules that don’t serve complimentary drinks.

Other states in the Midwest like Missouri, Indiana, Kansas and Illinois also prohibit their casinos from offering free cocktails. Ohio’s law was signed by Gov. Ted Strickland last week, and aside from forbidding the free drinks, the law also prohibits selling of alcoholic drinks for 24 hours at casinos, and limits it only until 2:30 a.m. Bars and restaurants in Ohio also have the same time restriction.

One group that actively fought for strict casino regulations on alcohol is the Ohio chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The executive director of MADD in Ohio, Doug Scoles, said the Midwest still has old-fashioned standards as shown by the free drinks ban. He said many in the state still want to discourage the no time limit serving of alcohol because of the danger it poses to the residents. In Kansas, free drinks are not only prohibited at casinos and other drinking establishments, the state also bans happy hour specials and drinking games like beer pong.

Restaurants and bars in Ohio have also joined forces to appeal to lawmakers not to allow free drinks at the state’s new casinos. The spokesman for the Ohio Restaurant Association, Jarrod Clabaugh said the reason is not moral, but has to do with their businesses. He said owners of drinking establishments are worried that casinos offering customers free drinks may encourage people to stay more at casinos and no longer go out and try the other dining and drinking places in the community. In Illinois last year, the state Casino Gaming Association denied a riverboat casino’s proposal to change the state law and allow it to exclusively offer free drinks at its facility. The casino was pushing for the complimentary drinks because of the smoking ban that was imposed in the state.

According to the American Gaming Association, the states that allow casinos to offer free cocktails to their gambling customers are Nevada, New Jersey, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Mississippi. But Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos, hard hit by the economic recession, have reduced their complimentary supplies to save on costs.

Thirty eight casinos in Las Vegas reported a drop of 2 percent in complimentary drinks from last year, and casinos in Atlantic City had a 5 percent decline in 2009 in complimentary drinks, meals, hotel rooms and entertainment. Some casinos, though, have increased the availability of alcohol in their premises. In North Carolina, voters allowed Harrah’s Cherokee, which did not sell drinks before to now offer alcohol. In upstate New York, Turning Stone was granted a liquor license in May that would allow alcohol to be available in all its facilities.

In Fire Rock, a casino in New Mexico run by the Navajo Indians, alcohol is now allowed, but is restricted in most places in the reservation. But according to industry analysis, some casinos that have discontinued the complimentary cocktails have seen an increase in alcohol sales.