Part of the fun of visiting Las Vegas is scoring a comp or upgrade. Most Vegas visitors expect free drinks while gambling, however at the sports book, scoring a comp has gotten a bit trickier. But if you stick to a few rules, the sports book can be one of the easiest spots to score a free drink, or two,or three! The following 7 tips should be useful if you are looking at getting comped drinks at the sports book.
BE FRIENDLY - The ticket writers at the sports book can be your best friend if the casino uses the free drink ticket system. Build a rapport with a ticket writer - even simple small talk such as asking where they are from, who their favorite team is, etc. Building a friendly relationship with the ticket writer is usually a good way to score extra drink tickets.
ASK - Some sports books go out of their way to offer free drink tickets, while others seem to want to keep it a secret. So, just ask! While some spots go the free-drink-ticket-route, other sports books still go on the honor system and simply offer free drinks if you are sitting in the space watching sports or horse racing. Either way, asking a sports book employee or manager about their free drink policy is totally acceptable.
AVOID CANTOR SPORTS BOOKS - I will preface this by saying that Cantor run race and sports books are swanky spots. The quality of their HD screens are top notch and the motif of their sports books are sleek, modern, and very well done. But when it comes to free drinks, Cantor does not cut the mustard. Unless you are a "heavy-hitter" type of sports bettor, comped drinks are a no-go. Cantor run sports books include The Venetian, Cosmopolitan, Tropicana, Hard Rock, and a few others.
PLACE A BET - Not all sports books require a $500 bet to get a free drink. A small $2 horse racing bet is all you will need at some sports books. Cocktail servers usually can spot someone just watching the game as opposed to someone who has made a bet. Just lay that betting ticket on the table so it is visible and that will usually do the trick at sports books that do not use the drink ticket system.
STUDY - There are dozens of sports books around Las Vegas and their free drink policies vary greatly. Before deciding where you will be spending valuable Las Vegas time watching sports, research which sports books have liberal free drink policies. There are several resources on the web, however only one website is dedicated strictly to Las Vegas sports books - The Vegas Parlay.
TIP! - Money talks and if you tip, you can generally expect better service. Tipping isn't reserved to the cocktail servers either. Throwing a dollar or two at the ticket writers when placing a bet usually leads to more drink tickets in sports books that use the drink coupon system. A tip for the cocktail servers will also usually do the trick and if you are having a big day (The Vegas Parlay certainly hopes you have many) there is nothing wrong with increasing the tip amount.
EXPLORE - There are a lot of off-strip sports books that are customer friendly when it comes to sports book players. So if you are staying at one of the off-strip casinos (LVH, South Point, and Gold Coast sports books have liberal free drink policies), venturing to the strip for sports book action may not be necessary.
There are many strip casinos that have liberal free drink policies in their sports books. They include, Bellagio, Excalibur, The Wynn, and Mandalay Bay.
BE FRIENDLY - The ticket writers at the sports book can be your best friend if the casino uses the free drink ticket system. Build a rapport with a ticket writer - even simple small talk such as asking where they are from, who their favorite team is, etc. Building a friendly relationship with the ticket writer is usually a good way to score extra drink tickets.
ASK - Some sports books go out of their way to offer free drink tickets, while others seem to want to keep it a secret. So, just ask! While some spots go the free-drink-ticket-route, other sports books still go on the honor system and simply offer free drinks if you are sitting in the space watching sports or horse racing. Either way, asking a sports book employee or manager about their free drink policy is totally acceptable.
AVOID CANTOR SPORTS BOOKS - I will preface this by saying that Cantor run race and sports books are swanky spots. The quality of their HD screens are top notch and the motif of their sports books are sleek, modern, and very well done. But when it comes to free drinks, Cantor does not cut the mustard. Unless you are a "heavy-hitter" type of sports bettor, comped drinks are a no-go. Cantor run sports books include The Venetian, Cosmopolitan, Tropicana, Hard Rock, and a few others.
PLACE A BET - Not all sports books require a $500 bet to get a free drink. A small $2 horse racing bet is all you will need at some sports books. Cocktail servers usually can spot someone just watching the game as opposed to someone who has made a bet. Just lay that betting ticket on the table so it is visible and that will usually do the trick at sports books that do not use the drink ticket system.
STUDY - There are dozens of sports books around Las Vegas and their free drink policies vary greatly. Before deciding where you will be spending valuable Las Vegas time watching sports, research which sports books have liberal free drink policies. There are several resources on the web, however only one website is dedicated strictly to Las Vegas sports books - The Vegas Parlay.
TIP! - Money talks and if you tip, you can generally expect better service. Tipping isn't reserved to the cocktail servers either. Throwing a dollar or two at the ticket writers when placing a bet usually leads to more drink tickets in sports books that use the drink coupon system. A tip for the cocktail servers will also usually do the trick and if you are having a big day (The Vegas Parlay certainly hopes you have many) there is nothing wrong with increasing the tip amount.
EXPLORE - There are a lot of off-strip sports books that are customer friendly when it comes to sports book players. So if you are staying at one of the off-strip casinos (LVH, South Point, and Gold Coast sports books have liberal free drink policies), venturing to the strip for sports book action may not be necessary.
There are many strip casinos that have liberal free drink policies in their sports books. They include, Bellagio, Excalibur, The Wynn, and Mandalay Bay.
About the Author:
Tommy Lorenzo has "parlayed" his 20+ years of Las Vegas sports book fun, experiences, and adventures into The Vegas Parlay - The Las Vegas Sports Book Blog Follow Tommy on Twitter @sportsbooktom and via Facebook on The Vegas Parlay Fan Page.
