Casinos are strange places — Fact! Visiting one can almost feel like you’ve entered an alien compound on another planet, and it can be challenging getting to grips with your new and exciting environment, particularly where customs are concerned.
For instance, are you supposed to tip a slot attendant after winning big, or would they find it more of an insult than a generous offering?
The quick answer is, yes you should probably tip your slot attendant, but it’s not that simple. For instance, if you do tip slot attendants, what’s the going rate?
Tipping is a complicated matter at the best of times, so it’s really no surprise that it causes some serious confusion when you hit the casino, so let’s take a moment to brush up on gratuity conventions so you don’t get it wrong when you luck out and land a jackpot.
Why You Should Tip Your Slot Attendant After Winning A Jackpot
There are two reasons why you should always tip your slot attendant when you pull in a jackpot.
Slot Attendants Can Be A Real Help
It makes sense that if you’re unsure of the tipping conventions in a casino, you might also be a little lost as to what slot attendants actually do, so let’s clear this up now.
A slot attendant is there to help you. To begin with, they’ll make sure you understand the game you’re playing so you don’t lose any money unfairly, and then they’ll facilitate your progress in any way they can.
For example, if you need a bathroom break, they’ll hold your machine for you so you can continue right where you left off.
They’ll also be the ones exchanging currencies and stewarding the transfer of a jackpot into your possession when you win.
In a nutshell, slot attendants are there to improve your experience and streamline the functionality of the casino, and for this, they deserve to be remunerated by players, especially if they’ve been instrumental in landing you the big bucks.
Casinos Don’t Play Slot Attendants All That Much
While slot attendants on minimum wage are few and far between, for the most part, their salaries aren’t that great.
Salaries begin just over the $20,000 mark, which I think we can all agree is substandard, and although they can work their way up to a much better wage if they land spots in the right casinos, it’s a tough line of work.
Many slot attendants rely on customer gratuity to make ends meet, and considering you’ll have just pulled in a significant win, providing a tip is the right thing to do.
How Much Should You Tip A Slot Attendant After A Jackpot?
There are only a few guidelines to follow when it comes to settling on the size of a slot attendant’s tip. For lower jackpots, a $20 tip is considered a fairly standard procedure, but as the jackpots get larger, tips can run the gamut between 3 and 10% of the total win.
So, what should you go with? Well, follow your feelings. If your attendant has made your time at the slots far more enjoyable and perhaps even increased your odds of winning then don’t hesitate to go for the full 10% or more!
If you felt their service wasn’t all that valuable but appreciated the effort, you can go with a lower number. Just, whatever you do, don’t go below the $20 or 3% threshold, as an unusually light tip may well be misconstrued as a slight.
Jackpot Size
It’s all well and good me saying you should pay $20 for lower jackpots and a certain percentage for higher jackpots, but what if you don’t know what constitutes a low or high jackpot?
Generally speaking, anything from $1200 to $4000 is considered a low-to-medium jackpot, while anything beyond that is stepping into big-win territory.
Do You Have To Tip The Slot Attendant?
No one can force you to tip anybody in a casino. As is the case in a restaurant, the leaving of a tip and the size of said tip comes entirely down to the discretion of the customer. However, because of the reasons discussed above, tipping your slot attendant is the honorable thing to do.
When Shouldn’t You Tip A Slot Attendant?
Poor Service
It’s unlikely, but if you receive very poor service from a slot attendant, you’re well within your rights to withhold a tip if you win a jackpot but bear in mind that your attendant is a human being with a life outside of the casino.
They may well just be having a bad or long day, so try to be forgiving and understanding when the time comes to leave a tip.
No Hand Payout
Hand payouts start at $1200, meaning the slot attendant will physically fetch you your winnings and bring along the tax forms you need to sign to claim the cash (see also “How To Tip Slot Attendants – What You Need To Know“).
Any wins that fall below the hand payout threshold won’t be delivered to you, so there’s less of an obligation to tip. You can still do so, but it doesn’t have to be as generous.
Should You Tip A Slot Attendant If You Don’t Win A Jackpot?
While the big tips come from jackpot winners, you don’t necessarily have to strike gold before you’re obliged to tip your slot attendant.
If, for example, you ask them to hold your machine for 5 minutes + and they do so, it’s tip worthy, but you won’t be expected to fork out anything close to the $20 minimum of jackpot winners. Something more along the lines of $5–$10 will be just the ticket.
Final Thoughts
Okay, you’ve done your homework; now you’re ready to hit the slots with honor and decorum, ensuring you’ll be treated with the utmost respect by attendants.
Pulling in a jackpot naturally puts you in a good and giving mood, so tipping shouldn’t feel like a chore. Rather, you’ll enjoy sharing the joy and glory of your win with these hardworking casino employees.
Hi, my name is Richie Thames and I have been a software developer for 12 years. I have worked on some of the most popular online slot machine games, including ones you still see in online casinos today. While there is no simple trick to win the jackpot, there is power in learning about your game before playing. With several decades of experience under my belt, I created this website in the hopes of helping newbies on their journey. Please, enjoy my website, and I hope you learn something valuable about the art of gambling. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next jackpot winner?
