18 casino employees reveal the things customers aren't supposed to know.

Watching people lose after betting on a big risk or win more money than you've ever make in your life with one pull of a Wheel of Fortune level is a unique whirlwind of a career...

So, when a Reddit user asked casino workers everywhere, 'what are some things that we patrons may not know about casinos?' dealers, bartenders, and managers of the tables and slots were ready to reveal their industry secrets. No, you don't get carefully chosen to win a jackpot based on your outfit, whether or not it's your birthday, or how much fun you're having.

1.

I worked at casinos in Atlantic City for most of my life. If you're looking to get free shit from them, it doesn't necessarily matter how much you spend but that you consistently spend a relatively high amount every time you walk in the door.

Someone who walks in the door once and spend $5k is going to get free sh*t for maybe a year. But the granny that throws $200 in penny slots every month is going to get free sh*t for the rest of her life. Really awesome free stuff too - xteneritasx

2.

I used to work at a casino in Canada when I was 22-25 as an entry level promotions person. I organized events, contests and advertising.

There were never windows in our casinos, and fresh air is pumped in through vents. There are also never clocks. This is to prevent patrons from knowing how late they've stayed and to keep them in.

There are tons of undercovers walking around pretending to be patrons. They are in the bathrooms as well, this is to get around that pesky law of not legally being able to place cameras in there. - somecrazybroad

3.

Your jokes are not original I have heard them all every week for the last 5 and a half years. - BenitoDeSoto

4.

Don't work at one, but my parents do. The casino they both work at pumps in a aroma of coconut to keep with the tropical theme. - eatinglegos

5.

I work at a few casinos in Vegas. You're always being watched, especially if you bring attention to yourself or act suspicious. Surveillance room has a room full of televisions monitoring the cameras. Also all table games are watched closely.

Those cars that you see on display that you can win on the slot machines are actually won. Some of the slots staff have an idea of when the machines will hit.

You can get free stuff when you get a club card but its in the long run. You have to have accumulated number of points. Sometimes points get wiped out on accident, it happens. Not too many secrets - InAWhirl

6.

From a friend of a friend, who was a pit-boss: They don't really care as much about how much you win or lose, they really just want to know how much you're betting. They know that, ultimately, they'll get all your money anyway. - deadbird17

7.

As an ex blackjack dealer who never will deal again...Tip well and you will be rewarded. It's easier to reward you from a hand dealt game than a shoe, but it works both ways. Don't get greedy. If you get greedy, you'll lose everything. - [deleted]

8.

Table games dealer here. If you are winning at a table and they pull the dealer the casino is trying everything to take your money because you are winning too much. this is mostly done in smaller casinos. Ive actually been sent home before for giving out too much money to people. It's kind of sad actually. - [deleted]

9.

My cousin works security at a smaller casino, specifically in the surveillance room. He told me all kinds of stories about watching people fall on their face, runaway wheelchairs, people getting shot, and many other crazy things. Also those security cameras are so powerful that he can zoom in and read what someone is typing into their phone. - lBlAlRlClOlDl3l

10.

I test gaming software, and there are no lucky slot machines. They are absolutely random. They are designed to pay out a certain percentage over a matter of time based on the symbols contained in the reel strips and their weights. So really as a whole you can't win. - vbwstripes

11.

I'm a black jack dealer at a local casino and we really don't enjoy taking your money. Don't hate! - Hezpez

12.

I worked as an armored courier for years, and one of the stops on my route was a riverboat casino in northern Illinois. My partner and I went there a couple times a week to pick up the cash the casino was depositing into their bank, and I never left the place with less than $500k. Often we'd roll out with $1-2mil in our truck from their vaults if they'd had a good couple of days.

That's pure profit, money above their operational cost that they didn't need to keep on site any more. That's money that came straight from the pockets of the people that went to this tiny little suburban casino. 2 million a week, on average. - NotAHypnotoad

13.

Don't talk to the dealer about tipping unless you do it. Don't say 'I'm sorry bro, I'd tip you, but I'm way down.' That's like saying 'I know and understand the proper gambling etiquette, but I'm gonna stiff you anyway and I don't want to seem like a jacka*s.' I'd rather you just didn't talk about it. - YakiVegas

14.

I work at a small casino in Miami. We have to take a compulsive gambling workshop to help understand the addiction. The state of Florida used to support the 1 888 ADMIT IT phone number and organization that helped gamblers. Rick Scott cut their budget which was just under 2 million I believe. The Hard Rock Hotel and casino stepped up and funded the entire operation. Problem gamblers can become and issue for a casino and the safety of the employees and guests.

Most gamblers have over $40,000 in debt before they seek help. Customers will come in and ask to self exclude. They basically sign a trespassing warrant against themselves for a few years or even forever. It is one of the steps in their recovery. We legally have to display pamphlets with the phone number all over the casino. I see a very sad side of the business.

The same people week after week trying to make back the money they lost. Desperate, angry and entitled. Casinos don't make money off a couple out for a casual night of gambling. They need people to be addicted.

Sometimes I feel bad about my job like I'm contributing to someone's disease. I do enjoy being apart of a guests winning experience though. Especially if they are gracious and genuinely happy to win, and not just pissed off cause they're still down. - SassyTrashy

15.

The bartenders/cocktail waitresses absolutely know who is trying to scam free drinks & who is actually gambling; a lot of the time, they simply don't care to make a fuss, but believe me, they know.

I speak from experience, as I spent the last 5 years bartending in Vegas. I worked in off-strip bars with gaming, but had plenty of friends that worked in the casinos. From personal experience, players that sit down at the slots at a bar are required to put in a minimum amount of money per free drink comp (usually $10, sometimes $20) & comping policy is basically for every $10 played = 1 free drink.

There is some leeway here, but that's the general rule of thumb. And spotting the person that thinks they can come & put only $10 in & then get free drinks for the rest of the night is not hard at all.

Simple observation will tell you who's actively playing their machine & who is only playing a hand every 20 minutes to appear that they're gambling. And to top that all off, most places are equipped with a tracking system that a bartender can access that will tell them how much money the customer has put into the machine, how many hands they've played, how much they're betting per hand, etc.

People constantly think they're being sneaky & getting away with something, but in all honesty, it's usually just that the bartender is lazy/doesn't really give a f*ck. 'Scamming' free drinks really depends more on how strict management is with regards to comp policy. - toxicfemme

16.

I work in the legal department at a casino....there are many people who make utterly frivolous complaints to try to get comped play or food. Some of them are pretty sad just because they're so poorly written and impossible to understand. - SpartanSig

17.

Bartender on casino floor Saint Louis MO here: The cameras are set up mainly to watch employees more so than customers. Don't ask a bartender to 'Hook' you up. We will get fired. That double shot is not free and it's not worth us losing our job so you get a stiffer drink.

If it comes out of the 'gun' it's going to be less than an ounce of liquor (about 4/5) and it automatically gets rung up on our registers. Always order from a bottle pour to get the most amount of liquor for the price. That and the liquor on the gun is as cheap as it gets... - tyton75

18.

Security guard in Vegas here. One thing tourists don't really know is what security can/cannot do. I don't know how it is in any other state, but legally in Nevada unless we think you've committed a felony, we can't ask you for anything...

This means we can't ask you to empty your pockets, turn over your cell phone, or even give us your ID unless we're a) checking your age, or b) have reasonable suspicion that you've committed a felony.

Similar thing applies to putting you in handcuffs. We can only legally do so under the citizens arrest guidelines, which is purely for safety of others or handing you over to the real cops.

Granted this doesn't mean you can act like a jacka*s in the casinos; there's a lot of wanna-be-cops who do security in this town (most of which will try to do this shady business), but I thought it'd be useful to know so you're not taken advantage of. - [deleted]