Las Vegas Keeps Getting More Expensive, Fees Now Applied to Drinks
Posted on: September 6, 2019, 10:36h.
Last updated on: September 6, 2019, 03:15h.
Las Vegas casinos keep becoming more expensive to visit, as service fees on drinks are now being incurred by guests at Strip resort properties.
First reported by Vital Vegas, a recent guest at Park MGM questioned why his two drinks at the Mama Rabbit Mezcal and Tequila Bar came with a service charge. The bill – totaling $38.00 – increased to $43.04 after $3.14 sales tax and an ambiguous $1.90 service charge.
Another guest – under the Twitter handle “NotFromConcentrate” – noticed he, too, incurred such random charges at Park MGM. He reached out to MGM Resorts for an explanation.
This charge you’re seeing is a venue fee,” the casino operator explained. “It is not only applied for table service, but for bar service as well, and is being applied to every check in the venue.”
“This fee is applied to all things that keep the venue operationally running, like the gaming maintenance for all bar top games, Wi-Fi, lounge maintenance,” MGM added.
Fees Galore
Las Vegas is becoming the fee capital of the world. Casinos began eliminating free parking in recent years – a perk that had been afforded to visitors of all tier levels for decades. Resort fees continue to climb, Park MGM currently at $37 a day.
According to the Park MGM website, the resort fee covers “property-wide high speed internet access (public spaces and in-room), unlimited local and toll free calls, airline boarding pass printing, and fitness center access for guests 18+.”
It’s not just MGM that’s in on the fee game.
Sahara Las Vegas, which returned to the Strip last week after a disastrous run as SLS Las Vegas, is also charging a service fee at its bars. A receipt from The Foundry shared to Twitter shows a $14.00 cocktail ballooning to $16.80 after a mandatory 15 percent gratuity and five percent service charge.
Daily resort fees are now as high as $45 a day – the going rate at luxury properties, including the Bellagio, Aria, Vdara, Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, and Encore.
The charges are the subject of two lawsuits filed by the attorney general for the District of Columbia and Nebraska. The complaints allege resort fees are a form of “drip pricing” where online retailers advertise one price, and then incrementally increase the cost through mandatory surcharges.
Visitor Backlash
Following the October 2017 mass shooting, Las Vegas pleaded with visitors to continue supporting the gaming mecca. MGM CEO Jim Murren said, “Without you, they [casino and hotel staff] don’t have a job. You are coming here supporting this destination and helping those families take care of themselves.”
But then many Las Vegas Strip casinos eliminated free parking and jacked up resort fees.
On Twitter, users are outraged at the newest fees to invade Sin City.
This whole fee thing has gotten ridiculous. They are making people angry and killing the golden goose. Very greedy and stupid,” one user said.
Another explained, “I was joking when I suggested a toilet flush fee, an air conditioning fee, a housekeeping fee, a towel fee, quadruple zero roulette fee, pool lounge chair fee, casino admission fee, an hourly slot machine fee.”
Related News Articles
Boyd Boosted by Buoyant Results, Stock Soars
Casino Stocks Among Q3 Consumer Discretionary Leaders
Most Popular
Most Commented
Most Read
Last Comments ( 136 )
I only hope they all go broke.. they are nothing but hungry asshole.... screw the little person and give the rich everything.. I WILL never go to a vegas another property again and i live in Vegas... to all that reads this plan a vacation somewhere else.. the next tax beside drinks will be having your kids alone mark my words it coming
Not a problem that service fee now comes out of your bartenders tip.... See how long that lasts for them
When are law makers going to do something about this? Never. I stopped going to concerts and shows because of these B.S. fees. Looks like I will stop visiting Las Vegas as well.
Many other places to go to lose your money without paying any fees just too many who needs Las Vegas
Bogus answers to these addl fees i say go to a Wal-Mart buy your own alcohol make ur own drinks dont gamble try Arbnb or VRBO hell with the fees and hotels dont bet ppl to stay at ur place then rape them with bogus fees
"According to the Park MGM website, the resort fee covers “property-wide high speed internet access (public spaces and in-room), unlimited local and toll free calls, airline boarding pass printing, and fitness center access for guests 18+.” Imagine getting $37 out of 1000 guests a day. $37,000! If the resort pays $5000 a month for internet access, that comes to 16 cents per guest per day over 30 days. Add a couple of reams of paper for boarding passes, $15 bucks (or 1.5 cents per guest). Phone calls, as if anyone really uses hotel phones? Maybe 25 cents per guest. And the fitness center that only a fraction of guests use... well, they could buy all new equipment every couple of days with these fees. All totaled, it costs the resort less than 50 cents a day, per guest, for these amenities. Can you say Rip Off?
Absolutely INSANE!!
I used to come to Vegas a couple times a year. It has become to expensive, and the fees have gotten out of hand. Probably won't be back until it gets better.
The golden goose has been killed. Greedy casinos aren't happy by the gambling revenue, they also want your shirt and socks.
Was there a week ago, will never be back. $544 dollars resort fees for 2 rooms at the excaliber. Now they are charging 200 dollars per room deposit which you get back at end of stay. WiFi was free so didn't need password, used pool for 1 hr over the week as it was too warm, there was a weather warning in place. Getting too dear for shopping 4th time there gonna miss it But I'll go somewhere else next year
I have been saying it for years.... soon Vegas will be a ghost town.
In other words, the cost of the drinks are profits while the service charge covers the actual drink cost and service...
As a frequent Vegas visitor, I too have noticed additional fees, as well as increased fees with each visit I make. I have just begun to reduce my annual trips to Las Vegas. I had been making 3-4 per year, some business, some pleasure, and this year I am only going twice because it is getting too expensive for me and my family to enjoy. The only way to stop or reduce these additional fees is for the conventions to begin to look at other venues outside of Vegas. There are certainly many other “destination “ cities that would welcome these visitors, but i know it takes years to select and move these conventions. Wake up LV casinos!!!!!
I have been going to Vegas for well over a decade from England and noticed the extra fees are becoming too much. It’s time now for me to find another destination to spend my hard earned money,reluctantly as I do love Vegas
For the reasons you gave sited we have stopped visiting LV. The fees are out of control.