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Slots - Tipping

Are you supposed to tip the person who pays you if you hit a slot machine for an amount not paid by the machine itself? I heard that this is proper etiquette. This seems absurd if I were to win say $375 on a machine after putting in approximately the same amount beforehand. I am certainly not against tipping, but it’s not like this person is a dealer who I actually have some sort of contact with. Thank you,

Sal Vetro from Miller Place, New York

If you just hit a jackpot over $1200 requiring a hand pay then it is proper etiquette to tip. Even if you lost more than that in your sitting you still should tip. The reason is the slot personnel perform a service not just bringing you your win (and W2G form) but also making change and refilling machines. Losing is not a valid reason to avoid saying "thank you" with your money. That goes for table games too.

It is another matter when you hit "cash out" and your machine runs out of coins before it can finish paying you. Although I haven’t seen this addressed elsewhere I will go out on a limb and say that tipping in this situation is not necessary. The reason is that it is partially the casino’s fault for letting the machine run low on coins, and that if anything the casino should tip you for the inconvenience of waiting for the hopper fill. Personally I welcome the advance of coinless slots, and with them the elimination of hopper fills.

Are you still obligated to tip on a hand-pay in slots if you're paid by check?

100xOdds

Yes! If anything, you should tip more because a greater amount of work is involved in creating a check than paying in cash.

This question is asked in discussed in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.