- Casinos offer free drinks at the blackjack table as a calculated strategy to keep players seated and spending longer.
- The drinks cost the casino very little but the gambling revenue they generate in return makes it a profitable floor decision.
- Nevada and New Jersey are well known for the practice, while several other states have laws that restrict or ban it altogether.
LAS VEGAS - At any major casino blackjack table, a free drink will find its way to a player within minutes of sitting down. It is not a coincidence and it is not goodwill. There is a clear business reason behind every glass that hits the felt.
Keeping Players at the Table
The casino earns more money the longer a gambler sits. The casino gains a tiny portion of each hand played over time since blackjack is a house edge game.
The majority of casinos track how long a player has been playing by using light systems on the machines and tables before dispatching a waiter. In essence, the drink is both a reward for remaining and a motivator to continue.
Players who are more at ease tend to wager more without thinking about it. The casino is more aware than anyone at the table that a session that starts at $25 per hand has a tendency to drift higher as the evening wears on.
Why Casinos Spend Money on Drinks Instead of Other Perks
In states with legal blackjack, casinos fiercely vie for the same player base. One of the cheapest methods to foster loyalty and encourage a player to return to the same establishment is to provide free drinks.
At the volume they operate, a domestic beer or well drink costs a very small amount of money. However, over time, the money made by a returning player who feels cared for greatly exceeds that expense.
Smaller annoyances like a slow table or a chilly streak are sometimes overlooked by players who believe they are getting something extra. For a casino, such goodwill is worth more than the cost of serving the drink.
How Free Drinks Eliminate the Urge to Walk Away
The enemy of a casino is discomfort. A player has every incentive to get up if they are thirsty, restless, or just need a little break, and once they do, that break has a tendency to become permanent.
A player never has an excuse to get up and leave when drinks are brought straight to the table. The mental pause never occurs, the trip to the bar never occurs, and the cumulative amount spent never has a chance to sink in.
This minor element has a quantifiable effect on how long a player remains seated, and in blackjack, where every hand matters, that amount of time quickly mounts up.
Which States Offer Free Drinks And Which Don't
While gaming, free beverages are not a national norm. The most well-known states for the practice are Nevada and New Jersey, with Atlantic City and Las Vegas setting the standard.
Additionally, free drinks on the floor are typical in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut. Virginia, Indiana, Maryland, and Washington State either opt out completely or have laws that forbid it. Nevada and New Jersey continue to be the most dependable locations for anyone looking for legal blackjack that includes free drinks.