Las Vegas casinos long have been known to provide free drinks to bettors, even while playing slots, but that tradition is fading.
A recent report by Channel 13 Action News in Las Vegas indicates casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are cutting back on their free drinks.
Instead, many now are leaving it up to bartenders to assess which patrons receive drinks on the house and which ones must pay.
Others have a more objective system of lights on slots that indicates how much time on the device a patron has spent and changes the signal light for a waitress when a free drink has been earned.
MGM Resorts International told Channel 13 it is experimenting with such devices at some bar-based slots and might expand it.
Such moves help casinos to boost their profitability. So has a reduction in the number of live shows being held on the Las Vegas Strip.
Although live entertainment remains popular on the Strip, many long-running shows and acts are closing, including Jersey Boys and Raiding the Rock Vault.
Other musical acts continue doing residencies in Las Vegas, but they are becoming fewer in number.
There still are plenty of new shows opening on the Strip, but those featuring live musicians mostly are down to two main shows – Donny and Maria Osmond and Million Dollar Quartet.
Cost-reducing moves by Las Vegas casinos have helped to boost their recent quarterly earnings reports, but continued volatility in Macau, plus two major casino opening planned next month by Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands has gaming industry analysts suggesting investors wait to assess their impacts.
