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Should we be tipping Casino Host staff?


chloemonkey
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I must admit that I have done this a LOT in the past....but not always. And I do tip REALLY well when I hit a handpay jackpot. To the point that I feel that I surely am tipping more than they are used to! But happy to do so as they are SO good to me as a player and do all that they can to make sure that my gambling time is enjoyable and all good.

 

But I have NOT tipped the Casino Host staff as consistently....and am beginning to wonder if I am wrong. As I have had hosts who bring bottles of champagne (in a stand bucket of ice!) to my side while playing video poker, had expensive bottles of champagne sent to my room daily.....all sorts of perks!

 

I have recently been wondering however - if I should be tipping the Casino Department MORE as aren't they the ones that determine what perks you receive and how much is deducted from your final onboard account?

 

Again, I "usually" do....but not always. When I DO absolutely tip "above and beyond" when hitting a jackpot.....but have recently been told that those tips are NOT shared with the Casino Host staff......

 

So I guess my questions is twofold; 1) Should I tip the Casino Host staff separately and 2) Do the tips that I give the casino floor staff when winning a hand paid jackpot get shared with the host department staff?

 

Thanks all!

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I must admit that I have done this a LOT in the past....but not always. And I do tip REALLY well when I hit a handpay jackpot. To the point that I feel that I surely am tipping more than they are used to! But happy to do so as they are SO good to me as a player and do all that they can to make sure that my gambling time is enjoyable and all good.

 

But I have NOT tipped the Casino Host staff as consistently....and am beginning to wonder if I am wrong. As I have had hosts who bring bottles of champagne (in a stand bucket of ice!) to my side while playing video poker, had expensive bottles of champagne sent to my room daily.....all sorts of perks!

 

I have recently been wondering however - if I should be tipping the Casino Department MORE as aren't they the ones that determine what perks you receive and how much is deducted from your final onboard account?

 

Again, I "usually" do....but not always. When I DO absolutely tip "above and beyond" when hitting a jackpot.....but have recently been told that those tips are NOT shared with the Casino Host staff......

 

So I guess my questions is twofold; 1) Should I tip the Casino Host staff separately and 2) Do the tips that I give the casino floor staff when winning a hand paid jackpot get shared with the host department staff?

 

Thanks all!

 

Cash tips are not allowed to casino hosts on ships. Bring a small gift. As a matter of fact cash tips are not permitted to any casino hosts on land either. However for my host I sneak an envelope to him and once even mailed him something when I hit a huge jackpot. This last Christmas I sent him edible arrangements.

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Cash tips are not allowed to casino hosts on ships. Bring a small gift. As a matter of fact cash tips are not permitted to any casino hosts on land either. However for my host I sneak an envelope to him and once even mailed him something when I hit a huge jackpot. This last Christmas I sent him edible arrangements.

Actually ship hosts need permission to take ANY kind of gift. I bought my friend from the Gem/Breakaway a gift for her baby when she came back from maternity leave and she had to get permission to keep it. She actually had to show management the gift at a meeting midweek. I actually would have been upset if she could not keep it because it was an engraved piggy bank with his name and date of birth so it was something that could not be returned.

FYI it is ok to buy a box of candy for all casino workers to share, they do not need permission for that.

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Anyone able to answer OP’s question #2?

 

Good point! As I had almost forgotten the second part of my question! And just FYI I to ohave been told by my Las Vegas Host that they were not allowed to accept gifts....although in the past? Cash was king! But she is now in a really high position....so understand that she is trying to play by the rules.

 

But I have also had MANY experiences when NC Casino Host Staff have accepted cash as a gratuity! So not sure when THAT rule went into effect....or just that some staff are willing to "bend" the rules....

 

So I guess I will just come out and ask the Casino Host staff on our next cruise next month. And if no one actually has an answer to part #2 of my OP.....I may have to ask that too while on board. As I truly wanted to find out if the floor staff share their gratuities with the Casino Hosts on board.

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Depends. On $1200 probably $40. On $2500 or about would give $100. I hit a JP of $27,000 in July gave $300 and sent my host $500 because he’s always good to me

 

Seems like "some" hosts do take $ ( mine has not for the past couple of years but I think due to her being the VP of hosts) so we are sort of back to square one! Hosts are NOT supposedly to accept tips.....many do......at least on land....but I have had at least 3 take $500 on a NCL cruise.

 

Once more.....it just seems that these things are SO arbitrary! Maybe it is just the nature of the beast.....as gambling seems to bring out the seedier side in a lot of us!

 

Still wondering if the floor staff share with the Casino Host staff......which was part of my original post/question. But then again, would they admit it? As the times that I HAVE tipped the Casino Host staff has always been when they told me that they did NOT share in all of the tips that I was giving the slot attendants.....so confusing....but I love the gambling....so this will not deter me.....and again, maybe I will ask next month to get another answer to this question....

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I look upon this the same as tipping at home. I would not tip the restaurant manager but would tip the server/bartender. I don't tip heavily on hand pay because I seldom get them and am usually pretty much in the hole. I do tip them though as I feel appropriate. I guess I am wondering why one would tip the host?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've always tipped the dealer on table games when I win and periodicly when I'm not winning. That being said, I never realized that you were supposed to tip on slots. Is that typical? My understanding for table games is that the tips are generally shared between all casino staff. I have tipped hosts now on land when they got me rooms that were sold out on a popular weekend even after showing my player's card. Those hosts can waive a magic wand when they want to. Anyway, back to my question. Do you guys tip for slot wins?

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I've always tipped the dealer on table games when I win and periodicly when I'm not winning. That being said, I never realized that you were supposed to tip on slots. Is that typical? My understanding for table games is that the tips are generally shared between all casino staff. I have tipped hosts now on land when they got me rooms that were sold out on a popular weekend even after showing my player's card. Those hosts can waive a magic wand when they want to. Anyway, back to my question. Do you guys tip for slot wins?

 

 

 

For hand pay slot wins, yes, I tip the person that pays me

 

Different states have different thresholds when you get hand pay but I think it’s around $1200 or so. The threshold triggers a W2-G where you have to pay taxes on the win.

 

At table games sometimes we play for the dealer. Basically an extra bet on the side of my own. If I win, he or she wins too.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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We tip the casino host the last night of the cruise, cash in an envelope.

 

There again....VERY confusing! As other posts have stated that they are not allowed to accept tips! For the record, we are just home from a B2B Mediterranean on the NCL Epic and 29 Hand Paid jackpots. These ranged from $1250 to $9600....and I tipped anywhere from $200 to $400 per jackpot to the casino staff that came to pay me as these were also the people that watched my machine while I used the restroom, made certain that the cocktail waiters were around when I needed them, made change for me, fixed a "dirty" machine that was slow/difficult in taking $100 bills.

 

The Casino Host? Suffice it to say that we did not even receive the daily snacks that her staff made a big deal out of having us write down our requests! Once more, the staff/crew in charge on the Player's Club seem to have a LOT of latitude in determining what they give you.

 

I was also more than a bit disappointed as when we checked in to our cabin, my Player's Card had me as "Ruby" and I have been "Elite" for over two years. On the first night of the cruise, I inquired as to why I had been demoted...and they told me that I had been approximately 2000 points SHORT of re-qualifying for Elite Status. Not that Elite got me a whole lot more....but it was just the principal. Ruby status gave each of us $400 onboard credit, Elite was $1000 onboard credit. But otherwise - NO difference.

 

The difference is more dependent on the Executive Casino Host onboard has been my experience. As I have had hosts send me $100+ bottles of champagne DAILY to my suite - yet this last 14 day cruise? I could not even get a decent glass of champagne in the casion. No worries however....as I drank the dreaded (cheap?) Proseco.....and still had an amazing time.

But back to the original response......are the casino hosts allowed to accept gratuities??? Not that I would have gone out of my way for THIS B2B trip! Although on the last night of the cruise, they ARE figuring out how much to discount your onboard account....so who knows? Maybe it would have been worth a shot to slip them an envelope with cash?

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

There again....VERY confusing! As other posts have stated that they are not allowed to accept tips! For the record, we are just home from a B2B Mediterranean on the NCL Epic and 29 Hand Paid jackpots. These ranged from $1250 to $9600....and I tipped anywhere from $200 to $400 per jackpot to the casino staff that came to pay me as these were also the people that watched my machine while I used the restroom, made certain that the cocktail waiters were around when I needed them, made change for me, fixed a "dirty" machine that was slow/difficult in taking $100 bills.

 

The Casino Host? Suffice it to say that we did not even receive the daily snacks that her staff made a big deal out of having us write down our requests! Once more, the staff/crew in charge on the Player's Club seem to have a LOT of latitude in determining what they give you.

 

I was also more than a bit disappointed as when we checked in to our cabin, my Player's Card had me as "Ruby" and I have been "Elite" for over two years. On the first night of the cruise, I inquired as to why I had been demoted...and they told me that I had been approximately 2000 points SHORT of re-qualifying for Elite Status. Not that Elite got me a whole lot more....but it was just the principal. Ruby status gave each of us $400 onboard credit, Elite was $1000 onboard credit. But otherwise - NO difference.

 

The difference is more dependent on the Executive Casino Host onboard has been my experience. As I have had hosts send me $100+ bottles of champagne DAILY to my suite - yet this last 14 day cruise? I could not even get a decent glass of champagne in the casion. No worries however....as I drank the dreaded (cheap?) Proseco.....and still had an amazing time.

But back to the original response......are the casino hosts allowed to accept gratuities??? Not that I would have gone out of my way for THIS B2B trip! Although on the last night of the cruise, they ARE figuring out how much to discount your onboard account....so who knows? Maybe it would have been worth a shot to slip them an envelope with cash?

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Was on Celebrity in late June and did tip the casino host $100 after a few Handpays. I was told by a dealer that the host is the only one who can keep the money himself; doesn't share. Also tipped the slot host who helped. Must have brought good luck. A few days later, had 4 Handpays on 3 machines next to each other within 5 minutes. As I waited to get paid, I'd throw some cash in the machine next door and win. When I got paid on the first one, I played it again while waiting for the other 2 machines to get paid on and won the 4th handpay! Always tipped on each payout, $20, $40, $50. They treated me very nicely after all that

 

They weren't huge payouts, 2 $2000 and 2 $1250. But fun to be waiting for payouts on 3 machines in a row!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

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Was on Celebrity in late June and did tip the casino host $100 after a few Handpays. I was told by a dealer that the host is the only one who can keep the money himself; doesn't share. Also tipped the slot host who helped. Must have brought good luck. A few days later, had 4 Handpays on 3 machines next to each other within 5 minutes. As I waited to get paid, I'd throw some cash in the machine next door and win. When I got paid on the first one, I played it again while waiting for the other 2 machines to get paid on and won the 4th handpay! Always tipped on each payout, $20, $40, $50. They treated me very nicely after all that

 

They weren't huge payouts, 2 $2000 and 2 $1250. But fun to be waiting for payouts on 3 machines in a row!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

 

I agree! Every once in a while the casino Gods are in our favor! I know that I have made many "friends" of slot hosts/hostesses as I always pay for hand paid jackpots! But still am confused with regards to the casino hosts.....and to the person that posted a few posts ago "why would you tip a casino host?" Aren't THEY the ones that determine how much is getting taken off of your bill? Again, I have tipped casino hosts and have NOT tipped casino hosts....and as I always tip the slot attendants that actually hand me my hand paid jackpots.....I feel as though I am leaving someone out! Just me....but want to be fair AND am not sure whether or not the $ that I hand to the slot attendants get shared with the hosts? It really should NOT be this much of a crap shoot to know who gets what! Of course NONE of the above will keep me out of the casino! lol

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  • 5 months later...

Hosts are in the tip pool along with the dealers and pit supervisors. 

 

On Princess, tips are put in a FLEET-WIDE pool.  Caribbean cruises (with American guests) make a lot more tip money than European or Asian cruises, and larger ships with more tables versus slot machines also make more.  A few dealers on the Royal last month said that while some ships barely contribute, they still get a cut, with the percentage based on tenure/job title.  For them, comment cards with their individual names (not just "casino team") go a long way toward promotion.

 

On NCL, the tips are distributed at the SHIP level, which we confirmed on the Epic just a few weeks ago.  Supervisors and hosts are also in their pool.

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