Casino ATM Fees Should Be Abolished
October 30, 2008
Casino ATMs have always been a source of curiosity for me.
Not the presence of the ATMs themselves. Those make perfect sense.
ATM machine in the Las Vegas Flamingo
However, the ridiculous fees that they charge do not make sense.
Why on earth would they want to hinder anyone from getting cash out of their bank accounts in a casino?
They are happy to comp me all the free drinks I want, but won’t waive a $3.00+ service fee so I can lose $500 more in the pit?
Really?
How asinine is that?
There have been times when I was actually going to play another $100 at the Blackjack table or VP machine, but I didn’t want to pay 3.5% to the machine, so I went home a little early.
I was obviously on the fence, and didn’t want to play that badly … so all it took to make the decision for me was the “fee”. I took one look at it, and promptly decided that I had gambled enough.
I am positive that I am not the only person who has made a similar decision regarding these fees.
When people walk away from the ATM, the house likely loses $100 over a $3.50 fee … and in the end … gets absolutely nothing.
If you are a casino, you do not under any circumstances come between a gamer and the procurement of their money. That is Rule #1. Actually it is Rule #0, because it is the most important rule in the gaming universe that supersedes all others.
People are much more likely to be in a more positive mood if they don’t feel ripped off, and they will probably lose 100x the ATM “fee” if the house just gives them the cash out of their own bank account.
Much like the free drinks casinos give out, you’d think they would just eat the ATM charge, pay the vendor whatever the skim is … and give you the cash without charge so that you can gamble with it. Two drinks is probably equal to the amount of what the ATM vendor charges the casino. I don’t get it.
And there are some tourists and locals who actually will go out of their way to look for a bank branch and make a free withdrawal. I’ve seen it happen and done this myself many times.
This is valuable time that the person is not gaming.
And for what? For $3.50? How bad a shape does the house have to be in to need this?
$3.50 is one, single, solitary losing hand of $5 Blackjack. The house can make it back in ten seconds.
How many hands could the casino have dealt in the 30 minutes the gambler spends looking for a free ATM?
This is penny-wise and pound-autistic, IMHO.
I think the casinos should eat the fee like they eat the free drinks.
I think the first major casino to do this would see gaming revenue increase well over and above what they lost in fees. And they would see loyalty too.
I have no idea why they don’t do this, but it’s not like I haven’t suggested it a time or two to the floor.
The floor has always agreed with me, but they have had little luck convincing the bean-counters in the office of this.
Frankly, I would really like to see more people hit the “do not accept” button, and send a message to the guys with the slide rulers.
Then again, looking for ATMs would be an awful way to spend a vacation.
I guess that’s why they don’t get rid of the fee. People probably acquiesce to the fee while holding their nose … but it still puts a damper on their experience as a whole.
If more people did have the time to vote with their wallets and boycott these stupid fees, the policy would change very quickly.
Anyone feel like helping me stage a revolt?
We can go down to the Flamingo, walk past the craps tables, and say “You know, I want to play, but the ATM wants to take a cut of my cash, so I guess I won’t.”
Sure, they’ll ignore us, and then proceed to kick us out … but we will have made a difference.
On second thought, let’s not.
Written by SPRUNT on October 30, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Rex is revolting!
Not exactly new news.
Written by Anne on a moose on October 30, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Spot on. You are 100 percent correct.
Maybe there’s another explanation: I offer this: maybe the fees on ATMs are a message to the gambler from the casino: “we are dumber than you, that is why we charge you a fee. we know you will hesitate to obtain cash if we charge you, and you probably won’t get any cash, hence we will lose your business…. see? we are really, really dumb”
that’s the only reason I can think of why they charge that fee.
Dumb people like it when they know there are plenty of others who are dumber than them.
Written by Rob on October 31, 2008 at 7:29 am
100% correct, we were at Hard Rock last month and my buddy refused to w/d $ to gamble, instead he waited until the next day, when we found a WAMU on the way downtown so he ended up losing his $ at Binions.
Written by BigRedDogATL on November 3, 2008 at 5:18 am
Hey, why not just cut out the ATM altogether. Hand your ATM card to a dealer at the tables, let them swipe it into their card reader (same one they use for the club cards) and do a direct withdrawal. Instead of cash, the dealer would hand you the chips.
Of course none of this will ever happen. The ATM machines are owned by a third party and they collect the fees, not the casino. Casinos will already let you cash checks at the Casino cage. I think even some of them will let you get a cash advance on a credit card, so why do the casinos need to pay ATM fees.
Besides the Gamblers Anonimus folks like the fact that ATM fees will discourage some gamblers from wasting their money.
Written by Phouchg on November 4, 2008 at 3:16 am
If you are a Wells Fargo customer, you can get cash at their ATM in the Harrah’s Carnaval Court
If you are NOT a Wells Fargo customer, the ATM in the high-limit slot room at Harrah’s has NO surcharge for Checking/Savings withdrawals. Your bank may still charge you their own stupid “Foreign” ATM fee, however.
Written by Nico on January 30, 2009 at 8:26 am
Isn’t part of the issue the fact that casinos don’t manage the ATMs themsleves?
Third-party companies don’t get cut out of people playing at the casino or whatever.
The highest fee I’ve seen was $5. And you couldn’t get more than $200. That’s ridiculous