Casino Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts for a Great Experience

Picture the scene: you’re settled in at a fancy casino to play some of your favourite slots, but the annoying person next to you is narrating their YouTube video, and someone on the other side has just spilled a pint of beer down your leg. You don’t want to be that person exhibiting such poor casino behaviour, do you? 

At Betsquare, our writers are all keen casino players, so we’ve spent quite a bit of time in brick-and-mortar casinos worldwide. Based on our own experiences and best practices, we’ve put together a handy guide to good casino etiquette, which you can refer to before you visit a casino to ensure you and everyone around you have a pleasant experience. 

Keep Your Phone Away

First and foremost, you should keep your phone in your pocket or your bag and only check it if necessary. Some establishments might ban using your phone in a casino, and if you’re found breaking the rules, you might be asked to leave. 

Not using your phone is particularly important if you’re playing table games. Phones can help you count cards or communicate with others to help you cheat. Plus, other players might not want their photo taken, especially if it will end up on social media at some point. If you need to take a phone call while you’re playing at a table, either wait until you’re done or step away for a moment and come back without interrupting the flow of other players. 

While casino security measures are less of a concern if you’re playing slots rather than table games, using phones can still annoy and distract other patrons. For example, you don’t want a ringing phone or even one with a loud text message alert around you while playing. 

Drink Responsibly

Some people consider drinking to be synonymous with casino gambling, and a big drawcard of some casinos is that you can get complimentary drinks while you play. 

This doesn’t necessarily work out cheaper than just buying the drinks because you’ll need to tip the staff; plus, you might be waiting around for a while and end up playing the slots or table games for longer, but the free drinks work for some. Conversely, most casinos also have a bar on the casino floor, and you can generally take your drink to the machine or table.

The issue comes in when players decide to overindulge. Players who drink too much might become rowdy and disruptive, leading to an unpleasant experience for others in the casino. One of our top casino behaviour tips is to keep an eye on how much you’re drinking and never binge.

Besides being an annoyance to the people around you, drinking too much while you’re gambling can also pose risks to yourself. For example, as alcohol tends to lower inhibitions, you’ll probably be more likely to spend too much money on gambling, and you might not even remember it in the morning.

If you can’t drink responsibly at a casino, you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re asked to leave, and you should do so quietly so as not to inconvenience other players further. 

Buying In and Cashing Out

If you’re new to the casino scene, it’s essential to understand the casino buy-in procedure so that you don’t encounter any etiquette mishaps when starting.

First, if you’re playing at a table, check the minimum and maximum limits to save yourself embarrassment. If you arrive in the middle of a hand, wait until the end before trying to purchase your chips, and when doing so, place your money directly on the table rather than handing it to the dealer. 

Cashing out at a casino is simple, but you should follow some basic rules. If you’re playing a slot game, all you need to do is take the printout of your winnings up to the cashier’s desk and get your money, but it’s a little different at tables. 

To practise good casino chip etiquette, you must let the dealer know when you want to leave the table so they can cash out your chips for you. You should do this between hands (or spins of the roulette wheel) when the dealer has free time to count your chips and give you the right amount of money.

Understanding Game Rules and Procedures

If you’re not 100% sure you fully understand casino games, it’s a good idea to ask the dealer or casino floor staff directly before you take your seat at the table to play. Just make sure that you do so politely without interrupting the dealer during play.

One of the major casino game rules is that you should never add or remove chips during a hand or a spin of the roulette wheel, as this can interfere with the betting. And under no circumstances should you ever move other players’ chips or touch their cards, as that could be seen as cheating. 

Before you start playing, ensure you understand the basic casino game rules, like what you should do with your hands to signal specific actions. For example, in blackjack, you’ll tap to hit and wave your hand over your cards to stand. By learning the right signals, you can avoid delays in the gameplay.

When you’re playing table games and have a win, casino procedures dictate that the dealer will place the winning chips on top of your bet. Once that’s done, you can either remove them or use them to bet during the next hand or the next spin of the roulette wheel. 

Setting Limits

Responsible gambling is critical whether you’re playing at a land-based casino or in person, and while online gambling sites have tools like deposit limits and time-outs, it’s a little more manual to do at a real casino.

While your casino loss limit might not impact the rest of the players, it’s still important to consider before you enter the casino. Decide how much money you’re happy to lose and ensure you don’t exceed that limit. 

One easy way to do this is by carrying a certain amount of cash and stopping once it’s all gone. Remember, you should never chase losses, so if you’ve lost the money you decided to spend, it doesn’t help to gamble a little more to try to win it back. 

One key reason to set gambling limits is that they help create a controlled experience. Players who set limits are less likely to leave the casino angry and disappointed, making for a more pleasant time. 

Tipping the Staff

There’s one essential thing for Aussie casino players to understand: tipping casino staff is illegal throughout Australia. It’s seen as a form of cheating, as you could be bribing the dealer or paying the staff for better treatment. Staff at Australian casinos are paid fair wages, just like every other worker in the country.

If you’re travelling abroad on a gambling holiday, however, things are very different. Let’s take the USA, for example. Tipping culture is huge in America, so if you’re off to Vegas to gamble, be prepared to tip. US service staff tend to be paid lower wages than those in Australia, so they rely on tips to supplement their income. 

Depending on where you’re playing, casino tipping etiquette might vary a little, but this is a decent guideline to go by:

 

• Drinks servers: $5 for the first drink, and then $1 or $2, or 1% to 2% of your winnings.
• Dealers: 2% to 5% of your winnings. You could do this in smaller increments while playing or in one batch at the end of your session.

 

If you’ve taken a taxi or rideshare to the casino, you should tip the driver 10% to 15%. 

If you tip the cocktail waiters or waitresses generously, they might be more likely to bring you another complimentary drink later in your gambling session (but remember what we said about drinking responsibly). 

While most places accept bank cards for many transactions (for example, at restaurants and bars at the casino), you should be prepared with some cash to pay the casino gratuity to staff members.

Conclusion

Gambling at a casino is fun and should remain a fun experience without poor etiquette ruining it for everyone else. Our casino etiquette summary has given you some things to consider before entering a casino next time. 

Good casino behaviour isn’t challenging – all you need to do is make sure you understand the basics of the games you’re playing, don’t get too drunk, don’t use your phone all the time, and make sure to tip accordingly if you’re in a country that allows it. Most of all, be mindful of those around you, both the casino staff and your fellow players.

As long as you follow our casino tips for good etiquette, you and all your fellow players will have an enjoyable experience. 

Ready for more insightful tips to improve your gambling experience?

If you want to learn more about casino etiquette and other top tips to help you gamble with confidence, you should subscribe to a newsletter from your favourite casino or a top casino site like Betsquare – check out our blog for more details. Then all that’s left to do is apply those casino tips next time you walk onto the casino floor – you’ll feel like a pro!