The days of Las Vegas Strip casinos offering 99-cent shrimp cocktails to get customers onto their properties have long since gone away. The same is true of free mid-day production shows and the low-end buffet — another way to appeal to lower-level gamblers has largely disappeared.
Resort casinos generally want people spending money at their restaurants not filling up on one free meal. The biggest Strip operators, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International (MGM) still offer their loyalty members perks, but they have changed over the years.
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You can earn the right to not pay a resort fee when staying at either company's properties and you can also qualify for free parking. In those cases, the rewards are specifically earned for hitting certain loyalty program levels.
Both Caesars and MGM also offer free rooms, but whether you can get one depends upon how much you gambled on your past trips. Someone might be able to get a full comped suite at Caesars Palace during a slow summer month, but only a basic room at The Flamingo (another Caesars property) during a major event.
The Las Vegas Strip has evolved into a city driven by world-class music and sports as well as major events. Gambling, of course, pays a lot of the bills, but one part of that — something that used to be synonymous with Strip has largely, but not completely, gone away.
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Real money slot machines have been leaving Las Vegas
When you walked into a Las Vegas casino as late as the 1990s, you were greeted with a clattering of change. You could feed dollar bills into the slot machines, but they paid out in coins.
It was not uncommon to see someone with an unexpected big win frantically looking for the plastic cups used to contain the coins or resorting to using the bottom of their shirt as a scoop. It was a pain, however, for casinos to turn those quarters into dollar bills.
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Everyone had to cash in so the coins had to be run through counting machines and the lines at the casino cage could be long. You could, of course, keep your money in change, but that was not feasible after a big win.
Now, of course, slot machines print vouchers which can be traded in at machines that look like big ATMs or at the casino cage.
Slot machines that pay in coins have largely disappeared. They're still available in very select ways. Only El Cortez and The California in the Fremont Street area offer select coin-based machines while The D, also on Fremont Street has one coin-based horse-racing game, but not slots.
One Las Vegas Strip resort casino offers classic slots
In many ways, Circus Circus itself is a bit of a Las Vegas throwback. It still caters to an all-ages crowd, and while it has been recently updated, it's not as modern as the Caesars and MGM resorts that dominate the Strip.
Circus Circus does, however, offer coin-operated slot machines
In March, the company celebrated its remodel and the addition of throwback slot machines.
"Spanning nearly 8,000 square feet, the revitalized gaming space will feature 85 iconic-coin-operated slot machines," the company shared in a press release.
Circus Circus has also doubled down on old-school Las Vegas with an offer that harkened back to the city's past.
"Patrons may also indulge in a culinary journey back in time with delectable treats," Circus Circus added.
Circus Circus generally has very cheap hotel rooms and owner Phil Ruffin has used value as a way to get his resort to standout from Caesars, MGM, and other big players.
The resort also offers circus acts and its Adventuredome area.
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"The Adventuredome — encapsulated within the iconic pink glass dome — offers fun-provoking games and rides for all ages, including the Canyon Blaster, El Loco rollercoasters, NebulaZ, Sand Pirate, Inverter, Twistin Tea Cups, Go Karts, a rock-climbing wall, arcade, carnival-style games, virtual reality games, and an 18-hole miniature golf course and more," the company shared.
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