Insider Secrets Casinos Don't Want Us To Know
One Stamfordsterling asked: 'What is something that happens at casinos that is hidden from the public?'
According to the American Gaming Association, there were 1005 casinos in the United States as of December 2022. They accounted for $328.6 billion in economic impact with $101.4 billion gross casino revenue.
With all that activity and cash, casinos have to be carefully crafted, well-oiled machines.
For an industry based on luck, they leave almost nothing to chance.
One Stamfordsterling asked:
"What is something that happens at casinos that is hidden from the public?"
Data Mining
"In Las Vegas, the sheer amount of data that is collected and analyzed on everything."
"From the weekend traffic coming from LA, the demographics going to see a concert/show and how that impacts staffing, everything about your slot or table play, down to how the size of the pans used in a buffet relate to food waste."
~ srslytho
Rat Heaven
"How much waste there is."
"Literal tons of food, paper products, stuff like soaps, shampoos, lotions, key packets/folders... It's obscene."
"We've got a lot of rats here in Las Vegas that appreciate it, though."
~ hypothetical_zombie
What Time Is It?
"Casinos hide the passage of time."
"No clocks on the walls and, in general, no windows with views to the outside."
~ HardRockGeologist
"UK government changed the law that all casinos have to have clocks now."
"They don’t make them very big obviously but they can lose their license if they fail an inspection."
~ stoofa69
The Ground Beneath Your Feet
"Casino carpets are intentionally designed with crazy patterns."
"They are distracting to look at, so you keep your eyes up and focused on the slot machines and gaming tables. They also make it hard to find the exits and are easier to keep clean."
"There is a whole science to designing casino carpet patterns."
~ Robbie-R
Scent Memory
"Some casinos add scents to the air (they do not pump in extra oxygen in as some people believe)."
~ HardRockGeologist
"The lobby at The M Resort south of The Strip is a patented scent they have with vanilla, pear, and other aromas that frankly, is one of the best things ever."
~ Shoegazer75
"Every casino has its own scent. They want you to associate that smell with the casino subconsciously."
"It's like going to the movies and you smell the popcorn and your brain is ready for the experience."
~ Icuivan
Slot Machines
"If you like to play slot machines never play penny slots."
"Those are the machines that make the casinos their most money."
"Play quarter or dollar machines—you spend just as much or less each spin and they tend to have better payouts. But your brain says penny slots are cheaper but they have machines that you can hit $20 a spin and higher."
"Where I used to work penny machines had a 14% hold while quarter and dollar machines had an 8% hold."
"The hold is how much the machine will win over the lifetime of the machine the higher the hold the more you are likely not to win."
"Also, a machine is never due. They use random number generators that act the moment you hit the spin button or pull the arm."
"The machine already knows if you have won or not as soon as you push the button and everything you see in front of you is for your entertainment."
"Always use your player's card. Yes, they track your play and try to lure you back based on how you play but it's also how they determine if they give you things."
~ Icuivan
"Penny slots are designed so you can play so many lines that virtually every single spin you make wins something, but rarely more than you bet."
"It gives the player the excitement of winning constantly while their bankroll keeps dropping."
"For some players they'll happily put in a dollar, get 86 cents back, get told they're a winner, and push the button again without realizing they just lost 14 cents."
~ NS8VN
Underneath It All
"I wandered down to the basement of MGM from a truck ramp and man, it was like a whole city down there, imagine a massive warehouse with roads and offices and supplies everywhere."
"The opposite of the glitz going on above it."
~ Renorico
"My ex worked for MGM for a while and she hooked me up with a comped room at NY/NY when I came to visit family. She met me at the check-in at NY/NY and then asked if I wanted to see her office."
"She took me through a door, down some steps and then through several corridors, passing by laundries, cafeterias, locker rooms, offices, storage, etc. She would point out all of these different areas and points-of-interest along the way and all I could think of 'where the hell are we? Are we even in the same hotel?'."
"We eventually go up some stairs and out a door and we're now at the valet at Aria next to where her office is located. Granted, we've only walked a few properties over but it's simply unbelievable how much activity there is underneath those hotels."
~ FopFillyFoneBone
Unclaimed Funds
"Just how much money goes unclaimed/uncollected."
"I worked in the accounting department at one of the main gaming conglomerates and was tasked with cleaning up their unclaimed property accounts."
"There were players aka 'whales' who'd deposited millions and just forgot about it for years."
~ Swole_Troll
"My dad, who died last month at age 90, was awfully good at finding machines that had money accumulated on them."
"Most of the time, it was basically pocket change, but he found a couple of 3-figure jackpots over the years. Of course, he would play a round so nobody could accuse him of deliberately breaking rules."
~ wilderlowerwolves
"This was huge when electronic slots were first introduced. Many had a button you had to press to 'pay out' winnings that accumulated."
"But many people had no idea and thought they had lost all the time."
"I'd walk around and look for Pay Out buttons that were lit up, hit them, and rake in the money."
~ Rougaroux1969
The Inside Scoop
"I worked at a casino (well, the resort portion of the casino) for a summer. I don't have any sordid secrets, but general interesting things I learned:"
"The security cameras are scary good. Like can read your name off your badge hanging off your waist good."
"You aren't doing a damn thing the camera can't see."
"At this casino, employees were required to wear badges clearly visible at all times when on the premises, even if not on the clock."
"Escorting your grandma to the bingo hall after your shift? Badge still better be visible."
"In the parking lot? Badge still better be visible."
"At this casino, employees were only allowed to gamble there 1 day a month. You'd think it'd be money right back into the casino's pocket, but they don't want the risk of an employee being heavily in debt."
"Which leads to the next point..."
"Anyone getting a job within the casino itself is getting background checked, especially for bad credit and outstanding debts."
"If you're a guy down on his luck, with some maxed out credit cards and you want a job to get back on your feet, the casino doesn't want you. You're a liability, you're not worth the risk."
"All the cash goes into 'The Vault'."
"I assume it's a literal bank vault. But I've never seen the vault. Most employees have never seen the vault. You don't f*ck around when it comes to the vault."
"You better have a real good reason why you're approaching the vault. Security will turn your a** around and send you on your way, and you'll probably be flagged for questioning."
"People don't just stumble onto the vault, you end up there knowingly. And unless you were specifically, by name, called to the vault, or you have an urgent reason for being at the vault, for which you've already radioed ahead, showing up at the vault is a red flag."
~ thattoneman
I've been to a couple casinos in my life, but aside from the entertainment and food they offer, the experience doesn't appeal to me.
I guess I don't have the gambling bug.
Do you enjoy casinos?
Have you worked at one?
Share your stories in the comments.
Shortly after I turned 21, I remember thinking it sort of odd that I could now actually drink in public and not get in trouble for it. I think it would have felt more exciting had I not grown up in a family where enjoying a drink during a social event was just not considered a very big deal.
By the time I was 21, I had already drank with relatives so being able to do so legally–at least in the United States–was not this life changing experience for me.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor IPlayBongos asked the online community,
"What feels illegal but isn't?"
"Driving next..."
"Driving next to a cop at the speed limit."
Zynse
Or overtaking a cop that is driving below the speed limit!
"It's totally legal..."
"Card counting in a casino. It’s totally legal within the law, but the security and management will make you feel like a criminal for doing it."
Vandiall
It's my understanding that they'll escort you right out the door for it. And this is something I don't understand.
"Your boss..."
"Having fun at work. Your boss walks around the corner and everybody scatters in the most totally not suspicious way."
TraditionalLetter50
The best managers in my experience have been the ones who've encouraged their employees to have fun and let loose while setting certain standards and expectations.
"It feels illegal..."
"It feels illegal getting out of my wheelchair. I’m not paralysed but it helps having a wheelchair, but people always think I’m faking a disability when I get out my chair."
Fawnti
This is really a good example, and people like to judge easily, and you feel the need to explain, but then you think you dont have to, because they are strangers. It should be normal for a person to do both without being jugded.
"Telling your barber..."
"Telling your barber that you don't like the haircut."
[deleted]
And that's when it's time to find a new barber shop!
"Driving..."
"Driving with the interior light on."
StrongDoubt9747
Dads everywhere are seething!
"Your employer..."
"Your employer will tell you you're not allowed to discuss your wages but legally you are and you cannot be fired for it."
CharacterPotential66
Not only can you not be fired for it, it’s actually illegal for them to tell you that you can’t discuss wages!
"Watching a video..."
"Watching a video on your phone at full volume in a public place, I've done this a few times on accident and I wanted to crawl out of my skin and die."
AdLiving7358
Nothing is worse than noise cancelling headphones + watching a video and not realising the sound is coming out of the phone not the headphones.
"The first time..."
"The first time driving a car after you've got your license."
pseudophant
To add to that, driving on main roads while under your provisional license!
"Bringing your baby..."
"Bringing your baby home from the hospital the first time. I remember thinking, “They’re really going to let me just walk out of here with this fragile infant and no experience?!”
Munich11
It's crazy, huh? Parents do not have it all magically figured out!
There are so many other things we can think of, like asking someone for the money you lent them... or eating and drinking things on the shelves of a store before you buy them (don't do that).
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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Hotel Workers Describe The Weirdest Things They've Ever Walked In On
Hotels can be great places to work, but it's definitely not always an easy job. Guests can be demanding, but they also get up to all sorts of freaky things behind closed doors. Often, they leave hotel staff have to deal with the aftermath.
Reddit user u/Silver_Reddit asked:
"Housekeepers who worked in casinos/hotels, what's the weirdest thing you walked into?"
"One night"
meryl streep GIFGiphyI was a bartender at a Marriott hotel years ago. Along with regular bartending duties, I also delivered bar orders as part of room service. One night I received a typical order (Wine, beer) from a room that called down to the bar. I brought the drinks to the room and was greeted by an early 50's man wearing a white robe. He greeted me and asked me to place the drinks on a dresser fairly close to door.
As I went to place the drinks down I noticed the bed had between 10-13 sex toys laid out neatly along the foot of the bed. The sizes ranged from normal to horse. They were evenly spaced and all facing towards the headboard.
While he was signing I made my way to the door and as soon as he handed me the book I smiled and said "thank you, have a great night! He just smiled and that was it, 0% acknowledgement on his end.
"I worked in a casino..."
I worked in a casino where I watched a middle aged man literally shake a solid turd down his pant leg, sit back down and continued on his machine. I turned around with backpack vacuum on and went to my lunch break. I didn't get paid enough to pick up stranger's crap.
"The event manager wanted to..."
When my wife and I were looking at wedding venues, one we went to was a hotel. The event manager wanted to take us up and show us the "honeymoon" suite.
She opened the door, and there were two, old men (like 60s-70s), shirtless drinking vodka in the room. She was so extremely embarrassed and apologetic. She was very sweet too, but you could tell she was so mad at whoever screwed that up for her.
We didn't choose the place (wasn't why), but I hadn't thought about that in awhile, and figured someone else may get a kick out of it.
"Dead body"
Found a dead body under the bed, Manhattan.
Well this blew up.
Here you go :) https://youtu.be/jG0EDUp7i5A
"Youth trip"
south park kyle GIFGiphyWas on a youth trip with my church. Guys stayed in one room girls stayed in the other. All us bored kids start looking around the room, ya know because kids, and we found a nug of weed under the bed. Super big find for a couple of church kids. We go to tell the girls what we found and they go on to tell us they did the same thing and found blood all over the wall.
"I had a teacher"
Had a teacher who was the manager of a Marriott in Germany for a while. She has wild stories.
- Once found an anaconda in the bathroom, wrapped around the shower curtain pole.
- Pulled naked devil worshippers out of the pool at 3 AM when the pool closed and they refused to get out. They weren't even guests.
- Saw the janitor with a wheelbarrow, a hose, and a shovel. He went somewhere, went to lunch and came back. After his lunch she followed him and asked what was up, he didn't speak good german and just said "Cleaning up African lady leg." Turned out some lady had jumped from the top floor of one side of the building (Hotel was kind of like an L shape, one side higher then the other) hit the emergency ladder on the way down and had her leg torn off before becoming mush on the roof of the other side of the building. He had shoveled most of her into the wheelbarrow at this point, was just working on getting her leg unstuck from the ladder. Acceleratour
"Worked housekeeping for a few weeks..."
Worked housekeeping for a few weeks, guess the weirdest sh!t was a 70 ish couple left their room so I went to clean it. Big bottle of ky and a sex toy so big even Ron Jeremy would have been jealous left out on the bed.
"I was a supervisor at a hotel"
Scary stuff! I was a supervisor at a hotel in Canada about 6 years ago, a man's 80 year old father called me one Sunday morning very worried about his son. He was supposed to meet him at 9 for breakfast but didn't show up, The father asked me to see if he was up in his room. I went up and knocked but no answer, I could hear the shower running so I assumed he was in there. I slid a note under his door to call his father asap and went back to work. 40 minutes later the father called back asking if I found him.
I went back up and was about to knock when I heard the shower still running so I went into full blown panic mode and entered the room, he was on the floor between the two of beds actively overdosing. Called 911 and hopefully saved his life. I have never heard anything more from them. Cleaning the room afterwards was super sketchy because there were needles everywhere.
"I used to work on a military base as a house keeper..."
I used to work on a military base as a house keeper. I was there for about a month and a half.
One time someone checked out early so I had a room added to my list. Knocked, went in and there was blood everywhere. I immediately called down to the the front, I need help now. I was new, I was not prepared for this. Blood. Blood everywhere. It had soaked down through the duvet, layers of sheets to the mattress. There were bloody hand prints everywhere. On the mirrors, on the head boards, on the back of doors, showers, carpet, the kitchenette, in every crack and crevasse of the bathroom, on the shower head... EVERYWHERE. Someone had decided to have a finger painting session during that time of the month with their boyfriend.
Turns out some brass' daughter had got a room while visiting dear ol' dad and had her tinder date over. Daughter had enough foresight to tell her parents that she was on her period and may have bled through the bedding, but she was scared and didn't know what to do. When we said her date was accountable too, she claimed that she 100% didn't have someone else in the room with her. It was $1800 to clean up that mess and replace everything and dad was loosing his mind over it, yelling, and screaming the whole time. They kept saying there was no way that it should cost so much. Calling us liars. After sitting in and listening, calmly, after being screamed at, my boss slid over the pictures to him. From that point on you could hear a pin drop. He got out his checkbook, wrote the check, and quietly left.
"I will NEVER forget this one room"
I will NEVER forget this one room I had to clean as a housekeeper... it was one of my first jobs, I was 16. We were given 30min max per room and I walked in and immediately radioed my manager letting her know I would need longer. The stench smacked me in the face immediately... B.O. and meat. The tan carpet and all of the sheets were stained with deep red bbq sauce and there were over 40 rib bones EVERYWHERE.
There was a tripod left on its side in the corner of the room and handcuffs on the floor lamp, which they obviously lost the key to, because they tried to break the base of the lamp to get them off. I almost cried trying to get the damn bbq sauce out of the carpet... the manager sent two women up to help me when she saw what I was dealing with. I only assume a cheaply made food porn was filmed the night before.
"My mother was once a housekeeper"
Over It Abandon Thread GIFGiphyMy mother was once a housekeeper at a Harrah's casino hotel. She opened up a room and a terrible smell hit her. Apparently a handicapped man staying at the hotel was waiting for his help to show up but they never did and his sh!t had overflowed its container and his phone was dead and he couldn't move. she went to go find help and left that day and never came back.
"Worked a summer job at hotel"
Worked a summer job at hotel near Cedar Point back in the early 90s. Went to a room to see if the guest had left without checking out. She checked out alright. Shot herself in the head on the patio. Room was on the 3rd floor... her blood and brains dripped down 3 floors between the deck slats. Had to keep 3 rooms closed for days afterwards. Lots of power washing and bleach.
Almost as bad as the fella who slipped running on the treadmill and caught his twig and berries between the roller and belt. 911 was summoned.
"My husband use to manage a hotel in our town"
Not me but my husband use to manage a hotel in our town. Our town is very industrial in Alberta (that gave the town away right there) so when oil was high all the hotels where full of drillers and rig pigs and frat boys.
So when morning, the house keepers where cleaning a room and saw a 10" thick sex toy with ribbed edges, metal I believe they thought it was. Course no one touched it to confirm. Left it where it was and finished cleaning the room.
Older tough looking guy was renting the room. No one said anything and he didn't say anything either. This was about 10 years ago.
"My mom cleans houses for a living"
My mom cleans houses and babysits for a living.
It was a Monday, so she hadn't been to this clients home since Friday morning. Come Monday, she's vacuuming the master bedroom as usual. Next she goes down to vacuum under the bed when she sees the clients dead cat fully stretched, like the cats home team just scored a touch down and it's face, eyes and mouth wide open like it had seen a ghost. My Mom screams and calls the family. The father of the family comes and takes care of the cat while keeping it out of sight from his wife.
True story bro. My Mom says she has more weird stories from this house, Lemme know if y'all wanna hear them.
"I was working on a job in a shady part of WA"
on the run hotel GIF by Turner Classic MoviesGiphyI don't know about them, but I was working on a job in a shady part of WA called Yakima. We were working 12-14 hour days. I just left my gun in the drawer and I'm not a cluttery person so I just empty my pockets into the nightstand drawer every night. One day I left my gun, a roll of duct tape, some big zip ties and a knife in the drawer. When I came back, room was clean and the drawer was organized nicer. After that, the housekeeping lady would scuttle away upon my visage.
"I worked as front desk for night shift"
I worked as front desk for night shift (2300 - 0700) in a small (20 rooms) hotel + restaurant. We have a regular customer who used to arrive at 3-4 am, always ringed before arriving cause he demanded help from the staff for his luggage and asked everyone to call him "Doctor". One night he asked me to take out the TV out of his room, I offered him a TV-less room but he insisted on just removing the TV. On another time, he arrived alone (as usual) and stayed for 3 or 4 nights. Last night he filed a complaint about someone from the staff sneaking into his room, drugging him. The weird part is that he arrived alone, and that night it was the only customer in the whole place. It was only him, the guy working as handyman who was in the restaurant at the time and me.
No one saw him go in or out with anyone, when he left his room (alone) at 4am I entered to see if everything was in order, he had put the sheets in the tub and were soaking wet, he ripped the pillow cases and tried to flush them in the toilet, there was a lot of red yarn in the floor. No signs of no one else. It bugged me to this day cause I don't know if he was psychotic or what. Other time one of the housekeeping ladies called me cause there was a bed that looked as if Jack the ripper had killed someone and were covered in blood, really strange.
"I was working through a temp agency for motel 6"
Lmao Lol GIF by OriginalsGiphyI was working through a temp agency for motel 6. So one of the other workers had a room to clean. The occupants were supposed to be gone. So the worker goes into the room and there's a man tied up in the bed with some type of bdsm outfit on. He was gagged also. She didn't even help him lol she just called the cops. He was fine, it was a kink of his but the other person just left him tied up and took all his things.
"I was a bellman at a Holiday Inn"
I was a bellman at a Holiday Inn and was asked to deliver drinks to a guy (who was paralyzed from the waist down) cause he was being "inappropriate" verbally to the restaurant waitresses. He ordered 2 martinis and 2 double screwdrivers... round 4. I walked in to a disaster. Enormous mess. Crap everywhere and chew spit all over everything... including his face. The toilet was covered in poop... of which I told no one for fear they would ask me to clean it up.
As I am about to walk out... he asks me if I want to make $50.... nothing sexual, so he said. I said sure cause I'm a high school student and $50 would be awesome. I trust that he wants nothing sexual and luckily all he asked was for me to go in his van and get him some clean clothes. He was clearly living in this van... the whole thing was full of clothes and crap scattered everywhere. I bring him back the clothes and he actually gave me $50. I come back to work the next day and turns out he wanted waffles at like 2am and cussed them out so bad when they said no that they finally kicked him out.
A tow truck shows up to pull his van to wherever... remember, he is paralyzed. From what I was told, this fool wheeled his chair to the tow truck. Stands up. And climbs into the passenger seat. Turns out he just divorced his wife and was traveling around the area getting all f**ked up and being ridiculous at various hotels. Best of luck to you sir and thanks for the $50.
"I was trying to get into my room"
On the flip side, I was trying to get into my room when I arrived to a hotel late at night by myself. My key wouldn't work so I was confused and trying it multiple times. After a minute or two I'm calling the lobby and a housekeeper comes out of the room with a guy. I'm kind of stunned and confused and say sorry while I'm also on the phone and they're both slinking away, without saying anything, like dogs caught rummaging through the garbage.
I was confused, then amused then, then annoyed at the inconvenience of getting another room. Funny story now though.
"In the 80s my aunt was a maid"
In the 80s my aunt was a maid in a hotel, but was on holiday when this happened. She was Polish, didn't really speak English, and she just made enough money to travel with her husband and friends to Vegas for a vacation. As the night went on in the casino, she decided to go to bed. As she took the elevator, it stopped one floor up and two huge dudes in suits walked in (I mean, like ceiling high) and a short man came in with them, smiling at my aunt.
They pushed the Penthouse Button. As my aunt was, well, scared, especially the two huge dudes and a grinning stranger, she started panicking, talking to them in Polish not to hurt her and giving them her watch. The men were obviously really confused, but the short one couldn't stop laughing. As the elevator stopped on her floor, she ran to her room, glancing back at the elevator. She noticed the men were checking which room she was in.
Of course, she panicked, didn't sleep all night, kept talking to her husband how she almost got kidnapped or whatever, but nothing happened all night. In the morning, someone knocked on the door. As they opened, a hotel employee said they got a gift from someone. It was a huge bouquet of roses. In each rose was a 100$ bill. And a card saying: "To the crazy lady from the elevator. Thanks for the watch- Eddie Murphy"
True story.
"So I was doing one of my first few overnight desk shifts"
water wolf GIFGiphyOh oh pick me!
So I was doing one of my first few overnight desk shifts at a hotel it had been a fairly quiet night until this point. I go into the server room behind the desk and there's water POURING from the ceiling. Like literally just pouring out over all of the computers. So I call my on duty security guard and my management team who tells me to have my security guard go to every room above the server room until they figured out where the water was coming from. He finally figured it out around 4-6 floors up..
So he gets to the room and sees water spilling out from under the door so he knocks, no answer, repeats this a couple times (deadbolt was locked so the master key was useless) he FINALLY gets in (maintenance came up with the deadbolt key thing) and this dude is laying on the bed Stark naked spread eagle (and this was a BIG dude) and there's a lady of the night also naked passed out in the shower with it on full blast and her butt over the drain.
She flooded 5-6 floors of rooms (1 room per floor) all the way down to the server room.
"I've been a hotel manager for about 5 years"
I'm late to this because I'm working overnight at a hotel tonight and I just woke up. I've been a hotel manager for about 5 years (a year of that was spent in housekeeping) and the worst was a chick who had overdosed on something and smeared poop literally all over herself and the bathroom. The smell was indescribable. There were sex toys and syringes everywhere too. Her boyfriend tried to call us and say she had just forgotten to take her insulin that night... I think I showered like 10 times after work that day.
Most recently the weirdest thing we found was a cat. Some fool had left a cat in his room and trashed it. The cat had no food, no water and no litter box but was the sweetest little dude ever. The owner called back and tried to get his cat and we lied and said we'd turned him over to animal services. He's happily living with another manager now.
Another time, another manager and I were inspecting rooms and she radioed me to say there was a brown smudge on a pillow and she wasn't sure if it was poop or chocolate. She asked me if she should touch it and I said yes, like an a**hole. It was poop.
"Not what I walked in to.... but the aftermath"
angry oh no GIF by CBCGiphyNot what I walked in to.... but the aftermath Two very business looking men, clean cut, amazing manners, five star reserves. High class hotel. Stayed for a week. DND sign in door. Left garbage and dirty towels outside door. Walk in. Omg. First I see a puddle of blood in the hall. Turn left into bathroom. Blood and human feces ALL over the place. Yes, even the ceiling. Freak out. Think someone was murdered. Investigate deeper. Used condoms TIED to the lamp shades. Blood and feces all in the beds. On the walls. Headboards. Desk. You name it. Condoms galore. Must have been $200 worth of them. "Dirty" bottles and toys (if you know what I mean). Freaking TERRIFYING. Hazmat came in to save the day. Got a $100 tip. I can't put into words everything I saw that day. But imagine.
"We rent out whole hotels and the staff knows"
On the flip side of this... I go to kinky parties in hotels. Like we rent out whole hotels and the staff knows. Most people try and do a good job putting away toys before the housekeepers come in. I went down to the pool with a few friends and then we came back to her room.
She put the do not disturb thing in the door but in Vegas or at least the hotel we were staying in they do wellness checks on the third day. They made the bed, cleaned the bathroom, put her various stuffed animals on the bed, her diapers on the table and her plugs lined up on the nightstand. We felt super bad for the staff. As a rule of the party people are suppose to be respectful of the staff. Don't put the staff in any awkward situation that kind of stuff....
It was an honest mistake. It wasn't my room but I wish they would have just turned around and left. no one got in trouble with the people hosting the event or the hotel but it is one of those things where we are trying to be as polite as possible because we are all nice people and not many hotels will let us do this.
26.
To every housekeeper reading this ... as a former road warrior... thank you for your thankless work... I used to stay 200+ nights a year in hotels and you made it bearable in 99% of the time... road warriors sitting on a clean throne deucing right now be sure to drop some cash on the bed to say thanks when you check out - And say hi when walking down the hall... you'll make a crap job a little better for the person cleaning up after you.
"I was the one that was found by housekeeping"
drunk on one GIFGiphyI was the one that was found by housekeeping. Passed out after a night of drinking on the strip. But was "smart" enough to take my clothes off and sleep in the bathtub to avoid having to clean vomit the next morning. Was woken up by housekeeping poking me with a broom stick and asking if I was alive. Forgot to put the do not disturb sign on my door.
"I'm currently housekeeping in a small town in Utah"
I'm currently housekeeping in a small town in Utah. This isn't too weird, but there were a lot of polygamists staying in our hotel and working at a local farm. Most of them had pictures/shrines with pictures of Warren Jeffs in their rooms. Gave me the chills for sure.
Also, I walked in on a guy sprawled out buttnaked, sleeping. I don't know how he didn't hear me knock super loud and yell "HOUSEKEEPING" but he was sleeping like a baby with his penis out.
"I was at random party"
fried chicken eating GIFGiphyI was at random party taking place in a suite and I go into the bathroom and see a guy in the bathtub with an entire rotisserie chicken. He looks up at me and sticks out a greasy finger as he finishes chewing and then says, "Don't mind me."
"I was a second shift house attendant"
I was a second shift house attendant at a decently fancy hotel attached to a casino. This was one catered towards businessmen and high rollers. Well one night I'm delivering chocolates to the VIPs. Basically the important people get complementary chocolate with their stay. One of the rooms was a suite, which is like a small apartment with a sorta hook shape. You walk in, there's an entry area that leads to a small dining area and then it turns about 30 degrees into a living room type area and then hooks again to the bedroom with the bathroom in the same view. I think you see where I'm going with this. Basically, I knock a few times and get no response and since there's no Do Not Disturb up I head in and cautiously poke my head around. Good thing I did because I see two dudes in the bathroom going at it. They're doing it, hard in that tub. So I freaked out a bit, leave the chocolate on a nearby table and dip the heck out.
"As a guest on the 7th floor..."
season 4 help GIF by Black SailsGiphyAs a guest on the 7th floor in a South Korean hotel I thought it was weird they had a "In case of fire" box with a rope about 2-3 stories in length.
"Crabs!"
Crabs! Crabs everywhere! It was a hotel by the ocean and in a huge 4 bedroom 2 level suite. They people staying there took the time to put crabs EVERYWHERE. In the coffee pots, the toilet, the vases, the sinks, the dishes in the cupboard etc... Most were tiny babies and still alive. We put them in buckets and took them back to the beach. . But honestly it was so fricking weird
"One time I walked into a room"
One time I walked into a room and it was completely covered in red stains. Absolutely everywhere you could see. On the beds, the carpets, the floors, the walls, all over the bathroom. And even a bit on the ceiling. No idea how they managed to do that. At first I thought it may be blood, but then I noticed it reeked of alcohol. They spilled red wine absolutely everywhere. The room had to be shut down and they had to bring up the shampoo machines. I think they may have had to repaint too.
Bonus story: That very same day I walked into a room that was very heavily smoked in. The smell was so extremely bad, that I couldn't breathe at all. My manager said that it takes at least five people chainsmoking for at least twelve hours straight to make a room smell as bad as that one did. That also required a machine. And they had to replace the mattresses and curtains. Smoking was not allowed anywhere in the hotel.
"I used to work in reservations"
I used to work in reservations in a big chain hotel in London. Housekeeping once told us there was one regular guest who used to ALWAYS leave a single whole in-tact raw egg in the bed when they checked out. Nobody ever figured out why or where on earth they got that single raw egg in the middle of central London (grocery stores aren't frequent in the area and they certainly don't sell eggs one by one).
"A couple came to this luxury dude ranch"
A couple came to this luxury dude ranch I worked at and spent over $5000 to stay there only to not come out of their room the entire time. Went in to clean the room when they left and saw incredibly expensive unopened alcohol and boxes of sex toys around the room. On the bed they left a note that said enjoy.....um what? We threw out the toys (who would use a used sex toy left by an unknown person?) and got hammered that night.
"In the late 90s"
Chicago Bulls Wrestling GIF by WWEGiphyIn the late 90s I had a roommate who managed a hotel in Manhattan. He came home one night and told me they found a 3 foot Nitrous tank in one of the rooms. They disposed of it personally. These days they would probably call the bomb squad.
"This couple made a hasty retreat"
This couple made a hasty retreat from a five-star hotel I was working for. They left an entire brick of cocaine on the bathroom counter.
"Cleaned a room..."
Cleaned a room that contained both a deck of Uno cards and a knock-off deck of Ono cards
"Someone I know..."
Someone I know worked housekeeping at a casino. He walked in on a guy smearing poop over the walls with his bare hands. He was pissed that he lost money and thought he was justified to do it. Housekeeping called security, he was charged and banned.
"One of the housekeepers was asleep in the chair..."
We had a hotel room one time and checked in around 3-4 ish (can't remember what hotel it was). When we walked in one of the housekeepers was asleep in the chair, apparently had taken a rest and checked out, for who knows how long. We woke her up when we came in the room. She was very apologetic and took her cart and stuff with her right away. We never said anything to the staff or saw her again, the room was all clean and set up so nothing to complain about.
If she is anything like the housekeepers I know that was one of MANY jobs, working double shifts isn't uncommon and many of those ladies work extra when offered. You are good people for not saying anything.
"Working double shifts"
Agreed, that lady needed that sleep. No one willingly breaks rules, and jeopardizes their job unless they're desperate for some sleep.
"I stayed at a hotel that hosted a Magic The Gathering tournament"
magic GIFGiphyI stayed at a hotel that hosted a Magic The Gathering tournament (was visiting Atlantic City, only realized what it was as I played magic a decade ago). In the morning as I was leaving a housekeeper had a room opening and cleaning; he stops me and says "wtf is this? Is it worth money?" I look in and someone has filled the bathtub nearly to the brim with lands/commons.
"I worked as a Concierge"
I worked as a Concierge for an upscale hotel so, naturally, because there wasn't a line for my desk, I fielded complaints regularly. One day a woman, very nice and patient (rare) calmly explained to me that her five year old opened the door to their bathroom and there was a housekeeper pooping in there. The housekeeper and the boy screamed so loudly that I had already gotten noise complaints from the adjacent rooms. Needless to say, that family got a free night and an upgrade.
"I worked for a hotel chain in Colorado"
GiphyI worked for a hotel chain in Colorado and one day my coworker and I went to strip a bed and the bed was full of oranges. The dresser oranges. Side table, cans of mandarin oranges. Not exactly shocking or disgusting, but it was weird.
"
Had an American guy come into our hotel"
Hotel worker.
Had an American guy come into our hotel, meant to be staying for 3 days. Went into his room and never left the room in over 2 weeks (he kept phoning down to extend his stay).
The strange thing was, he had the same routine every day. Around 8am, he would order 8 bottles of beer and 20 cigarettes to be sent up to his room. He'd sign the cheque off to his room for the beers but had to pay cash for the cigarettes as they came from the hotel shop, which wasn't owned by the hotel therefore wasn't able to charge to the room. The cigarettes came to around £11, and he would always give us a £20 note and told us to keep the change.
Lunchtime rolls around, and again, 8 bottles of beer, and 20 cigarettes.
Come dinner time, again, another 8 beers, but 40 cigarettes this time (assuming to keep a stock of when the shop closed at night time).
This happened every day he was staying with us. No one ever saw him leave the hotel, so assumed he had a stack of £20 notes to pay for his cigarettes. He also instructed housekeeping not to clean his room.
When he eventually left, the maid was greeted with hundreds of empty beer bottles, the bin was half full with cigarette ends and ash, and the room was left remarkably clean, albeit smelling awful.
We tried to research the guy, but could only find he was part of an American broadcasting company (it was a long time ago and can't remember), so assumed he was over here to lie low.
He checked out, paid off his bill (didn't even bother to check the bill), into a taxi and never to be seen again.
"I walked in on a couple sleeping"
I walked in on a couple sleeping on the bathroom floor of a hotel room in the hotel I work for. The bed was untouched and everything was normal with that one exception.
"Last time I went to a Vegas casino"
Last time I went to a Vegas casino for a conference, they said my room wasn't ready yet but they'd text me when it was. A few hours later I got the text and went to the room. Upon entering I could hear a loud vacuum cleaner running, and saw a man on his hands and knees working on the floor behind the bed with a wet vac. I cautiously approached because I knew he didn't hear me enter. I inevitably startled him, and he stood up and shouted, "you're not supposed to be here yet!" I said, "I got a text that the room was ready and an electronic key sent to my phone."
He glanced down at the floor behind the bed, and back at me and calmly said, "This is really bad. It's going to take me a while. This is really bad." I asked, "what is it?" He said, "Not sure but it's bad."
I shrugged and set my bags down on the clean side of the room. I figured 2 "really bad" ratings from a man who's job is to clean Vegas hotel rooms is probably advice I should heed. But also made me realize I've stayed in rooms like that without knowing what kind of damage had been previously done. At least I knew not to walk on that side of the bed.
"I was an IT guy for a casino"
I was an IT guy for a casino. Got a call that a guest couldn't get his device connected to the wifi, so I had to go up and give him a hand.
Come to get his tablet connected. He's in the room. Older guy (60+), wearing a pair of gold booty shorts. He's got three girls (ID's meant they had to be 21, but they weren't much more than that) in there with him. Thongs and fuzzy high heeled slippers. Topless, shameless.
They want to connect the iPad so he can play some video to go along with the game they're playing. Couple bags of "toys" and tubes of stuff scattered all around the room. I've got my own kinks so, who am I to judge?
Got his stuff connected, and they were able to get his movie, and got it playing on the TV in the room. He tipped me a couple hundred bucks, all in $50's. I took the money.
Find out later, he was a VIP card member, and typically dropped $20 grand or so on the tables.
"I was a house keeper at a dive of a hotel"
I was a house keeper at a dive of a hotel in Chico, CA in the late 90's. A week or so before a local homeless woman had stuck her arm in a tiger's cage (a circus that was traveling through town) and got mauled. That weekend I was cleaning rooms and knocked on the door of a room paid for by a local charity organization. It turned out the guest was in the middle of sexy time. Quickly realizing it wasn't a good time to clean the room I said I would come back later.
To my dismay the woman opened the door and asked me to join her and her friend, I declined. She then reached out and grabbed me by the arm and tried to drag me in. Her arm was covered in bandages and lacerations. It was the woman who had been tiger mauled! I yanked my arm free and ran away, I'll never forget what her shredded bandaged hand looked like.
"a friend was a maid at a cheap hotel"
Not my story but a friend was a maid at a cheap hotel in our university town. She has a bunch of gross and weird stories but the most absurd is when she came into work and found a full abandoned methlab in the bathroom of one of the rooms.
Her manager made her clean up a bunch of trash from the different ingredients and scrub chemical stains that must have been left by spills. Apperantly the room smelled like a bad science experiment (or just normal meth) and the management refused to get any police involved.
I imagine they believed it would discourage their regular clientele. I believe she quit very soon after.
"Worked at a huge water park resort"
Worked at a huge water park resort. I was doing a late shift at a time of year when the resort was almost empty. So, tired of knocking on all the doors, I just barged into the rooms.
(To clarify, I always knocked. But I was getting tired after 20 or so rooms without a guest.)
Come this room in the 4th floor. I walk in and there's an old, heavy guy feasting on a bucket of fried chicken. Lights off, in front of the TV. He stared at me for a couple of seconds and I apologized before he could say anything. Left the room immediately.
I later found out that room was supposed to be vacant. I have no idea where he came from, why he was there or how he got there.
"my friend from Ukraine worked at a crappy casino"
GiphyNot me, but my friend from Ukraine worked at a crappy casino hotel in Wendover, Nevada because they would sponsor his work visa. He wasn't a housekeeper but would have to do maintenance in rooms. He said one day he went to a room where the people had already checked out and there was a chicken in the room. Like a live chicken. Just chilling there.
Maybe the story is funnier when he tells it with his accent.
Why eez cheeken in room?
Hotel and service industry people have seen it all... that's why we should all leave better tips!
Do you have an experience to share? Put it in the comments below!
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
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Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
Make no mistake--casinos are not set up for you to win.
In fact, they often rely on their customers having no self-control in order in order to make the most money possible.
So sometimes, when people get addicted to gambling and spend their entire life in the casino, they make some poor choices. And people tend to witness their poor choices.
Reddit user SKBMeh asked:
"People of Reddit who work in a casino, what's some of the saddest moments you witnessed?"
Here were some of the answers.
Trigger warning: Suicide.
Humanity Go Bye Bye
"Former poker dealer at a casino."
"An older gentleman started to have a heart attack at the table. I called the floor person for assistance with the call button. Paramedics are rushed in etc. all within minutes. I'm this instance I am instructed to keep the game rolling by the floor person as he whispered in my ear."
"Two hands are dealt and played and a player at the table requested the heart attack guy get moved somewhere else as it is disrupting the game. Another player asked to have his chips picked up and call for the "open seat" because "we have a wait list.""
"I was disgusted."
– Colddeck64
Capitalism
"There were these two middle aged Greek or Cypriot ladies who were ALWAYS on the slot machines, every day when I started my shift they were they and they were there when I finished 10 hours later. And still there in the same clothes the next day oftentimes. They were SUPER nice and always polite to the staff. One day they hit the jackpot and win big, I think it was either £15k or £45k, it was a good few years ago now."
"Everyone was overjoyed for them - except the managers obviously. Well the managers then gave them free meals at the restaurant and an open bar tab until every single penny of that money was clawed back into the casino."
– H0vit0
Life Ruined
"We used to have a woman who would be on the blackjack tables for five days/nights straight. Her husband would call and tell her that her kids wanted her home. Her boss actually came to the casino to try and get her to leave, she was missing work. I don't know what happened to her but she's probably ruined her life."
"We also had a few regulars commit suicide and a few go to jail."
– jackie0h_
Lack Of Basic Self Care
"Former valet at a casino. The amount of daily regulars who drove barely functioning vehicles full of trash, roaches, and rats who would actually valet their car and go gamble away any money they had to their name was honestly depressing."
"The saddest I remember was a 90+ year old lady who drove a 91 corolla and when we got in her car we realized she had no power steering fluid at all and her steering wheel would barely turn. I have no earthly idea how her frail arms could turn it. We went and bought her some before she left that evening."
– thatryanguy1
Gone Too Far
"It's been about 15 years, but I worked in one for about 4 years.The one that stands out was a woman who came from the country to the "big" city to get X-Mas gifts for the whole family (including young kids who still believed in Santa and all of that), but spent all of the Christmas money at the casino before going to the mall."
"Also, a few years later I went back to visit, and when talking to one of the pit bosses about who was still there and what not, she told me one of my old regulars, who was actually nice and likable (a rare trait in that business), had recently committed suicide as a result of gambling too much."
– perpetualmotionmachi
New Career
"In general, people who come for the first time and are super nice and friendly, they don't care about winning or losing much just came to have fun. They come back a few more times, then after a few years they're regulars that don't smile anymore, they don't laugh, they don't count their wins, just their losses, and sweat every comp point they earn and act like gambling is their job now and the focus of their life. I've seen more than one person have this happen to them. The other saddest thing is when a regular stops coming in and their spouse comes out and tells us they passed, we're almost family with some of our regulars and it hurts to get that news."
– inflammablepenguin
Priorities Out The Window
"Grandmother, mother, and daughter heading to the casino by car from 2 hours away. Mother had a postcard to get a free cast iron pan for showing up. Daughter is more than 8 months pregnant. One hour away from the casino daughter starts to have labor pains. Mother won't stop and take her to the hospital, she's gotta have that ($10) pan. They arrive at the casino an hour before the promotion was going to start. Mother raises all hell trying to get her pan but the workers for the promo haven't arrived yet. Daughter ends up having to be transported by ambulance to the hospital. All over a $10 pan."
– Mustang321321
Hard Loss
"Worked in a casino for about 7 years and the one that has always stuck with me was when a kid (18/19) came with his friends and lost $100 playing blackjack. Then he was sitting there, looking dejected and watching his friends win. He left and came back with another $100. I could tell from the way he was acting he probably didn't have the original $100 to lose so he definitely couldn't afford to lose another $100, so I asked if he was sure he wanted to play. He nodded his head and solemnly said yes. Unfortunately he lost that money too."
– Steffany_w0525
When Death Takes A Holiday
"I did casino security for 3 years before I became a police officer. Had a Code M (medical) early early one morning, around 4 or 5am. Old guy in his 80's passed out and fell out of his chair, wife sitting next to him. I was the first to get to him, did a quick assessment and found he didn't have a pulse, immediately started CPR. The old lady looked over and said "oh he does this all the time, don't worry about him." Between chest compressions, I told her he wasn't breathing and she just kept playing her slot machine. She didn't miss a spin even when the paramedics took him away. I saw her again the next night and asked how he was doing. With the straightest face ever, she said, "oh he never woke up. I'm sure he's in a freezer by now"... and went right back to the same machine she was playing the night before."
– JaCrispy1990
Heart Is Where The Home Is
"I worked as a blackjack dealer in Kansas City. I got in the elevator with a middle-aged couple and noticed she was becoming hysterical because he just gambled away their house payment. They were going to lose their house. Pretty sad."
– PeterPipersPecker
Addicted
"I used to work in a buffet at a casino. The casino had two areas, the higher end progressive slots like spynx machines on the left wing of the casino and the cheaper older slots like wolf run or others on the opposing wing towards the food court. People who would often frequent the cheaper slots were people who would turn up at one particular part of the month when they got their Social security or welfare checks. These people pretty much threw their monthly allotment into these machines. Many of them had little rituals that I can only describe as religious or spiritual. they would do hand waving over the screen or rubbing the machine as if it was a deity that was to be pleased in order to release a blessing."
"Gambling addictions are bad. please get help people."
– Deleted User
Drug Habit
"I watched someone OD right in front of me. Went from coherent to a gibbering mess on the floor to needing CPR and an ambulance, all in the span of about 10 minutes."
– DieselTheGreat
Where Are Your Parents?
"So late, and I don't work in a casino but I'm currently staying at a resort in Vegas. Night before last I saw the saddest thing I've seen. There was a little boy, no more than FIVE sitting on the steps leading into the casino, holding a stuffed animal, just staring into the casino. It was 1230 am. Only thing I can figure is that his parents left him there while they gambled. We pointed him out to a worker."
– NoHoney_Medved
Nothing's Gonna Stop Him
"Working as software developer in gambling industry. So basically there is video (security footage) of a armed robbery on one of my bosses previously owned casinos."
"Guy was gambling at the automatic roulette machine when the intruders stormed in. He crouched and was keeping close eyes on them and continued placing bets from crouched position for the duration of the robbery."
"It was funniest and saddest thing I ever saw."
– mihiic
On And On And On
"Not a worker but I once watched a man lose $15k in under an hour at the roulette table. He kept getting dropping about $2k-3k at a time. He would lose all of it on a couple of spins and get up and get more."
"My wife having never played just looked at the people around us during one of his trips to get more money and says "Someone should stop him." The Croupier just looks in her direction and says "He's been losing like that for the last 6 hours""
"That was 5 years ago and my wife still talks about it when people bring up gambling."
– Deleted User
Turn Back Around
"About 3 days before christmas this guy went up to one of the slot machines and slammed the jackpot of about 6000 in like 5 minutes. I went up and was kinda blown away, saying how fucking awesome it was, how lucky he is, etc. the dude never turned around. I thought he might’ve been deaf or something so I tapped him to give a thumbs up or something. He turned around and he seriously looks like he’s dead. Like there is no expression, no light in his eyes nothing. I stutter but give him the thumbs up and he just nods and looks back to the slots and just fucking begins feeding the money back. Not as over the top as most posts on here but that fucking lack of ANYTHING in his face when he looked at me still unsettles me."
– flargbiter
I Had An Accident!
"A friend of mine worked security at a casino for a few years after college and he told me that they had a big problem with senior citizens who did not want to relinquish a machine to go to the bathroom. Their fear was that they would play for 3 hours and someone would come sit down behind them and get the jackpot. This led to several incidents of old folks pissing/shitting themselves at the machines because they didn't want to get up."
– RunsWithPremise
Couldn't Take Any More
"Former Blackjack dealer."
"Dealing the overnight shift was like a party every night. When I started to deal during the day, it was a different story. This A-hole in a suit was bragging to the other players at the table how he was there playing with his clients money. Not sure what line of work he was in, but I was just like WTF. Trained for roulette after that"
– advicest
Still Around
"Worked as a dealer for about six years, so a lot of what I've been reading I've seen happen myself. You become numb to it because it happens so often. People staying for the entire 8 hour shift, people who get a huge score ($10k+) and continue to play until they lose it all back. My favorite was having regulars come in during the summer and tell me about how gorgeous the weather is... but they're choosing to be in a smokey casino at 2pm on a Wednesday."
"The one moment that sticks with me though is when there was a kitchen fire in one of restaurants in the casino and the building was literally starting to fill with smoke. So much so that they closed all the table games and had the dealers evacuate the building. As we left, and the smoke alarm was sounding, there were still DOZENS of people sitting at slot machines, continuing to play."
"It really made me sad and ultimately was the moment I realized I had to quit. Being around that much depression on a daily basis takes a toll on your mental health, and I just couldn't do it anymore."
– HowWasItDetroit
Please Care About Your Family
"I worked at a casino as a dealer through college. A lot of incidents were pretty sad, especially with regulars that you liked. One regular would tell me about his middle school age kids, and then I would realize the next week or so later that he was missing their school plays/recitals etc because he was at the tables. I remember working an overnight one Christmas Eve and begging him to go home when 6/7am rolled around because his kids would be up and opening presents."
"Other times just people screaming at you for "stealing" their mortgage payments from them that month. Then seeing them back again the next day."
– 1ppikiokami
The house always wins. So make sure you're not caught off guard when the chips are down.
Do you have similar stories? Share them in the comment section below!
Woman Wishes Her Depressed BF Cared As Much About His Life And Appearance As He Did Pokémon Go
Love is hard. It's even harder when life stacks the deck against you. One woman was so frustrated by her situation that she turned to Reddit for help. Her back story involves a partner with depression and questionable hygiene, an extended period of separation because of work, Pokemon Go and some dead mice in the kitchen. Yeah, it kinda took a turn for the unexpected there at the end.
The 31 year-old woman posted that she was concerned for her 34 year-old boyfriend. He had always struggled with insecurities and depression, but things really fell apart when she had to move away for six months for work. They kept in constant communication and saw each other once a month, but as time went on things started to get worse. He stopped showering, his hair was so filthy that it had actual chunks falling out of it. His visits devolved into her forcing him to take care of himself. When she was able to move back into their home, it was a wreck. He let things get so bad that she found several dead mice in the kitchen and it took her an entire month to clean and restore their home.