The Night Starts Here: Golden Gate’s Free Drink + Free Play Promo Is Actually Genius
Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Downtown Las Vegas
There’s been a lot of social suffering around Derek Stevens and what he’s doing at Golden Gate. He owns the land, he removed all the gaming tables (which brought some heat his direction online), but I don’t know many people pissed about his
“The Night Starts Here”
free drink and free play promo.
On a Monday night around 5:40 we strolled in to see what it was all about. Once again Derek was nowhere to be found. I keep trying to meet the guy for shots; guess he’s not as cool as Tim at Four Queens… jab intended, Derek, if you’re reading.
What we found was a crowd. We went to get our free play and wristbands at the Club One desk. I scored a $10 voucher. A few minutes later the bar opened at 6 p.m. There was a line, but it moved pretty fast.
We kept it simple and ordered Jack & Coke. I wasn’t gonna get fancy with that many people waiting for free drinks, I’m not that big of an asshole. Plus we had just come from the Hogs & Heifers pop-up (that newsletter is coming) and kinda settled on that being the drink for the afternoon.
Dude hands us each two drinks, a casino glass, but poured decent. We each threw a $5 spot in the jar and hit the slots.
I played some volcano game, hit a bonus of $135. Ok, now I’m happy. I turned $10 free play into $135 in my pocket for a total of $10 in tips for drinks.
Where you at Derek? I’ll give ya a hug.
Back to the bar we go for another round. Once again, two drinks each, we didn’t ask for two.
Now I’m not looking for a tip lesson or argument here, I try and stay out of that whole drama, but since this is my newsletter I’ll give you my take.
I typically tip based on service. I come from a background of restructuring companies around employee and customer service, so if I get good service in a place where tipping is culture, I tip accordingly. If I get shit service, I tip accordingly. I’m not doing it “just because.”
This was really neither, long lines, free quick drinks, they were polite. The service was baked into the promotion, and it’s a stellar one. I say all this because where I do agree with the heavy tip-talkers is in the “don’t be an asshole” message.
I’m sure some of you might say $5 was too much for two drinks, some might say it was too little. For under a minute’s work and the stress of the lines, I felt it was okay. The surprise to me though is that we were really some of the only ones doing it. They have a tip jar there and I actually saw some people putting in change only for a free drink… huh. Some a dollar or two, but mostly nothing, and this was after getting free play as well. I can’t be the only person that won a little.
I kept playing with a total winning of $165, then at the last minute lost it down to a cash out of $128.72. We went to the bar a total of 4 times… don’t you dare fucking judge me… lol. Each of us getting two drinks at a time, tipping $5 every time for a total of $40 between the two of us.
Wifey broke completely even with the free play and drinks. I walked away net $108.72. So I got paid $100 for just over an hour of fun and had 8 drinks (again, small ones… I can feel you judging me).
The vibe is certainly old-school with people toasting, dancers, loud music, and lights. I don’t know of a better place to spend an hour at 6 p.m. in Las Vegas on a Monday, or any night for that matter.
The Verdict
Derek Stevens gets a lot of heat for removing tables at Golden Gate, but “The Night Starts Here” is one of the smartest promos running Downtown right now. Free play voucher (up to $1,000 mystery envelope), open bar 6–7 p.m., slot leaderboard for another $1,000 in free play, and a T-shirt giveaway for big hits or high points.
It’s not fancy. It’s not trying to be. It’s just a damn good way to kick off the night with zero pressure and real value. I turned $10 into $165, tipped $40 total, and still walked with over $100 in my pocket after drinks. That’s the kind of math I like in Vegas.
If you’re Downtown and want to start the night right, show up between 4–6 p.m. for check-in, grab your wristband and voucher, hit the open bar at 6, and let the slots do the rest.
I’ll be back for sure!
-Jason
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