What's The Perfect Las Vegas Gambling Budget? The Answer Is Simple
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What's the perfect amount of money to bring to Las Vegas for gambling?
As OutKick readers know, I'm a huge fan of visiting Vegas, and I have a trip on the books coming up here in a few weeks.
I'm as excited for that trip as I have been for anything I have been in a while. You might even say I'm more excited for Vegas than I am for "College Football 25." It sounds crazy, but it might just be true.
What's the perfect Las Vegas gambling budget?
One of the biggest questions people often have about Las Vegas is how much money is the proper amount for gambling. It's an important question. You don't want to spend money you can't afford to lose, but you also don't want to bring so little that you're rushing to ATMs.
A thread popped up breaking down people's budgets for their first time, and the answers were intriguing:
- I was 21 and had $200. I went to the craps table at the Dunes to learn how to play. It was 3am. The table "got hot" and filled up really fast. A guy in a cowboy hat asked if he could have my spot for $500. I thought he was kidding, so I said he could have it for $800. He handed me $800 without blinking, and I went and played nickel slots instead. I still don't know how to play craps.
- I spent maybe $ 50-60 (lost it all) but the purpose was to get free drinks. I basically came out even assuming the drinks were bar priced. age 28. If you intend to gamble, even at all, do join up the rewards memberships at the casino. They'll give you some free money to spend and usually send decent promotions.
- I moved to Vegas when I was 25 years old in 1995, by myself with a good job, but no support from friends or family. In the first 4 months, I blew through $20,000. It hit me hard, and I swore that I would never gamble again. Today, I’m 55 years old, and still live here, and haven’t gambled a penny since.
- Age 36 brought $500 and came home with $375. Went back this summer at 37. Brought $650 and came back with $1120.
- First Vegas trip in 2005 I took $700 for a 3 day trip. $5 and $10 tables were still around so it worked well. I came home with about $200 left so I was happy.
- $300 27yr lost everything playing roulette and craps.
- 24 years old and brought 200 bucks for blackjack at Park MGM. Lasted maybe 15 minutes.
Here's the best advice I can offer here. Look at gambling as entertainment. You're paying for the experience. Assume you're going to lose, and if you win, it's just a nice little bonus. Anyone who ends up in a casino expecting to win is in for a *VERY* rough time. The house always eventually wins.
Now, how much specifically should you bring? That depends on how much you love gambling and how much you can afford. The answer will vary from person to person.
For me, the answer is pretty simple. I bring a few hundred bucks a day for gambling. I've never once lost it all or even come close to it because I spend a lot of time at Ellis Island and at El Cortez. Hard to blow through a bankroll playing affordable 3:2 blackjack. It's very easy to blow through a bankroll playing expensive 6:5 blackjack on The Strip. You might as well just donate your money to the casino at that point.
The perfect budget is simply whatever you're comfortable spending, and not one penny more.
The only other story I'll quickly share is one that perfectly captures how what Sin City gives it can take away. I was with a group of friends, and a couple of us had been on a sports gambling run. I was up more than $3,000 just on sports. In the spirit of Vegas, we decided to throw all our winnings (not touching the base of money) on the Oregon/Auburn game. I picked the Ducks and threw all $3,000+ on them to win. Bo Nix throws a TD pass to win in the closing seconds. All my sports gambling winnings were wiped out with the snap of my fingers. I should have walked away, but it's Vegas! Have a crazy gambling story? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
