An Overview of Casino Etiquette

Casinos can be fun places to visit, but in order to have the best time possible and to ensure that everyone around you enjoys the experience as best they can, there are a few unwritten rules that need to be observed.

Although there are ‘unwritten rules’, we have noted some of them down for you to ensure that you know the correct etiquette for your next NZ casino visit.

Always Be Polite and Courteous 

The first piece of advice is to always be polite and courteous to the people you come across in a casino. With a casino being a place of high emotion - both positive and negative - it is always a good idea to treat other players and the staff as you yourself would like to be treated. Doing this creates a more positive environment for everyone to enjoy themselves in.

Dress Appropriately

In the not so distant past, visiting a casino in New Zealand required a very strict dress code. However, this requirement has long since dropped and most casinos do not observe strict dress codes anymore. Having said that, many casinos will not allow people to enter wearing sports clothes or football colours. Smart casual is probably the technical term for the official dress code of most NZ casinos.

Some other countries, where gaming law is less liberalised, still have high standards when it comes to dressing for a night at the casino and require players to maintain high standards, like wearing a jacket to enter.

However, in countries like the USA, where it has become the norm for casinos to operate using an open door policy (with no membership required), there is a significantly lower expectation when it comes to the way that players dress to visit the casino. Many US casino patrons dress in sports wear, team colours and some don’t even change out of their pyjamas before hitting the top pokies machines and downing the complimentary cocktails.

Don’t Use Your Phone at the Table

Mobile phones are not allowed to be used at gaming tables, and in some cases, they are not even allowed to be placed on the table at all. It is both a hindrance to the smooth running of the game and a potential security risk if phones are allowed to be used at the table. 

If you have an incoming call while you are gaming in a casino, it is best to step away from the table to take the call. Better still, put it on aeroplane mode before you start playing and have an uninterrupted session of play.

Seats are for Players Only

At gaming tables, there are a limited number of seats available, and these are reserved for players only. Don’t sit at an empty casino seat unless you intend to play the game.

Exceptions are sometimes made, for example, if there is a spare seat, a non-playing guest of a player who is participating in the game may be allowed to sit down. However, this is not universally allowed and when it is, the guest is required to vacate the seat if another paying player chooses to join the game.

Don’t Play When Drunk

Yes, it’s tempting to drink at the casino, especially in fun resorts in Las Vegas, where the tempting call of ‘cocktails’ rhythmically drifts past you every few minutes. Those big blue cocktail glasses with a slice of pineapple can be oh so tempting, but have too many and a casino visit can go south very quickly, for you and those around you. 

While some players can be funny after a couple of drinks and liven up a table in a good way, you don't want people going over the top and ruining the atmosphere. Drunk players not only embarrass themselves and their fellow players, but can be disruptive, holding up the game and preventing its natural flow.

Not only is it a bad look to be drunk in a casino, but it could cause you to make irrational bets and put your bankroll at risk. Casinos don’t like drunk players much either and you could find yourself barred from future visits, depending on how badly you behaved when under the influence.

Don’t Touch Other Players’ Chips

Other players don’t like it when you touch their chips and nor should they. Casino chips are the tools of the trade and are there to be protected at all times. It’s more than an unwritten rule that you must keep your hands to yourself when in the casino and only touch chips that belong to you. 

The only person who should touch your chips other than you, is the dealer. This is especially important in games like roulette, where there is a lot of movement of players around the table.

Respect the Dealer and Casino Staff

One thing that is a big no-no in casinos is having a lack of respect for the dealers and other casino staff. It’s not their fault that your bet was lost and despite how tempting it might be to blame the person who seems responsible, remember dealers are human beings too and deserve better than the irrational scorn of a player who has just blown their money.

Let Others Play in Peace

People visit a casino for different reasons. Some like the company and enjoy conviviality, laughter and conversation, but others don’t. If you sense that someone would rather play quietly and not get involved in the table banter, let them be.

If others feel uncomfortable with your presence, they may leave and you will not be popular with the casino staff if that happens, so the best approach is to respect other players’ boundaries. If someone looks like they don’t want to be disturbed when playing, let them be.

Some blackjack players will deliberately increase their stakes in order to get away from annoying players who might frequent lower stakes tables.

Don’t Eat at the Table

It’s fine to have a drink at the table, but eating at a table is frowned upon. While it is not against the rules, it can be very unpleasant for other players to have to watch you struggle to eat while playing. On top of that, it’s not the most hygienic situation to be dining in, either.

Don’t Say “Seven” Near a Craps Table

This piece of casino etiquette advice relates to the superstition of not saying the number seven out loud at the craps table. The reason for this is because it is usually bad for players (and good for the house) when a player rolls a seven, so to say it near the table is akin to willing the shooter to roll a seven, which would cause the players to lose.

If you're a new casino player, you may not be aware of this, but you might still get some dirty looks from other players at the table. To be on the safe side, don’t call out any numbers at all when you’re at the craps table other than when you’re instructing the croupier on which bets you want to make.