Parking Fee Virus Hits Florida!!

[FloridaPhil]

I emailed Tampa Hard Rock customer relations about the parking fee and it turns out I am an Elite member and my card had not been upgraded.  I'm sure this happened since I switched to max coins late last year and we moved our frequent road trips from Biloxi to Hollywood.  Tampa has lousy quarter DW odds and my wife won't play there.  I probably shouldn't either, but I like to play one day each week.   Tampa is an hour and 30 minutes away, so it's a day trip.  Unfortunately, Hollywood is a 4 hour drive which means an overnight stay.  Hollywood gives us free rooms whenever we want, so we have been going down at least once a month.  Personally, I think the promise that playing an advantage video poker game will make you a long term winner is pure fantasy.   It's not that I think it's impossible, I believe it's extremely unlikely.   There are so many variables in the game itself and with each player personally, I think anyone who makes this claim is either inexperienced and winning at the moment, trying to boost his/her ego or selling products to VP players.  I know there are many people on this forum who disagree with me and I'm OK with that.  This doesn't mean I don't pay attention to the odds, it means I expect there will be a cost to play video poker and make my playing decisions accordingly.  

[WhitneyReed]

Went to the Tampa Hard Rock today and found they are now charging $10 a day for parking.   

Wow that sucks. And you're talking self-parking, right? There's one casino here downtown that charges, BUT as long as you have a TropAdvantage card you can show it to the attendant and don't have to pay. And if you don't have a card if you get a card and earn 5 tier points and have your parking refunded. This is Lumiere in downtown St. Louis and it's by the stadium and other tourist attractions.

[Tedlark]

Whitney I'm guessing it's the close proximity to the stadium that resulted in Lumiere's choice to charge for parking. Why pay upwards of $20.00 for stadium parking when, instead, a stadium patron can park for free and walk two blocks to the stadium?

Hollywood Casino Aurora,IL also used to charge for parking because of their close proximity to the Aurora bars and night life. Street parking was scarce and the bars/clubs/restaurants had little parking of their own so people were parking in the casino's parking tower and walking past the casino to get to the bars. Parking was free, just like you said, for those who showed a casino player's card. Eventually though, Hollywood stopped charging for parking all together.

[FloridaPhil]

I've thought about this and can't understand why the Hard Rocks would charge for self parking.    Their casinos are not near anything and they have plenty of parking space.  Is an extra $10 a car worth it if it keeps someone from walking in the place?   I also don't think anyone is visiting their casinos and not gambling.  Seniors are a savvy lot as a whole and I suspect many of them will find this parking fee offensive.   Gambling addicts will pay the fee but many will just find something else to do.  Maybe the casinos where getting too crowded and they want to thin it out a bit?   I know Disney has been hiking their prices in an attempt to weed out customers.  Maybe the Hard Rocks feel the same way?  It didn't look like it to me yesterday, the place was pretty empty.

[notes1]

I have only been there 6-8 times, but they are charging for parking for one reason...they think they can get away with it. most all casinos are the same, extract as much money as possible from every player. casinos/hosts are not our friends.

I have written about Cherokee treating folks badly and many took their business elsewhere. the offers and room availability are slowly returning to where they used to be. VP buttons still suck. they wanted more money for themselves, apparently it did not work so well, and now they are fighting to get customers back.

while I never go there, I am sure starbucks would gladly charge more, if they could get away with it.

I think the bigger question is why governments give exclusive rights to only one casino group? obviously, the gov also wants more money. I have said before, no one is looking out for the player. players need/want competition. think, what would be the cost of a pizza, if only one chain were allowed to operate, in an entire state.

[doris13]

you pay for parking in AC unless you have a premium players card.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=notes1]I think the bigger question is why governments give exclusive rights to only one casino group?[/quote]We have the Tribes to thank that Florida has casino gambling at all. Without them we would be just like Georgia and Texas.  Personally, I think the Hard Rock would be better off giving free parking to anyone willing to get a player's card and put $10 in a machine.  A potential regular customer has got to be worth more than the $10 parking fee.   The website did say you can park outside in remote parking for free and walk.   If you're handicapped, does this mean you have to pay more?  If they really want to do something productive, charge people for smoking!  

[notes1]

If they really want to do something productive, charge people for smoking!  


I was just there about a month ago. 2nd afternoon could not find a single available machine in smoking area. I went and played in the beautiful non smoking area, where 90% of the machines sat empty. I have asked before and will ask again, for all those who ***** about smoke in the casinos, why not play in a the n/s area. most every casino I go, the n/s areas are empty.

as far as charging people to smoke, are you out of touch. the average tax on a pack of cigs nationwide is 42%.

why not charge every fat person 42% tax on food? how about a 42% tax on gambling? drinking?

[FloridaPhil]

If it were up to me the tax on cigarettes would be $50 a pack. Cigars $1,000 each!  I have no doubt some people would still smoke even if they had to mortgage their house to do it.Seriously, I'm not a big sin tax guy.  If someone wants to eat too much, drink, gamble, run around with someone else's wife or do drugs, it's OK with me unless it affects me personally.  Having to breath second hand tobacco smoke is unhealthy and offensive to those who don't smoke.   Smokers should realize this and have enough class to smoke where it doesn't offend the general public. I have actually been shocked to have a casino cigarette smoker ask me if I minded if they lit up.  I usually say fine as long as they keep their smoke out of my face.  Casino cigar smokers are another breed altogether.  It's been my experience that they actually love pissing people off and do it on purpose. 

[notes1]

I ask again, why don't you play in nonsmoking section.