Well, we knew it was coming, and now it’s here. MGM officially unveiled their new pay-for-parking system and while Las Vegas locals are safe for now, in a few months we’ll become chopped liver just like the everyone else.
When T-Mobile Arena was nearing its completion rumors began swirling that all MGM properties would indeed begin charging for parking in their garages. However, the terminology used was always “for overnight parking.” It turns out, that wasn’t really the case and our nightmare of having to pay even while going out for dinner has been realized.
Starting on December 29th, 2016 for locals and June 6th, 2016 for out-of-towners, MGM’s going to start taking our money before we ever even make it in to the casino. (Well, technically you pay on the way out, but you get my point)
$5 to visit the casino for up to four hours isn’t terrible, but I can tell you right now, I won’t be the only one parking at a Caesars, Wynn, or Sands property to circumvent the fee.
There are some stipulations for all you high rollers out there. If you reach Pearl status (25,000 tier credits) self parking is free, while if you reach Gold status or higher (75,000 tier credits) you can valet for free.
Event nights at T-Mobile Arena are going to stay the same as they have through the first month of the arena’s existence. You’ll have to pre-pay to park at New York New York or Monte Carlo, while the rest of the surrounding hotels will use their standard system (expect this to change at some point).
As far as this relates to hockey, it’s not the absolute worst scenario, as $10 pre-paid parking directly next to the arena, or $4-$8 across the street is not terrible, but it’s still hard to grasp the idea of paying for parking here in Las Vegas. I’d expect a slight discount for season ticket holders who pre-pay the entire season as well.
We’ll be constantly on the lookout for ways to circumvent parking fees, especially on game nights. So far, here’s what we’ve got. (This will be updated when we have new methods)
- Park at at a competing property. (Closest options are Tropicana, Planet Hollywood, and the Cosmopolitan)
- Drive a 2 wheeled vehicle. Motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles are exempt from the new parking fees.
If you have other ideas for us, let us know in the comments or email them to ken@sinbin.vegas.
Cappy
Sounds like the east coast way. MGM is opening up a new casino not too far away from where I live. We’ve already been paying absurd prices for the privilege of parking at National Harbor and being able to spend our money at the shops and restaurants there.