Mandatory Association Agreement at Registration in Las Vegas to Prevent Minors from Accessing Hotel Mini-Bars Containing Alcoholic Beverages
Starting September 1, 2025, guests staying at Las Vegas Strip resorts will be required to sign an agreement at check-in, acknowledging their responsibility to keep minibar alcohol away from minors. This new ordinance, passed by the Clark County Commission on July 15, 2025, aims to prevent potential public relations issues and health risks associated with minors accessing alcohol.
The agreement is a mandatory requirement for all overnight guests, regardless of whether they are traveling with children. If the agreement is refused, all alcohol must be removed from the guest's room. The ordinance applies to private booths and viewing areas in resort hotel movie theaters, as well as private skyboxes on the Strip.
Interestingly, an earlier draft of the ordinance required that all minibar alcohol be stored in a locked refrigerator or cabinet, but this requirement was removed before final passage. The ordinance does not impose new criminal or civil liability on resorts for minibar alcohol consumption by minors, only a procedural requirement for guest acknowledgment and removal if refused.
It's important to note that this ordinance does not affect the legal drinking age in Nevada, which remains 21 years old. Furthermore, the ordinance does not apply to hotels located in the City of Las Vegas (downtown).
Though the ordinance suggests that prior incidents may have prompted it, no specific cases have been reported. The new agreement is intended to bring the potential for a problem to the attention of every guest, thereby deterring future incidents and preventing potential public relations disasters. The ordinance is currently being enforced before its official September 1 start date.
The ordinance does not apply to the consumption of alcohol in restaurants or other public areas within the resorts. This means that guests can still enjoy their favourite drinks during meals or while socialising in public spaces.
In summary, the new agreement mandates signing a guest agreement controlling minibar alcohol access to keep it away from minors, with exceptions only for non-Strip hotels and no mandatory physical locking of alcohol containers. The agreement is aimed at preventing minors from accessing minibar alcohol in Las Vegas Strip resorts.
- Starting from September 1, 2025, guests at Las Vegas Strip resorts will be required to sign an agreement at check-in, acknowledging their responsibility to keep minibar alcohol away from minors.
- This agreement is a mandatory requirement for all overnight guests, regardless of whether they are traveling with children, and the refusal to sign may necessitate the removal of all alcohol from the guest's room.
- The new ordinance also applies to private booths and viewing areas in resort hotel movie theaters, as well as private skyboxes on the Strip.
- Despite an earlier draft requiring all minibar alcohol to be stored in a locked refrigerator or cabinet, the final ordinancedoes not impose this requirement, only a procedural one for guest acknowledgment and removal if refused.
- The legal drinking age in Nevada remains 21 years old and the ordinance does not apply to hotels located in the City of Las Vegas (downtown).
- Though no specific cases have been reported, the ordinance is intended to bring the potential for a problem to the attention of every guest, thereby deterring future incidents and preventing potential public relations disasters.
- Guests can still enjoy their favorite drinks during meals or while socializing in public spaces within the resorts, as the ordinance does not affect the consumption of alcohol in restaurants or other public areas.
