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Aggressive demands for tips from costumed entertainers on the Las Vegas Strip have prompted a warning from local authorities.
Officials are reminding tourists that there is never a need to pay for street performances or character photos, as FOX5 Las Vegas reported.
Digital messages began appearing on billboards along the Gaza Strip on Friday, October 16, with a direct warning to tourists.
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“When watching shows or taking a photo, it is NOT necessary to tip,” the signs state, according to reports.
Clark County officials, however, said the campaign was not intended to discourage voluntary tipping.
Women dressed as showgirls greet visitors walking along the Las Vegas Strip on August 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The initiative specifically targets performers who coerce visitors into paying money or who falsely imply that tipping is mandatory, FOX5 said.
“This negatively impacts the economic lifeblood of not only Clark County, but the entire state tax base that depends on the Las Vegas Strip,” Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft told FOX5.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Clark County for additional comment.
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The new warnings came after a tipping dispute involving costumed showgirls on the Strip allegedly turned violent.
Two visitors from North Carolina stopped to take photos with three women dressed as showgirls in front of Planet Hollywood on September 30 and paid a $20 tip, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Local authorities remind visitors that they are not required to tip after taking photos or watching street performances. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
After the tourists began to walk away, artist Jennifer Ortiz allegedly followed them and demanded between $60 and $180 for the photos, according to an arrest report.
The confrontation degenerated into a fight which injured both tourists.
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Police said one visitor was struck more than 22 times and suffered a nearly 2-inch cut to his forehead after Ortiz allegedly hit the person with a high-heeled boot.
Ortiz and another artist, Magdellena Romero, were arrested.
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Ortiz was charged with battery and obtaining money by false pretenses for less than $1,200, while Romero was charged with battery.
Efforts to combat tipping pressure have since sparked online backlash from travelers and Las Vegas residents.
The new effort targets artists who pressure visitors for money or lead them to believe payment is required. (LE Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Well this is getting a little crazy,” one Reddit user wrote. “I’m glad they’re cracking down after that fight a few weeks ago.”
Another commenter said aggressive demands for tips had been a problem for years, recalling seeing costumed performers pressuring tourists for money.
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Some users also shared their own ideas for avoiding uncomfortable encounters with artists.
“The best advice is not to involve them,” advised one commenter.
Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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