Why I Wish Las Vegas Would Implement "Last Call"

“I don’t have a drinking problem…’cept when I can’t get a drink.”
- Tom Waits
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• Arizona - 2 am


• Colorado - 2 am


• Hawaii - 2am (4am in Waikiki)


• Idaho - 1 am


• Michigan - 2 am


• California - 2 am


• Delaware - 1 am


• Alaska - 5 am


• Nevada:  NONE

If you're not a drinker, the above list is meaningless.

If you are, you know exactly what those times mean- last call.



What is last call? Last call is this absolutely crazy practice where there’s a set time that establishments, such as restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, are required, by law, to stop serving alcohol, so they announce that if you want another drink, now’s the time to order it.

While this practice is the norm across most of the country, Nevada stands out as one of the few states with no last call. It's an alcoholic's paradise. Being a Vegas resident since I was nine and going to my first rave when I was 16 means I grew up in this club scene. I never stopped to ponder, acknowledge, or recognize the countless occasions when I would order a shot [Stoli Vanilla chilled, please] or another cocktail [Stoli Vanilla and Diet Coke, please] before realizing the sun had come up.

And that, my friends, is the point. I never experienced a nightlife or bar scene where we all had a collective groan when the bartender announced “last call.”....BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ONE!!! From every club, bar, lounge, ultra lounge, bar-top mounted poker machine, and beyond, one of the things I’ll always remember most vividly is that the drinks kept coming, one after the other, without stopping, even if it was 7 am. The booze just flowed and flowed.

So, you can imagine my reaction when I first learned of this “last call” atrocity. You can see the opposite reaction with tourists at the club. They get a look on their faces that's a combination of disbelief that the party showed no end in sight and confusion as they waited on pins and needles for an announcement that would never come.  



You’re probably wondering at this point, “okay yeah, and?”  But here's the point. Yes, the absence of a last call means that club-fueled shenanigans run until the wee hours of the morning, far beyond the standard 2 am mark that shuts down the rest of the night. And if you’re new to Vegas or are a tourist, this may seem like the coolest thing in the world. However, having lived here my whole life, I can absolutely say that no last call leads to disaster.

In any other part of the US, that last-call event helps partiers with jobs keep their positions. They don't look for ways to keep getting high; THEY GO HOME.

Once home, they can undress, wind down, get some sleep, and still make it to work the next day.

Unfortunately, I saw the exact opposite happen here countless times. Myself being one of these poor schmucks who had been gambling and drinking all night, followed by me stumbling out of the bar/lounge at around 8:30 am, completely broke, and annoyed because I had to come up with a story on the spot about why I would be missing work that day. Until the cover stories for why you’re missing work that day start to get played out, and you end up losing your job.



No last call is great and exciting for tourists here to party and get White Girl Wasted. For those of us who live here, no last call could be why you lose your job if you don't develop self-restraint. You have to say no thank you to the next drink, tip your bartender, and go home before midnight if you want to hang on to that job where you’re due to clock in tomorrow at 9 am.

That’s WAY more fun than trying to remember which story you’ve told your boss and PRAYING that they believe you. Because, first-hand experience here, it sucks to be let go of a job you actually like and then have to immediately follow that up with a mad dash to get hired somewhere.  

Damn, I’m glad I don’t drink or go out anymore.  

Stay safe out there, kids.

Mikey