Starting July 1, unlimited free wi-fi will be available at Starbucks.
The AP reports that, six months after McDonald’s began offering free wi-fi, coffee chain giant Starbucks is no longer going to charge customers for wi-fi. It won’t require customers to have Starbucks loyalty cards either.
In other freebie—or not so free—news, another AP story says that you’re increasingly unlikely to come by free drinks at casinos, especially in the Midwest. In fact, laws in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas prohibit comped cocktails.
And at the places where free drinks are still a possibility, you’re less likely to actually be comped nowadays:
… even casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City are scaling back to cut costs.
The 38 Vegas resorts reported comping $310.7 million in drinks in fiscal year 2009, a 2 percent drop from the previous year. Total comps in Atlantic City – including drinks, meals, hotel rooms and entertainment – fell 5 percent in 2009, to $1.55 billion.
The increasingly elusive free drink doesn’t mean booze is losing its popularity at casinos. Casinos sell more alcohol when they stop giving it away, according to industry data. And some are adding or expanding their alcohol offerings.