There is an app designed specifically to pay Las Vegas drivers and hotel staff to steer tourists toward certain businesses. It is called Vegas Kickback. It is real, it is active, it is in both app stores right now, and most of the 40 million people who visit Las Vegas every year have never heard of it.
This article explains exactly what the app is, how it works, who uses it, and what it means for you as a visitor every time someone in Las Vegas gives you a recommendation.
What Is the Vegas Kickback App?
Vegas Kickback is a mobile application developed by Orion Enterprises, Inc. and available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It is marketed directly to Las Vegas drivers — Uber, Lyft, taxi, and limo — as well as hotel doormen, concierge staff, and nightclub promoters.
The app functions as a real-time directory of Las Vegas businesses that pay referral commissions to drivers and hospitality workers for delivering tourist customers. Every business listed on the app offers some form of driver payout or perk in exchange for passenger referrals.
From the app’s own description: “By using KICKBACK, a referral-based business has essentially ‘partnered’ with thousands of Las Vegas drivers, who are now an eager sales force, ready to promote partnered businesses to the millions of visitors asking locals for suggestions.”
Source: Vegas Kickback — Apple App Store | Vegas Kickback — Google Play Store | VegasKickback.com — About
How the Vegas Kickback App Works
The app operates on a straightforward three-sided marketplace: businesses list their venues and set their driver payout rates, drivers browse the listings and decide which venues to recommend to passengers, and when a passenger is successfully delivered the driver collects cash payment at the door.
For Businesses
Any Las Vegas business can list on the app and set a per-passenger payout rate. The app’s website frames this as “partnering with drivers” to build a referral sales force. Businesses set the rate, the hours of availability, and any special perks (free food, drinks for drivers, etc.). The Kickback app’s Facebook page shows active posts from listed venues — including a liquor store offering free pizza and hot dogs to drivers on drop-off days.
For Drivers
Drivers browse a live listing of participating businesses, current payout rates per passenger, operating hours, and user-submitted notes on payout reliability. The app instructions tell drivers: “When dropping off, make your presence known to the business and let them know you were the one that referred this new customer.” Cash is collected at the door. App reviews note that some businesses require app verification at pickup, while others rely on door staff.
The Collection Process
After delivering passengers to a kickback-paying venue, the driver parks and walks in to collect payment. The door staff confirm the drop and pay in cash. Some higher-volume venues use app-based verification to prevent fraud. The entire exchange happens off-platform — no record in Uber, no flag in Lyft, no trace in any rideshare app the passenger uses.
Source: VegasKickback.com | Apple App Store listing | Vegas Kickback Facebook Page
Who Uses the Vegas Kickback App?
The app markets itself to a wider audience than most tourists would expect. It is not just for rideshare drivers. The full list of intended users from the app’s own description includes:
- Uber and Lyft drivers — the primary user base
- Taxi drivers — who have used kickback systems in Las Vegas for decades before rideshare existed
- Limo drivers — including independent operators and company drivers
- Hotel doormen — who control which taxis and cars get first access to departing guests
- Hotel concierge staff — whose recommendations carry significant trust authority with guests
- Nightclub promoters — who use the app to recruit drivers to fill their venues on slow nights
- Business owners — who use the app to manage their driver referral program and set rates
Source: Vegas Kickback — Google Play App Description | Vegas Kickback — Apple App Store
What Businesses Are Listed on the App?
The app lists any Las Vegas business willing to pay a driver referral rate. Based on the app’s marketing and user reviews, the primary business categories include:
| Business Type | Estimated Payout Range | Why They Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Strip Clubs & Gentlemen’s Clubs | $50–$160 per person | High competition for tourist traffic; cover charges and bottle service generate large revenue per visitor |
| Massage & Spa Businesses | $80–$160 per person | Off-Strip locations need driver referrals to overcome lack of foot traffic |
| Cannabis Dispensaries | $20–$50 per drop | Many dispensaries compete for the same tourist customers; driver referrals drive direct revenue |
| Liquor Stores | $10–$30 per drop | Lower ticket item but high volume; some offer food/drink perks to drivers instead of or in addition to cash |
| Nightclubs & Lounges | $20–$50 per person | Promoters need to fill rooms on slow nights; drivers are paid per head at the door |
Source: Bloomberg (2019) | UberPeople.net Las Vegas — Strip Club Kickback Updates Thread
Book a Driver With No Third-Party Incentives
Is the Vegas Kickback App Legal?
The app itself — as a technology platform listing businesses and their referral rates — is legal. It has been available on both major app stores since at least 2016 and remains active today.
The legality becomes murkier at the individual transaction level. There are three relevant questions:
Does it violate rideshare terms of service?
Yes, if a driver actively steers a passenger away from their chosen destination in exchange for a kickback, that violates Uber and Lyft’s terms of service, which prohibit drivers from accepting third-party compensation for referrals. However, simply recommending a venue unprompted — without diverting a passenger — is harder for platforms to detect or enforce.
Does it violate Nevada law?
Actively diverting a passenger from their destination against their wishes may constitute deceptive or unfair trade practices under Nevada consumer protection statutes. The key distinction is between a driver volunteering a recommendation (gray area) versus a driver deliberately taking someone somewhere other than their requested destination (legally problematic).
Does the app itself do anything wrong?
The app is a listing platform. It does not instruct drivers to divert passengers — it provides information about which businesses pay, and leaves individual driver behavior to the driver. This structure insulates the app from most liability while enabling the underlying system.
How to Protect Yourself as a Las Vegas Visitor
Knowing the app exists changes how you should interpret every recommendation you receive in Las Vegas from a driver or hospitality worker.
Questions to ask yourself when receiving a recommendation:
- Did I ask for this recommendation, or did it come unprompted?
- Is the driver suggesting I change my destination or add a stop?
- Is the venue they’re recommending significantly off my planned route?
- Am I being offered a deal — free entry, discounted cover — that seems too good?
What you can do:
- Enter your destination in the app before you get in — a visible destination makes diversion harder
- Politely decline unsolicited recommendations — you are not obligated to engage
- Book a professional chauffeur service — PSS chauffeurs have no Kickback app, no venue agreements, and no financial incentive to take you anywhere except where you want to go
Book Your Ride — No Kickbacks, No Agenda
Source: r/LasVegas — Uber Drivers Steering Tourists | VegasKickback.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Methodology & Sources
- Vegas Kickback App — Apple App Store & Google Play Store: App description, developer information, user reviews, and payout category descriptions
- VegasKickback.com & app.vegaskickback.com: Official app website, About page, and business owner listing information
- Vegas Kickback Facebook Page (@vegaskickback): Active posts including venue promotions and driver incentive offers
- Bloomberg (January 2019): “How Uber, Lyft, and Taxi Drivers Get Kickbacks in Vegas” — primary investigative reporting on per-passenger rates and history
- UberPeople.net Las Vegas Forum Threads: Driver community accounts of kickback procedures, venue rates, and collection verification
- LVCVA Annual Visitor Statistics: Las Vegas annual visitor volume for market context
