I tried it last time and it was asking for $2.50 for the same Abita I was getting at the tables for free. If you don't have enough credits on your players card, the machine lists the amount you have to pay. Instead of cocktail servers walking by and offering drinks, you input drink requests on the machine's display. The other way is to get drinks is at slot machines. Presently the official rules are that at the poker bars you can only have draft beers and well mixed drinks, but not bottles or calls. Another good way to get drinks is to play at one of their two video poker bars. They keep the bottles of Abitas and mixed drinks flowing. Presently, the best way to get drinks there is by playing table games.
Their rules as far as drink allotment has changed over the years. First off, it is not an Indian casino so it properly regulated, secondly, they have actual table games like craps and roulette, and thirdly, they do offer free drinks to gamblers.
Harrahs in New Orleans is a real casino compared to the Hard Rock.