The Good Samaritan
September 18,
2009
Dear Mark: About
a month ago, I was playing the 5¢ slots and lost
about $20. When I took my player’s card out, I
noticed the machine next to me (no one was
playing while I was there) had a ticket sticking
out. I took the ticket, without looking at the
amount, and asked a man and women standing in
line at the cashier's cage if they were on that
machine. They said "no" and I told them about
the ticket. He asked how much it was for
and only then did I looked at the winnings. It
was $644 and some odd cents. He exclaimed,
"that's your money, it can't be tracked to the
owner.” I knew it wasn't my money and went back
to check the player card slot, which was empty.
While walking to the restaurant, I encountered a
gentleman wearing a suit and badge from the
casino. I proceeded to tell him the
story. Without a word, he grabbed the ticket
from my hand and said "that is not your
money." I knew full well it wasn't mine, but
asked how and if the casino could check on the
rightful owner. It was explained that they could
track the owner if he/she used a player’s
card. It was also explained to me that if they
didn't, the money was still not mine, and that
it belonged to the casino. The security person
also said if it was under $500, the rules were
different. That's the part I am not sure of. I
am an honest person, and knew the money was not
mine, but if the owner could not be found,
(didn't use a player card) I don't think the
casino should get the money back. So, Mark, is
the money the casinos? Could I have put the
ticket in a machine, with no player card, and
gambled with the money? What would have happened
if I had worked the money down to under $500
without a card?
P.S. The woman who left the ticket behind did
use a player card and we did find her. She was
elderly, had been winning all day (she said) and
didn't miss the $664 she left in the machine.
Joan C.
At the outset, Joan, let me tell you what
casinos don’t want. Somebody making a full-time
occupation cruising the casino scavenging for
the millions abandoned each year by gamblers who
forget their stored credits, coins in the tray,
lost chips on the ground, or in your case, a
winning ticket protruding from a machine. You
might not have been foraging for free money, but
for those who purposively circle the casino
looking for orphan anything, it’s illegal.
I can’t speak directly to rules governing a
Canadian casino, or their $500 rule, which,
Joan, I have never heard of, but the seven
joints where I worked, and most other casinos
for that matter, take the position that
abandoned currency or credits, of any amount,
belongs to them.
So what happens if you find a winning slip that
was left behind? Do you leave it alone, play it,
or do you alert an attendant? Yes, you could
have easily reinserted the slip in another
machine, even cashed it out and probably would
have gotten away with it, but giving it to an
attendant, who could have easily tracked down
the rightful owner if they were using a player’s
card, was the virtuous thing to do. I suspect
though, that a good number of players would have
probably taken the money and run.
A few tips for other slot-playing patrons, not
you of course, is that if you plan
circumnavigating the casino looking for an easy
score, you might want to also be aware that the
second you set foot in a casino that you are on
film, and any inappropriate behavior becomes
obvious in short order. Always use your Player’s
Club Card, if but for the reason above. And
finally, before you walk away from any slot
machine, don’t forget to press the cash-out
button, and for gosh sakes, take your winning
ticket.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "Players
are held in the trap by the idea that a jackpot
may be just a pull away." --Alan Krigman,
Winning Ways
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