When I asked for readers' experiences with losing tickets at a casino, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Here are some of the responses I received.
I lost a $75 ticket at the Grand Victoria in Elgin, Illinois. Within 30 minutes of determining I had lost it, a slot host checked the machine I was on to verify I indeed had cashed out a $75 ticket. They then traced the ticket number and found that a particular customer had already cashed it.
Instead of giving me credit and creating bad will with the guy that cashed it (by asking him to give the money back) I was told they could not do anything about it.
When they said no to refunding me the lost ticket, I asked if they could comp a couple of buffets…and they did.
It would not surprise me if this happens really often. The question is, should the casino be responsible for our mistakes? If someone knew the ticket could be traced back to them, would they be more prone to turning it in and hoping for a reward from the ticket owner?
In regards to the question about a lost winning ticket, a friend of mine lost one for $300. She reported it and took personnel to machine it was won on. They were able to verify and get number from machine. The ticket had not been cashed. They required checking some videos from where she lost it. They told her to check the next day and they honored her win.
Beverly
In regard to the question about lost tickets, last year a woman playing slots in Saskatoon Saskatchewan won $600 on a machine that issued tickets.
A previous player didn't collect their 50-cent ticket, which stuck in the chute. She hit cash out and took the ticket and didn't look at it and went to another machine before cashing in.
When she was paid 50 cents and said it should have been the $600 she won, security told her what could have happened and the next person got the big win and they didn't have it on camera. They said this happens more often than you would think and you are responsible for checking your ticket when you remove it from the machine.
No ID is required here as we don't pay taxes on any winnings no matter how large or small it may be (you could win a million and no tax in Canada).
Next time, more of your responses about experiences with lost tickts.
Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't send a reply to every question. Also be advised that it may take several months for your question to appear in my column.
