Gaming Guru

Another Lost Money Story

A year or so ago my friend put a $100 bill into a cash machine in the casino. Thinking she had asked simply for a $100 ticket she grabbed the ticket when it popped out and hurried to grab the seat at her favorite machine because it was then empty. After her first play she noticed she had less than $20 in credits. Realizing her mistake she ran over to the cash machine but, of course, others had used it and her other $20 tickets were gone.

She talked to security. They checked the camera on the cash machine. They saw her and a woman behind her. This woman had taken the other $80. By the time they found her in the casino she claims she had spent the money -- had none of it left. They kicked her out of the casino and she's banned from playing there again. They gave my friend a free dinner ticket, but her money was gone -- period.

I'm sorry your friend lost her money.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the casino and be less careful with our belongings than we would be at a restaurant or movie. And would you ever leave a cashier or bank teller or ATM without checking that you had every dollar that you were supposed to have?

We can all benefit from your friend's story by remembering to slow down our pace in the casino and double-check every transaction to ensure that no mistakes were made -- either by the casino or by us.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

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 reply to every question.