It’s not an unusual situation, although the amount in this question is unusual – you find a slot ticket on the floor or on a machine. What should you do with it?
I told my 88 year old mother I was ready to go after losing, and she said “I feel lucky – let me walk to the other side and play a game I like.” I was like ok. I looked down and saw a ticket on the floor. I picked it up and it was a $670.00 ticket. I was in shock and couldn’t believe it! Would you keep it or turn it in?
Alice E.
Our advice is to turn it in. The casino may keep it if the owner is not found, which may not feel great at the time, but the alternative could be a bit uncomfortable for you to say the least.
First off, in some casinos and jurisdictions, a lost ticket is the property of the casino. If you pick it up and the casino becomes aware you did this, it could lead to criminal charges or being banished from the casino. Players have reported feeling repercussions for tickets that aren’t even worth $1. We’ve seen enough examples of this that we avoid picking up tickets left in the ticket redemption machines when coins aren’t dispensed and no donation option is made – it’s not worth it.
Another thing to consider is when a ticket of significance goes missing, sometimes players will check in with security to see if it was found, and sometimes security will even research it. If the player knows which machine it was printed from, that means they know the ticket ID and can follow the money. If you redeem it at the cashier or ticket redemption machine, there will be a camera that captured your image and can be traced to who you are.
So for those reasons we don’t recommend keeping it. Of course, one hopes if it’s the other way around and you lose a ticket they can trace it back as well, but a casino’s house rules may differ on what they will and won’t pursue on behalf of a player, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get help. But if you’re at one of the casinos that are more vigilant and helpful, cashing a ticket you found could lead to trouble you don’t want.
Have a question? Submit yours here!
