The days of coin slots and video poker machines are nearly over. Las Vegas only offers about 200 of these coin dropper games. A few regional markets, such as Deadwood, South Dakota, and Central City and Cripple Creek, Colorado, still have a few. Otherwise, all machines print a ticket when the player cashes out. It may be used in a different machine or redeemed at a kiosk or casino cage. This is called ticket-in/ticket-out, or TITO for short.
Why Most Casinos Stopped Putting Coins in Kiosks
Before the COVID-19 closure, kiosks dispensed bills and coins. A coin shortage occurred in 2020. This created a problem for casinos. It was difficult to get enough coins from the bank to maintain all the ticket kiosks on the casino floor. The easiest solution was to stop placing coins in kiosks and require players needing change to go to the casino cage.
The coin shortage eventually resolved itself. However, most casinos did not return to putting coins in kiosks.
Adding coins to kiosks is labor-intensive. It requires two employees to load carts and go to each one on the casino floor. The cage must buy more coins from the bank than it would need if all transactions were at the cage. Like buffets and daily housekeeping, this was a corner that could be cut to save money.
Players expressed disappointment with this decision. In most cases, it fell on deaf ears. However, there are some instances where casinos have listened. MGM Grand started stocking kiosks near its cage with coins again, but not ones in other parts of the casino. This makes it easy to transport coins from the hard count room to the dispensers without having to push carts all over the massive casino floor.
Players find this practice annoying, especially ones who play mostly slots. These tickets are far more likely to end up with coins on them compared to video poker and electronic table games. Video poker denominations tend to be easy to get to a round dollar since the typical bets are $0.25, $0.50, $1.25, $2.50, and $5. Electronic table game tickets are often round dollars, except that blackjacks and some craps bets can create change.
What to Do With TITO Coins
If the casino does not use change in its kiosks, it will pay the bills and print a new ticket for the change. This can be annoying because the entire point of the kiosks is to avoid waiting in line at the cashier. There are a few other options.
Slot tickets worth less than $1 can be inserted into slot bill acceptors. Players can save these tickets for another session. Multiple tickets may be used simultaneously. This helps get the amount over $1.
There is a downside to holding onto slot tickets. They eventually expire. The range of a TITO remaining valid often ranges from 30 days to 180 days. In most jurisdictions, the casino sets the time frame. However, in New Jersey, the state mandates that all TITOs are valid for one year. Once the ticket expires, it is probably worthless. In some cases, the casino cage may still honor it, depending on the situation.
Many kiosks now ask players if they would like to donate the change to a charity. While this is an honorable action, the casinos benefit from it. They get the tax write-off for the charitable donation. All those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters add up.
What Happens When a Slot Ticket (or Sports Ticket) Expires?
In most states, the casino keeps the value of the slot ticket after it expires. Nevada is one major exception. During the Great Recession, Nevada lawmakers scrambled for taxes to plug holes in a major budget deficit. One solution was to tax slot tickets at a 75% rate. When a slot ticket expires at a Nevada casino, the accounting department submits 75% of it to the state’s gaming regulators. That money goes into the general fund.
Collections of this tax have more than doubled since its inception. In Fiscal Year 2013, Nevada had $9.6 million in unclaimed slot tickets. In Fiscal Year 2022, it was $22 million. Much of this increase came immediately after the pandemic. The coin shortage that led to kiosks only dispensing bills surely played a part in the huge increase.
In addition to slots, video poker, and electronic table games, sports tickets also expire and get split between the state and casino at the same rate. Unlike slot tickets, sports ones may be mailed to the casino. A check will be sent to the return address.
The easiest solution for sports is to bet on them using mobile apps. If the player’s account goes dormant, it becomes unclaimed money, which is sent to the Nevada Treasurer, where it can be returned using the claims process.
The best way to avoid losing coins or any amount on tickets is to cash them at the casino cage. It may take a few minutes longer, but it will prevent you from returning home and finding that forgotten ticket.
All the local casinos that I play in Iowa and Illinois have change machines where I can cash in all slot tickets. I love getting tickets that are .99 cents or lower because I’m a coin collector. When I get home from the casino, even after a losing day, I still have a pocket full of change to look over. I’ve found silver coins, buffalo nickels, wheat cents, etc., and after a few casino visits my non-collectable change adds up and I take it to the bank to exchange for currency.
That’s great news that your local casinos haven’t abandoned coins! Our most recent visit to Vegas was less than 50/50 in terms of the percentage of ticket machines that paid back coins. In a different era the change that would come from casino visits would be great for us to convert to small bills as tip money for drinks and such for a future visit.
What do you think casinos will do now that the penny will no longer be made?
Hey Meredith! It shouldn’t be a problem, given other casino denominations exist that don’t equate to physical coins. Check out our article on the future of penny denominations here!
I always find an old person, and give them the ticket. “good luck and have fun”
That’s a lovely idea and a fun way to pay it forward, Ginny! Good vibes are always a plus.
Hard Rock Tampa cashes tickets and gives you the change, but only at the machines next to the Cashier Cages. There are two cashier cages at HR Tampa. So you can take your small titos over to those and not wait in line at the Cashiers window. All other machines in the casino give you a tito for the change. Thinking this is true at other Hard Rock Casinos in Florida? I will test that in Hollywood in a few weeks.
We are definitely seeing some casinos use ticket redemption machines by the cashier with change as the middle ground. MGM properties have done this more recently as well.