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Arnie Rothstein replies:
If the dealers or bosses instructed the players to take their pending wagers -- just the money that's in the middle of being declared winning or losing -- when the emergency struck, the players might be tempted to grab everything they can and run like hell. I would. In fact, I'd probably grab a couple of cocktail waitresses too.
So, the idea is to secure the "in-limbo" money, which could be thousands or tens of thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips when you consider baccarat, craps, and roulette along with blackjack.
I mean, c'mon. We're in an emergency situation here. Fire and smoke. Or dimness from a power blackout. Possible life and death. Can you see panicked people calmly picking through the chips on a loaded roulette layout while the flames are licking at their butts? No way. People freak -- and they're not about to be cordial about grabbing only their own money, then making their way calmly toward the exits.
In fact, some casinos tell their dealers to advise players to leave all their stuff (not just the chips they have in play) in order to speed up the evacuation. I remember hearing a story from one of the bosses who was working at Bally's (the former MGM Grand) when that fire went down. He told us about an old man who grabbed his chips (lots of them) and ran for the door. Halfway there he dropped some and stopped to pick them up. He was trampled to death.
Now here's the insider secret for you QoD readers only. The fact is that surveillance won't be proactive about giving the money back. And not because they're greedy, but because they play the "insurance game": They wait for someone, Mr. A, for example, to make a claim.
Then they use everything in their arsenal, including captured videotape, questioning the floor people what kind of player Mr. A was, asking the dealer what he or she remembers about Mr. A, auditing Mr. A's past trips and wagering styles, and last but not least, asking Mr. A how much he left. Most of the time, you'll get honest answers from everyone.
Also, if one of the casino employees can vouch for a player or players or even the whole table, the casino will always financially settle with them to keep them happy and coming back (if there's anything left of the joint after the disaster).
The moral of the story? If you're ever in a fire in a casino, get out as fast as you can. When the dust settles, come back and make a claim for the bets and/or chips that you left behind.