The Predatory ATMs

     Before I was unceremoniously and unfairly evicted from the nearby casino, I'd often observe patrons regularly at the ATMs.  These people all seemed to be finaincially unfit to use them.  Even now I can't believe any casinos are allowed to have them on the property.  Nothing good seems to come from them.

     On top of these machines are green pamphlets warning players about the dangers of addiction.  Oh come on already!  No one ever notices those.  They're in too much of a hurry to get back to the tables or machines.

     When I began visiting Las Vegas in 1991 I'd have travelers checks with me.  They were safe AND helped me keep a daily budget.  When I'd take one or two $100s out I'd make a note of it to know how much I used and had left.  If I won a jackpot, however small I'd come back up to my room and put it away to bring home.  Or else just hide it in my wallet if I'd gone downtown.  

     I'm not sure of the fees for these ATMs but even if it was just $15, if I somehow happened to win $215 back, all I'd have done was pay for my own win.  Doesn't seem very appealing.  

     Was shocked how back in 1991 the busses weren't air conditioned and being there in mid August was quite the experience..  But I'll never forget another visitor's warning to me.  She said, "Don't spend $800 trying to get your $100 back.  It's not going to work."  

                 Tim

Charles Schwab has a free checking account that reimburses all ATM fees. 

There are other banks and credit Unions that also do it. 

When on a casino trip I put my gambling budget in one of those accounts. Then I go to the ATM a couple times a day to pull out part of my daily budget. 

I still pay the fee up front but when the next statement period begins I get reimbursed. 

Are you sure that all fees are being reimbursed? In our country, they have 2 separate types of fees. One is being taken by the issuer of the credit card, and the other fee is being taken by the operator of the particular ATM, wherever that is. That's why a lot of people use only their "house bank's" atm  for withdrawals.  Is it different in the U.S.?

From Switzerland

Boris

Yes. We have the two separate fees here too. My bank does not charge its own fee and reimburses the ATM fee. 

I still had to pay the ATM fee up front but was reimbursed by my bank. Example: I withdrew $100 and $115 was deducted from my account. At the end of the month I get that $15 back. 

When I went to Vegas last year I had about $60 in fees returned. 

It's a sad watch sometimes, especially the machines in the casinos that also redeem tickets, so you're in line with people trying to access their accounts and people just cashing slot tickets.  I've seen people trying 3 or 4 cards before they get enough cash.  Last week I was behind a couple who were charged $11 and were pretty unhappy about it, but really not a lot of choices for people who don't know to plan ahead, there are low cost ATMs around but most people don't bother.

Yeah I've seen the same thing many times too. But then I think that we cannot save the world and there's people in this world that cannot control them and overdo their spending , whether through gambling, shopping, dining-out, or whatever. I furthermore think that it's not even an immoral practice. It's just the way things go in this world. You watch television and see those new cars being advertises and they offer super low leasing deals, and then a person who likes new and fast cars might fall for it.  In a casino, when you lose control and overdo your credit card advancelling or whatever, then you have to deal with it, sooner or later. We can't save the world. It's just what it is.

In our country, ATMs are not allowed directly in the gaming area. They have to be set-up in "different rooms". So that's where the operators had to become creative. They built artificial walls or set the ATM directly behind the door on the way to the bathroom or whatever. That way nobody can say that the ATMs are close or nearby  to the slotmachines or cash tables. Which in fact they are, regardless.  Just like when they write that smoking kills on each pack of cigarettes. 

I can't prove this, but I experienced it more than once, enough to convince me: 

Late evening, my daily stake is dwindling, I don't want to stop playing.  I go to the ATM, withdraw $300 or so from my checking account (plus the fees) 'cause I just know that by having more I'll feel better and start hitting.  Amazingly, that money I just got from the ATM goes away faster than it took me to lose my whole daily stake all day!

Was it God teachine me a lesson?  Do the gambling gods laugh at us when we do that?  It never failed.  And it felt so stupid!  

Candy

My experiences, bizarrely enough, have been just the opposite. Many's the time I've run dry, hit the ATM, and then made back my losses and then some. I even feel guilty about overdrawing my daily allowance; my "note to self" is always LOSS LIMIT, DAMMIT. But as I'm always playing at an advantage, I guess continuing to play can be justified.

Somebody who burns their stake at the slots should be tackled and dragged away by a friend before they can get to the ATM. It's a bad idea to refuel, because the only thing that saves you from turning an annoying loss into a bloodbath is a loss limit.

  Once again, Lewis is talking out of both sides of his mouth - another do as I say and not as I do posting.

You missed the fact that I play with an advantage, so it makes more sense to replenish the bankroll than it does if you're playing a losing game.

Or, you understood the distinction, and you just wanted to be a nasty prick. You're stalking me because you keep losing arguments in the Sink.