The Lost and Found Scam

All, I knew I would get some heat for posting the story. However, I am not a hypocrite...I am honest about my dishonesty.

If it means anything to anyone, my moral compass differs depending on whether I am inside or outside the confines of the casino. I once spent over an hour in a coffee shop investigating the contents of a lost purse and making phone calls to return it (with $800, plus credit cards) to the rightful owner. But, I am also the same guy who once convinced a blackjack dealer that my eighteen pushed his nineteen on a $100 bet. And, on a different occasion, I yelled "twenty-one" when I had a six-card twenty-two...the dealer paid me without hesitation.

What some call "dishonesty," I call strategy. Put me in a building that has fair rules, and I will play the game fairly.

I once went to the front desk of a hotel with the story of a let behind phone charger from a previous visit. She brought out a large cardboard box full of cords. The problem is that they were one big tangled mass. Even if I had found the right one, it would have been hours trying to pull it out. Not worth the time or effort.

Because why exactly? What makes you think that Nevada's law against obtaining money through false pretenses doesn't apply inside a casino?

The punishment for obtaining money by false pretenses in Nevada depends on the amount of money that was illegally obtained. If it’s less than $650, then it’s a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor carries restitution and up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.

If the money fraudulently obtained was for $650 or more, then it’s a category B felony. A category B felony carries restitution, and one to six years in Nevada state prison, and up to $10,000 in fines.

What happens to you when you're in court? Do you lie there too? When you're doing your taxes? When you're collecting door to door for elbow cancer research?

How about trying to be a decent, ethical, non-lying person all of the time, even inside a casino?

What happened to you to make you think this is acceptable behavior?

you really think you put one over on the casino? it wasn't the casino's money you obtained fraudulently

Karma's a beatch that shows up in many ways.

Where did we put the pillory?

Shame is an effective but underused tool. Fortunately, forgiveness follows.

You're kinky.

What's your point?

Since most are acting as if they are honest people, I want to ask you if you feel you are bribing the hotel clerk when you flash a tip to the check in clerk for an upgrade on your room, and if that is okay with you?