Q:
We recently ran a question about TITO tickets and the danger of having them snatched from your machine. We received a lot of interesting feedback from our readers on the subject, so we thought we'd pass on some of your observations and tips.
A:
- While you gave a lot of details about why TITO exists and some general security info, it might be useful to mention some TITO-oriented security measures that patrons can take. When I am at the Rio and the Masquerade Show in the Sky starts, I tend to stop playing and watch it for a while. Since my eyes aren't on my machine, I place my hand over the 'Cash Out' button so that someone can't just hit it and run with the ticket. Even if they were to hit my hand hard enough to press the button, I would be aware of what they were doing and could take action before the ticket actually printed (ticket printing is not instantaneous). Depending upon where the actual ticket printer is, I might put my hand over that instead. When I pause to watch something while at a bar-top machine, I cover the ticket printer, so that if something should happen, the ticket goes right into my hand.
- My experience with TITO everywhere is that there is a significant (e.g., about five -econd or so) delay from the point when you hit the cash-out button until the ticket if fully printed and popped up enough to grab it. I would think that it would take a pretty careless person to physically leave their machine, with money in it, and allow a thief to get their money. Also, I'd recommend that slot and video poker manufacturers think about a change: A few machines I've played on have a confirmation-screen step after the cash-out button is pushed, which not only adds a few more seconds to the cash-out process, but also acts as a nice safegauard in case you push the cash out button by accident.
- In response to QoD 06/30/07 about grab-and-run theft of slot TITO: This is simply a design flaw. If the machines required two buttons, on opposite sides of the machine, to be pushed simultaneously, grab-and-run would be virtually eliminated.
- I love ticket in, ticket out! It's quite easy to push a button to take the money (ticket) out of a machine. Why would you leave a machine with your money in it?
I've seen people call an employee (a guard or machine tech) to watch the machine with the money still in it, while they go to the bathroom. Just take the money out and leave a cup or a some other item by the machine then put the ticket back into the machine and continue where you left off. It's not the casinos' problem. It's the people that think they can walk away from a machine and that nobody will take the money.
- Regarding TITO, I love them and never have had a problem with any even appearing like they were going to snatch my ticket. I don't miss the coins at all and I think I actually gamble smarter with them. Of course I don't want the casinos to know that. I find that with TITO that I am apt to stop at a certain point where when I had to cash out with coins, I would end up playing more because I didn't want the hassle of scooping up the coins, taking them to the booth etc.
- Reading your Question of the Day, it's pretty obvious how to eliminate the "grab" thieves: Put a 15-second delay in printing the ticket. No thief is going to push the "cash out" button and then stand there for 15 seconds waiting for the ticket to start to print. If the casinos are worried that this will irritate customers, display a message like "Guaranteeing your security."
- In our casino in upstate N.Y., signs are posted that anyone who finds a voucher is to turn it over to an employee or risk exclusion or prosecution. If/when notified, surveillance can track missing/stolen vouchers from machine to machine. If the sweeper uses a player's card, he/she will be identified, the account will be flagged, or the state police will invite them into their office. By policy, we chase down missing vouchers valued at over $20. By inclination, we have chased down vouchers of less than $5, because it is fun to do. This of course applies as well to found money. It is great public relations.
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