Coinless or TITO (ticket in/ticket out) machines, as they're known, all issue tickets with expiration dates, although the length of their validity varies from property to property. Thirty days is the minimum (found on tickets from Bally's and Binion's, for example), while our most recent call-around confirmed that 60 days is more common (Gold Coast, Hard Rock, Texas Station, and Wynn, among others). Occasionally, you might come across a ticket that's valid for 90 days, but that's unusual.
In reality, the stated expiration date is somewhat moot. Slot supervisors at the Gold Coast, Texas Station, and Wynn, for example, all stated that they'd be happy to cash an expired ticket, pretty much regardless of how old it was, although the further past its expiration date and/or the higher the amount, the farther up the personnel chain they'd need to go in order to honor it. If you have a ticket that's old, it won't be accepted by a machine, but take it to the cage and if the cashier can't approve it immediately, she'll call a supervisor who will.
Unlike winning race and sports tickets, most slot receipts must be presented in person, although Bally's indicated that you could mail in a winning slot ticket (they recommend you keep a photocopy of it and mail it by certified or registered mail -- your call, depending on the value of the ticket).
As far as winning sports tickets are concerned, the casino must honor them for a minimum of 30 days, as stipulated in Nevada Gaming Regulation 22.080, which also states that the redemption period must be stated on the ticket and that the casino is legally obliged to pay you within 10 days of its receipt.
Just like slot vouchers, race and sports ticket expiration dates vary widely, but the industry standard is 60-90 days. Although most books will honor a ticket after it's expired, some will not, as Michael "the Wizard of Odds" Shackleford (author of Gambling 102 recently found out, as reported in the March issue of the Las Vegas Advisor, when the Stratosphere refused to cash an expired $2,900 winner. Fellow contributing expert and racing authority Barry Meadow reports a similar tale of woe: "One time I had a winning ticket that was good for six months. I forgot about it, then tried to cash it just a few days after the expiration date, and was refused. Unclaimed ticket money reverts to the state and runs in the millions of dollars each year."
The moral is, to be on the safe side, always remember to cash any winning ticket before you leave the premises. If you forget or have to leave town before the result is known, mail in your winning sports ticket ASAP or, in the case of a slot receipt, talk nicely to the cashier and you'll probably have no trouble getting your money.
