Carrying a lot of cash would certainly require the least number of steps to getting $10,000 or so from your home to Las Vegas. You simply bundle up the bills and stick them in your luggage (if you’re driving in), carry-on (if you’re flying; you’ll want that cash right there by your side the whole way), or even in your wallet and pockets.
If you’re flying domestically, you shouldn’t have any problem with $10K. We’ve heard of a few stories about TSA finding a lot of cash, getting suspicious, and calling in DEA agents with drug-sniffing dogs, but that’s with a lot more than $10K. If you want to minimize that risk, you can always buy a false-book safe for around $20. The money’s just paper, so it looks like book pages to airport x-ray machines and shouldn’t raise any red flags going through security.
As for getting robbed, of course it would be a major bummer to lose all that cash to a thief or robber, but the question is, how likely is it?
To us, it’s not that likely, especially if you take the usual common-sense precautions: Never flash any cash; don’t pat your wallet to keep checking if it’s there; keep the bulk of it locked up in a room safe or casino safety-deposit box; perhaps use a money belt; and don’t wander too far off the Strip or, especially, Fremont Street. Mainly, you ask for trouble when other people know you’re carrying a lot of cash; most people are too busy worrying about their own money to pay much attention to yours.
To play it really safe, you can buy traveler’s checks -- typically actually in the form of a plastic card these days. Some credit unions issue them for free, so you might want to check there first. If you have an American Express card, AMEX traveler’s checks are often free, though there’s usually a limit, such as $1,000 in free checks per week. Otherwise, they’ll cost you, anywhere from 1%-4% of the cash value. You can cash them at no charge at any casino cage.
You could carry $5,000 in cash and the other $5,000 in traveler’s checks.
These last two ways to play it, you don’t have to carry the money with you.
First, you can wire the money to Las Vegas. To do that, you call the casino cage or credit department and get wiring instructions (routing numbers and such). Then you go to your bank/credit union and set it up; most charge a nominal fee ($25? $35?) to send the money. Since casinos have to pay a fee to receive it, some might not accept it if it’s under a certain amount. But once it’s received by a casino, you can take it out at will, either at the tables (as markers) or from the cage in cash or chips (be aware that there are some cash-reporting requirements for larger amounts).
Also, some casinos expect you to gamble there with the money that you’ve wired and redeemed. So it’s best to wire the money to a casino (or two) where you intend to play.
Finally, there’s a casino line of credit. For this, you have to apply in advance (give it four business days or so). Some casinos have credit applications online; you can also call the credit department and they’ll mail, fax, or email you the form.
The casino runs your credit report and checks on the funds in your bank/credit union. In general, you need an average balance in your account for x number of months (six seems to be standard) for the amount you want to borrow (we’ve also heard that some casinos want double that amount these days).
Then you borrow your gambling bankroll against your line of credit, again in the form of markers or chips. At the end of your stay, you can just write the casino a check to cover the money you’ve withdrawn.
You don't need a host to set up casino credit, but you might want to consider getting one. If you’re planning on playing $10K, you might as well see what kind of comps you’ll be entitled to for that kind of action.
