Simply put, The D is following the letter of the law.
First of all, we spoke with a slot manager who vociferously disputed that the tickets were being scanned.
"No no no, we do not scan," he said. "The tickets are made unscannable and [instead] are dropped in the audit box."
We then talked to The D's Daurean Sloan, who said that Nevada law requires that the audit department hold unwashed slot tickets until they are either A) claimed or B) expire. The latter happens after 180 days.
If the tickets go unclaimed, 75% of their value is remitted to the state of Nevada -- part of a gaming-tax increase that was passed during a 2011 budget crisis, in a bill sponsored by Assemblyman William Horne. (The casinos keep the remaining 25%.)
You wouldn't believe the amount of slot credits players abandon in the machines -- $12 million in fiscal year 2016 alone, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Reported Thomas Moore, "It's safe to say that many tickets are for such small amounts that players feel it's not worth the time or effort to redeem them."
If a player has second thoughts, it may be difficult to recover the ticket in question. If you belong to a loyalty program like Total Rewards or Mlife, the forfeited winnings can be correlated to your tracked play. If not, you're at the tender mercies of casino surveillance, whose tapes are normally scrubbed every 72 hours.
MGM Resorts International Director of Public Affairs Mary Hines told the Sun, "If we find a voucher, we will try to reconnect it with its rightful owner -- typically if it's at least $10 or more."
Caesars Entertainment was less sympathetic, with a PR flack saying, "If a ticket is lost, it is the same as if a $20 bill is lost" (even though the vouchers are regarded as personal property).
If you sit down at a slot machine that's got an unwashed voucher in it, beware: If you cash it or try to play it, you're committing a crime, even a felony if the amount is deemed large enough to qualify for such a serious charge. The Gaming Control Board calls this, "Basically, taking something from a gambling game without having made a wager."
So if you see an unclaimed slot voucher, let it be, even if the casino staff is being lax and just leaving them lying about instead of routing them to the audit department.
