Question of the Day - 11 May 2025

Practices vary by casino and jurisdiction due to gaming regulations.

Typically, however, casinos retire playing cards after limited use — often a single shift or day — to prevent cheating or card marking. 

Most casinos "cancel" the cards when they’re done with them. That usually means punching a hole through, clipping a corner, or marking them in some way to prevent them from being smuggled back into a live game. Some recycle the materials if local regulations allow. If the cards are too damaged (e.g., sticky, torn, heavily worn), they usually just get shredded and trashed or recycled.

After cancellation, many casinos sell ($1-$5) or give away used decks to patrons as souvenirs, often with a hole punched or corner clipped to mark them as void. These are popular in gift shops or as promotional items. Some donate used cards to charities, schools, or organizations for crafts, educational purposes, or fundraising events.

El Cortez and Ellis Island have been known to give away a free deck of cards when you sign up for the players club. Four Queens sometimes gives out decks as part of promotional giveaways. We've seen cancelled decks for sale in the gift shops at Binion's and some MGM and Caesars casinos.