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Personal check cashing at casino or banks in area.

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by TKO, Mar 31, 2015.

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  1. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    Do any of the downtown casinos cash personal checks. Are there any large national banks within a VERY short walk of Freemont Street? I could open an account in Ohio then take out money as needed in LV or hopefully make a deposit. Flying to LV with a large amount of cash can leave a noticeable bulge in the pants. Having the good fortune to win can make that bulge pleasantly larger but make one feel less secure. Traveler checks are not easy to find anymore. Stay Downtown for a number of reasons one of which is the full pay poker. Would fill like I was already losing if I had to pay ATM fees before even starting to play.
    Perhaps I should be asking what do you do with a large amount of cash when traveling to and from LV?
    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2015
  2. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    Typically, the hotel you are staying at will allow check cashing up to a certain dollar amount.
     
  3. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    a) how much is a "large amount of cash"? 10k in cash isn't noticeable at all. even 20k is doable in most pants pockets. somehow I'm guessing you're not talking about that much.
    b) if you really do play with more than 20k, wire the money beforehand or setup a CL.
     
  4. newmans

    newmans VIP Whale

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    Ok shifter..........I'll be fan #3.
    Love that you don't sugar coat it!
     
  5. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    There's a Bank of America branch that's a very short walk south (about three blocks). It's a safe walk through a well traveled area. That's where I go to "bulk up" once we've arrived. It's who we bank with anyway, so no problems getting cash there. They also have ATMs at the branch so you could get money regardless of who you bank with.
     
  6. TomTWI

    TomTWI Custom Title

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    it's fairly easy to set up a credit line with a casino. After you have that you can cash checks at the cage. You can fax your application to them and have it set up before hand. Probably take a week or so. Most casino's have the forms on web site.

    TomTWI
     
  7. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    Yes, "large amount" is subjective. No, not anywhere near 20k never take more than I can comfortably loose. Would not walk around with anything near that in a pocket that had an opening at the top, for myself anyhow but certainly could work for you. I have dropped money on floor before by unconsciously reaching into my pocket. Perhaps I should have just said I don't feel secure carrying thousands across country in a pocket. Just getting through security at the airport means taking it out. Got patted down 2 years ago and had to show him what was in the pocket.
     
  8. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    Thanks pleepleus. I knew that was true for most strip casinos but was not sure about Downtown. I'll be at the Mainstreet and will certainly ask when I'm there.
     
  9. Sipsey

    Sipsey Tourist

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    I would call the cage at MSS before you go, so you can make plans based on whether you can cash checks and how much. They will probably suggest you open a line of credit, which also allows you to cash checks.

    Speaking of traveller's checks, I used them at Golden Nugget a couple of years ago to pay for the room. The young lady working the desk didn't know what they were! So I guess they are going out of style.
     
  10. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    PERFECT, Thank-you! I went to Bank of America locations and found it first site under the Las Vegas locations. Located at 300 South Fourth Street. Two blocks south of Neonopolis. Hours M-F 9-5.
    I can open an account here and be set whenever I'm Downtown. Do you know if the ATM is no charge if you have a checking account with them? They usually are but not much is free in LV except some beautiful views. They haven't figured out how to put a charge on that, but I'm sure their working on it. I take that back as hotels have figured that one out.
     
  11. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    Good advise on calling. We used to take travelers checks up until about 6 years ago. Wife was not charged as she was an employee of the bank but they no longer carry them. Around 10 years ago we were staying at Golden Nugget and I tried to cash $500 check, at the casino cage, from a money market account we had with a well know mutual fund. It was really tuff. Took almost half an hour and I had to talk to supervisor. She finally said ok but just this one. I told her I could show her the account on the internet with the amount but she was still rather reluctant.
     
  12. DrLect

    DrLect Winning!

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    The only problem with this strategy is that there aren't any Bank of America branches in Ohio (making it difficult to establish the account). On the other hand, Chase has branches here and in Las Vegas, the closest of which is about 1.5 miles from downtown LV. I maintain a Chase account for ATM convenience in Vegas alone. In the worst case scenario, needing a cash transfusion, I can go to a branch in LV by cab. The other possibility would be Wells Fargo.

    Good Luck!
     
  13. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    I'd guess he could setup a BOA account online.

    I'd still suggest setting up a credit line with the casino. Much easier and you don't have to keep track of a separate bank account just for Vegas.
     
  14. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    I used traveler's checks on my vegas trip at the beginning of March. The (MSS and Cal) casino cage cashed them with no problem. I get free tc's from my credit union and never had any problems with them or cashing them in vegas. I just show my driver's license when cashing them at the cage. Sipsy, guess you should have cashed them at the cage first when you encountered problems at the front desk. btw, I used them at MSS registration without any problems but I'm not sure how they would be with personal checks. As others have mentioned, best to check with the front desk to see if you can use personal checks so you don't get burned.

    I also take out markers at casinos so I don't have to carry a lot of cash with me on my trip. The TC's are used for incidentals and my hotel and "just in case" money. My March trip I didn't bring enough in TC's to pay off my markers so I just cashed them in and took the cash home. Got my "bill" for my marker the other day and just sent them a check to pay it off.
     
  15. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    TKO,

    Bank of America does not charge its customers to use its ATMs, but I hesitate because that may depend. I've been a customer for over 20 years and maintain decent-sized balances. Like most banks, many of their policies depend on how much you've got on deposit, so I'm not sure what the case would be if you had an account with just enough to cover your Vegas trip.

    Even if you bank elsewhere, all you'd pay is the ATM fee, which typically is lower at a bank than what the casino ATMs charge. I've never figured out why casinos have ATMs that charge (what I consider) a lot. Wouldn't it make sense for them to be fee-free to encourage patrons to withdraw money there, since in most cases some of it would end up staying?
     
  16. TKO

    TKO High-Roller

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    DrLect, I really thought BAC would be perfect. I would not have guessed, with all the past buyouts, that they were only in two Ohio locations. If your in Woodmere or Cincinnati your in luck. Bjpcyclone makes a good point, setting up a BAC account online for this purpose would be too much effort. Too many bank rules about what transactions you need to do with your accounts within a certain period of time to mess with it.
     
  17. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    At CVS there are Chase ATMs. You'd just need to call chase to lift your daily withdrawal limit if you want than I think $500 at a time.
     
  18. NJS24

    NJS24 Voice of Reason

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    Opening an account can be tricky as the banks in Clark Co. very well know you may potentially be doing little banking with them, therefore require a (Nevada) state ID.
     
  19. TomTWI

    TomTWI Custom Title

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    I also use Chase I still have my account from when I worked for Bank One. Chase also has branches in Florida the other place we visit often. Good to know that CVS has Chase ATM's.

    TomTWI
     
  20. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    There is another long thread about taking money through security. There is no problem at all having thousands in cash in your carryon. Many folks here take $10k or more often.

    Sure, paying $5 to take $1000 out at the ATM might sound bad, but it is easy. No account to open. No bank to walk to. Paying $5 to take $50 out of the ATM is insane.
     
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