MY Money mistakenly left in VP Machine stolen at the Orleans

I'm not really sure why I'm posting this, I'm still so bummed out, and entirely my fault. Maybe if I post what happened, it might serve as a reminder to others not to be a careless as I was Sunday.

I took a rare solo trip to Vegas Sat Aug 19-Wed Aug 23. Couldn't get a comped room at Harrah's on Saturday so I booked the Orleans for Saturday night then a renovated room at Harrahs Sun-Wed. I was so happy at the Orleans, my kids have always loved staying at the Orleans, just the smell there brings back happy memories. I won a little Saturday night and was thrilled to go to bed a winner my first night.

On Sunday, I played one last session around noon and I just couldn't miss. I play multi-hand VP, usually nickels, and ran my ticket up to $290. I played it down to $242 then planned to cash out, run up to the front desk to ask a question about my room, then pack up to move to Harrahs.

I like the VP machines right in front of the Cashier, even though they are old and sometimes cranky. When you press the cash out button, a message appears on the screen asking if you want to cash out, then you have to press the screen, and the ticket will print. It's the only machines I play that cash out doesn't mean cash out.

I pressed the cash out button, grabbed my card and promptly spilled my drink. I fussed with the drink then walked to the front desk nearby. There was a long line so I decided not to wait, walked to the ticket cashing machine ... my ticket wasn't in my purse. I immediately knew I hadn't pressed the screen and the ticket was in the machine. I had been away from the machine not even 2 minutes.

When I returned, the machine showed a cash out of $242.10 so clearly someone inserted a 10 cent ticket and cashed out $242.10. There was a security officer standing by the cashier cage, I grabbed him and told him what happened. He immediately called the slot manager who said he would come to us quickly. He arrived 10 minutes later, jotted down the machine number, then went to the cage to place a stop on the ticket.

The ticket had been cashed 3 minutes earlier at the ticket machine near my vp machine, while the security officer and I were standing right there waiting for the slot manager to arrive. Since the ticket had already been cashed, they said there wasn't anything they could do for me. Since it was my money stolen, and not the casino's, their interest in pursuing further wasn't a priority. Both gentlemen were really sorry, they told me how sorry they were over and over, to which I replied it was entirely my fault. And it is. There were several mitigating circumstances, but the responsibility is mine. I filled out a report but was told there was little they could do.

After dealing with this for 1.5 hours, I left for Harrahs as fast as I could. The negative "cloud" was miserable on vacation, I just wanted away from there and re-start my vacation.

Regardless of how many times I pushed it from my mind, did other things, no matter how positive my thoughts, my trip turned in that moment. I never had a ticket greater than $40 at Harrah's, my karma was completely gone. I woke up Monday and was thrilled to be in Mecca, I'm going to get a little play today, maybe a lucky day....then I couldn't hit a single 4oak all day. On 5 play. I'd lecture myself that a loss of $242 wasn't a huge deal for me and I certainly wouldn't let it ruin my vacation. The truth is....it did.

And yes, I reminded myself that people make mistakes, big mistakes, some that cost them their life, their job, their car, something much bigger than a silly ticket. I felt no consolation.

Sorry for the wordy rant, chalk it up to therapy. I'm back at work today and everyone keeps asking about my trip, because my Vegas trips are always great, win or lose. So if this serves to make a reader more purposeful or careful when cashing out, then at least something positive has come of it.
diane

 

That is very unfortunate, but your ticket wasn't stolen. You left it behind.

 

Damn I can imagine why it put a damper on your trip.

Maybe its worth trying to think about it differently? Maybe the person who ended up cashing out it meant the absolute world too, maybe its something that has done them so much good that you have effectively done a good deed? I hope so!

 

That is such a bummer! Your fault or not wouldve been nice had they given you something for your loss. Some free play or meal, I dont know.

Sorry that happened!

 

No, that's still theft. Taking something that isn't yours with deliberate intent is theft. Playing dumb and treating $242.10 like it was "left behind for the taking" is just a means of justifying theft in one's own mind.

A decent person would have tried to protect it for the rightful owner by returning it to the cage.

A morally neutral person would have left the slip on the machine and made it some other person's problem to either steal or turn in.

 

I feel for ya... I once enjoyed the company of a few VMBers at the Hard Rock, which NEVER happens. I drank a bit more than I should've while playing VP at the Center Bar with them. After several hours, I cashed out a $500-$600 ticket (after $200 initial in). I continued to sit there with them and paid for a couple more rounds of drinks after I was finished playing the machine. I was sure I put the ticket in my wallet. I suppose I dropped the ticket while making change out of my wallet, but in any event about 90 minutes later as I staggered to cash it in. It wasn't in my wallet. I ran back to the bar and the bartenders called security, we identified the machine I was playing and they too said they could stop any payment on the ticket, IF it hadn't been cashed, but alas it was already cashed at one of the kiosks. The Center Bar is a busy, high-traffic area and lots of people were moving around. I'm sure I dropped it and some "nice-person" picked it up and immediately cashed it... which brings me to my often rant:

One of the things I've NEVER like about Las Vegas is the number of buzzards (people) that seem to just circle parking lots, casinos and elsewhere just watching and looking for an opportunity. It's so easy to get caught up in the booze, the lights, the glitz and music that makes them not easy to spot. I often now will survey places during a break in playing and it amazes me how many people you'll spot, seemingly "just there", watching. They're really looking for prey. Security, especially at a place like the Hard Rock is often dickin' around talkin' to pretty girls... I get it... I know they do look out for "ner do wells", but the good ones don't look like homeless vagabonds. The good ones blend in and they're pros at separating people from their money in many ways. I just provided some dishonest person with an easy opportunity.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think someone was just waiting and watching for me to drop the ticket (I wasn't THAT drunk), I just think a dishonest person saw it on the ground snagged it and cashed it. The "buzzards" are a side-related issue though and there's A LOT of them in the properties and parking areas.

 

Sorry that happened to you, but the meaningful words "as I staggered to cash it in". My father always said that money and drinking do not belong together....ever.

 

Sorry about your unfornate situation and wish it had a happy ending.

I agree with @smartone and it seems like there are quite of few shady individuals waiting for their opportunity.

I haven't had many situations but have encountered a few. I remember last March Madness one of my friends and I were watching games at TAG in The Linq and I asked my friend to watch my machine while I went to the bathroom. I was many drinks deep by this point. I even put my cigarettes, a cigar cutter, and a few items there to make sure people knew someone was sitting there. My friend said a guy came up somewhat stood around for a moment then tried to slip some money in the machine. I'm sure he was going to cash my $500 or so out and be gone. Thankfully my buddy wasn't as drunk as I was and was paying attention.

Now if I go to the bathroom I just cash out and leave a few things behind from my pocket to make sure people know it's occupied.

 

Thank you for this. The "you left it behind" comment is a perfect example of why I don't post on this board much, and why I struggled posting this in the first place. By the "you left it behind" logic would then mean, for example, you leave your keys in the car by accident while you run into the grocery store. You return and the car is gone. But you can't report it stolen, because it wasn't stolen, it was left behind. right. Seriously, I thought I beat myself up enough in the post to save others the trouble of doing so. Guess not.
diane

 

That sucks! But thanks for the reminder to be carefull.Tito's make it too easy to forget it's real $$.I don't think anyone would leave cash sitting on a machine..

Smartone yeah it sucks,there are scammers watching you occasionally.Once at the Rio sportsbook bar I had just inserted a new 20$ into a vp machine when a few people maybe 10 feet away from me were going to order drinks and pay for cash..,No way if I'm around and have drink tickets from sportsbets.I get up and walk over to them,tell them to use them and tip the bartender.20 seconds or so.
Get back to my seat and there's a guy standing at my machine..I think he was about to cash out...I sit and he starts a pitch about needing tier points etc to get a room,his host told him he needed a few more..blah blah blah..shows me an airline boarding pass..wants me to play his card..Scam could be to try a jackpot win or have strangers play your card for comps but really knocked me off my game that night.I told the bartender and pointed the guy out across the bar now,but he didn't care it seemed.

 

A few trips ago I sat at a 3-reel Wonka at Wynn at put in $20. A couple of spins in and a small win, I looked at the credits and there was over $300 in the machine. I called for service and told the employee someone must have left a ticket in the machine for $300 plus as I had only put in $20 and had a small win. She tried to "wink, wink, nudge" that I had won. I had to convince her that I'd like the ticket to get to it's rightful osner...couldn't they track whose card was in the machine before mine. The cocktail waitress overheard and knew who had been playing there just moments before. The lady was just on the other side of the bank of machines. She hadn't even realized she left it behind. She wanted to give me $100; Insaid no thanks. She offered to buy me dinner; no thanks...just happy to be able to get it back to you. She gave me the $20 I started with. I went back to the machine and immediately got a bonus for over $500. Karma. It was sad the laziness of a Wynn employee trying to convince me to keep it rather than see who was playing the machine.

On the next trip, I left a tito in a machine at Palms and didn't even realize it; as I recall it was around $80. I was staying at Palms and received a call that my tito had been turned in. There are more honest people than not thankfully.

Sorry this happened to you Diane and hopefully whoever stole your ticket gets a bite in the ass from karma. It is stealing Rush. Stealing by definition is taking something that doesn't belong to you.

steal
1.
take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it.
"thieves stole her bicycle"

 

Something similar just happened to my brother at a local casino. He didn't notice that there was money still in the machine played, was talking to someone else and just thought he had a win (it was like $80). He moved to a few different machines and then security came up to him and basically called him a thief. He won't go back cause he doesn't feel like it was handled well

 

I believe abandoned money becomes property of the casino. So I agree with you, it was stolen. And the person knows they stole it, that's why they cashed out so quick.

Early this year I took my wife's sister with me to Vegas. After a session of VP I got busy making my notes regarding coin-in, money in/out, scratch-cards, etc. My SIL handed me her ticket (she was playing from my bankroll), and we headed towards the cage. When we got to the cage I realized I didn't have my TITO. We rushed back to the machine and the money was still in the machine. So relieved.

Thanks for sharing. Hate to hear this happened.
Ty

 

Sorry about your loss dbueler not nice at all. It is downright theft in my eyes and luckily it hasn't happened to me yet but have walked away from a machine a few times then remembering before I got too far away. I have seen people putting winning titos in their pockets and putting fresh cash into the machine. I was thinking at the time it was a ritual for them or they are trying to trick the machine into thinking a fresh player was playing etc etc but guessing they are a bit savvy and perhaps have done the same thing as you in the past. Maybe a thing to consider next time. Wouldn't let a few comments stop you posting on the board as most people here are great I have found.

Great stuff Breanna, awesome that you won after being so honest and pushing to give the money back to the rightful owner. Would be so easy just to pocket it.

 

I hate hearing stories like that. Punches you right in the gut

I fucking hate the stand arounds and the scammers that just watch you play.The only thing about Vegas that I hate. However, my last trip to The Hard Rock here in Tampa with my dad, I saw a few.

 

Diane, I really hate hearing stories like this. Punches you right in the gut. Regardless of "leaving it behind" or whatever, it was your ticket and it was stolen.. Hopefully the shitbird who did it gets a giant dose of what's coming to him.

 

$242 is a lot of money the person that found it should have hit the service button on the machine and let security handle the TITO. You don't want to mess with Karma.

 

In a lot of states, insurance won't cover a stolen vehicle that had its keys left in it, or left it running.

 

I remember stumbling into harrahs, because i had honeslty tripped, and asking the bartender for a beer. I gave him a 100 dollar bill ( all I had ), and he gave me back 13 dollars. I told him i had given him a 100 dollar bill, and his response was " cant blame me for trying man" . I dont really trust anyone down there.

 

That's cuz no one is ever at MSS lol