Feckless gamblers have left more than million in winnings in Nevada’s slot machines over the last five years.
State records show the value of slot and video poker tickets that players either forgot to cash in or didn’t care to amounted to almost $12 million in fiscal 2016 alone, according to an Associated Press report. Most of it, around $7 million, was left behind on the Las Vegas Strip.
A 2011 state law directs that 75 percent of winnings that aren’t claimed within six months be distributed to the state General Fund, with the casinos getting the rest.
Gaming officials polled by AP said their properties have provisions to handle damaged tickets, if they’re legible, and even to replace lost or stolen tickets.
Mary Hynes, director of public affairs for MGM Resorts International, said it helps if a customer has a loyalty card that tracks play and winnings. If not, it’s more complicated, she said, but not impossible.
“If we find a voucher, we will try to reconnect with its rightful owner?typically if it’s at least $10 or more,” she said. “Sometimes people leave them in the machine, and we find them and we do try to send it to them.”
