In Las Vegas, if your ID has expired, you may lose your chance at winning a jackpot.
Many people believe that if you hit the jackpot in a casino but cannot provide an unexpired ID and a valid Social Security or Tax ID number, you won't receive your winnings. This assumption is shown in a TikTok video where a woman is screaming angrily over supposedly being denied her money due to an expired ID.
This belief is based on a misunderstanding. Sure, if a casino player cannot provide these documents, they might not receive their winnings immediately. However, casinos are obligated by law to store the winner's payout until they are able to provide these required items. The required IDs are a driver's license, any state-issued ID, or a passport, while the Social Security/Tax ID number is necessary for tax purposes for wins over $1,200 in slots and $10,000 in table games. Non-US residents also face a tax of up to 30%. The employee will typically also take a picture of the winner to prevent someone else from trying to claim the prize.
If the unlucky lady in the video had calmed down, she would have been given a deadline to return to the casino with the necessary documents. This deadline can last up to three months and depends on local regulations. During this time, the winner can update an expired ID or find a missing Social Security number. In some cases, casinos can keep the unclaimed cash for a longer period, often indefinitely.
While it's possible to find cases where the time provided was deemed insufficient, no extensive legal battle has emerged over this matter.
Casinos won't give out winnings unless they're certain it's the rightful winner. For example, the age requirement varies from state to state. If someone is underage, their winnings are confiscated, and these funds become part of the casino's revenue.
Another reason a win might be denied is that the player's name is in a database of people who owe unpaid state fines, have outstanding restitution judgments, or need to pay child support. In certain states like Nevada, a $1,200 win will trigger a check with the relevant databases, and the casino must either contact the state or pay the winnings directly. While Nevada is not participating in the federal-state-tribal intercept program concerning child support, any unpaid obligations in any part of the US can lead to confiscation of gambling winnings in most other states.
A self-exclusion list is a voluntary program that helps gambling addicts by preventing them from entering casinos. Those enrolled in this program cannot receive their jackpot prize, and if they try to, they can be trespassed or even arrested.
A third situation is when you try to claim someone else's winnings or generate a situation where another person claims your winnings. In this case, only the actual winner can cash out. In fact, this even applies if you find an abandoned voucher from a winning slot machine. According to Nevada law (NRS 465.070), attempting to claim money or any valuables from a gambling game without having made a bet is illegal. This is a crime that is virtually impossible to get away with as surveillance video can verify all jackpots over $1,200.
The possibility of a display error also exists. Rarely, a slot machine can show a win that never occurred. Manufacturers refer to this as a "display error." One such instance is a $42,949,672.96 win. This is due to a line of code that could, under certain conditions, trigger a "win" with 2 to the 32nd power, which is 42,949,672,96.
Regardless of what you might read on TikTok, casinos cannot deny players their winnings unfairly or illegally since it could put their operating license at risk.
Moreover, casino chances naturally achieve this feat for players with awesome precision.Check out "Vegas Myths Debunked" every Monday on [
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