The Wizard had an interesting rant on the last LiveStream, pointing out that many casino TITO machines no longer give out coins. Instead, you get your paper money and then another TITO voucher for the change. You then have to take this new change voucher to the cashier's cage to receive your coin. The casino explanation is that this is due to the nation's coin shortage.
My knee-jerk thought was this sounded like a casino scam of convenience. After all, who's going to stand in line to collect a measly 16 cents? (It's also kind of embarrassing cashing in so small an amount.) Thus the casino gets to "keep the change" and, at a busy location, this could add up to quite a substantial amount on the quarterly earnings, all of it while conveniently getting to blame someone else. (Sorry friends. The government has tied our hands.)
My next thought, however, was maybe this was legit. Maybe the casinos are simply trying to protect themselves. If there is indeed a coin shortage (many, including the Wizard, are skeptical), then a casino would make a good target for other merchants in need of change. A liquor store owner, for example, could take 20 one-dollar bills to the casino, insert them one at a time into a penny slot, play for 1 cent and immediately cash out. Then take the 20 vouchers to the TITO machine and bam, he has plenty of change for his cash drawer until the bank opens. How many small merchants are near a casino?
I know there are some casino employees who post here so I'm hoping some of you might offer your thoughts and observations.
I played 25-cent poker.
If I played $25 VP I wouldn't have the problem of extra coins, nor the problem of doing my own laundry.
It engendered 14 good replies. Here is a link, but it may not work if you're not a FB member.
I am still skeptical of this coin shortage. When I offered to bring in about $1,000 in change to my local bank, where I've done business for at least 25 years, they said I would have to wrap them in rolls and put my name, address, and account number on each roll. If they were truly short on change, they would have been happy to run them through their coin counter, which they do have.
I can't prove it, but I think the casinos do this because most people will not fuss with it to cash out a TITO for under $1 and throw them away. If this wasn't their motive, I think they should make it convenient to donate the TITOs to charity.
Technology is out there for laundry machines to accept credit, debit, and loyalty cards (points). ($2.50-$5/cycle is typical pricing.)
Several places that formerly charged commission to convert coins to cash now do it commission free, effectively paying more.
Unredeemed vouchers are often heavily taxed when the casino keeps the proceeds (varies by jurisdiction).
The rest have signs that warn you they don't but give an option to donate the change to charity on the acceptance screen.
Also the change vouchers are playable, so if you have seventy five cents you can try to win a quarter at a slot.
Some casinos just give an unplayable receipt and the only way to redeem is at the cashier. That's really rude imo.
https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2016/dec/20/forget-a-casino-ticket-heres-what-happens-to-the-m/
So Wizard what were you playing that gave you an odd 16 cents?
Quote: AlanMendelsonNevada has strict rules about how the casinos must treat unredeemed vouchers and a large percentage of the money must be donated to the State. Its not all profit for them.
https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2016/dec/20/forget-a-casino-ticket-heres-what-happens-to-the-m/
So Wizard what were you playing that gave you an odd 16 cents?
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That just implicates the state as a co-conspirator!
Without a donation bin, but in a casino that gives change, I usually just leave the coins in the cup...but will sometimes take the quarters if I don't have any parking meter quarters in the car. If someone else wants the change, they can have it. I guess what I will do in casinos that don't give change (and don't have a donation bin) is just print out the change ticket to waste some of their paper and throw it in the trash.
Of course, the casinos are almost certainly not actually tallying up and donating what goes into the donation bin...but it's fun to pretend.
I just figure these huge mega corporations with market caps in the billions care about literal pennies more than I do. Not surprised. Either way, I didn't care about the coins before and I don't care about them now...if not in a hurry, the most I would do is sometimes, "Play off," the change to try to get it to the next even dollar amount up or down.
Quote: AlanMendelsonSo Wizard what were you playing that gave you an odd 16 cents?
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I was playing Buffalo Gold Collection, for purposes of making a video I wrote about in another thread.
If you do have accumulated coins you'd like to turn into cash, most grocery stores have a coin star machine. They charge a vig if you want cash (I have no idea how much) but pay you at face value in Amazon cards, which, if you are like me, are = to cash. I think there are other vig free options as well.
Quote: 3for3If you do have accumulated coins you'd like to turn into cash, most grocery stores have a coin star machine. They charge a vig if you want cash (I have no idea how much) but pay you at face value in Amazon cards, which, if you are like me, are = to cash. I think there are other vig free options as well.
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11.9%, according to the Coinstar website. I also use the Amazon option; it usually pays a large chunk of my annual Amazon Prime fee.
A few years ago, I brought a considerable amount of change to the cage at a Vegas casino (can't remember which one), and they converted it to bills without any fee - even though there was a Coinstar machine pretty much ten feet away from me.
Oh, and if anyone needs quarters in Vegas that badly, I know a place where you should be able to get them - the change maches at the Pinball Hall of Fame.
Quote: WizardQuote: AlanMendelsonSo Wizard what were you playing that gave you an odd 16 cents?
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I was playing Buffalo Gold Collection, for purposes of making a video I wrote about in another thread.
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Then the 16 cents represented a business expense/income. Did you write it off as waste? (I'm being facetious.) But everyone with businesses needs to account for these pennies. They add up.
Pre-1965 coins that contained silver have long since disappeared from circulation, as have most pre-1959 pennies.
People's spending habits have changed. With many people using plastic, the little change they do get tends to be emptied out of pockets and accumulated, not spent.
I used to save all my change and around Thanksgiving, I would roll it up,cash it in and it would go towards Christmas presents. I still save it, didn't roll it last year, and have about thirty dollars tops, after two years. When I lived in NY I'd have about $200 a year. These days I can go a week without getting coins as change.
Quote: GialmereI don't know...
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oops...
Actually, I am a little surprised this is a problem, considering that PHOF is now in a pretty much out-of-the-way place unless you happen to be in the area (say, to get a picture at the Welcome To Las Vegas sign).
Arcades in the past would switch to tokens. You'd get an extra dollar of tokens if you put in a $5 bill. But if there's not much return traffic because it's a tourist spot, they should stick to quarters & dimes.
They mentioned using a card to put credits on the machines. I have no idea how that would work. Every machine would have wi-fi or blue tooth? I don't get it.
Quote: ThatDonGuyQuote: GialmereI don't know...
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oops...
Actually, I am a little surprised this is a problem, considering that PHOF is now in a pretty much out-of-the-way place unless you happen to be in the area (say, to get a picture at the Welcome To Las Vegas sign).
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I think it is more visible at its new location than in its old location. How many tourists drove by it's location on Tropicana, a few miles east of the strip?
Quote: ChumpChangeThey mentioned using a card to put credits on the machines. I have no idea how that would work. Every machine would have wi-fi or blue tooth? I don't get it.
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Coin acceptors and bill acceptors can be readily retrofitted with modern electronics.
Many soda vending machines now accept credit cards; the retrofit hardware can be easily fit to most venders that were designed to accept bill acceptors.
Places like Chuck E. Cheese (probably now gone) and Dave & Busters already have amusements that are credited with an in-house card.
People are noticing a toilet paper shortage again too. Get a years' supply.
How many businesses need that much change in the first place, and it would be very simple to identify the few people who might do that.
Grocery stores, laundromats, arcades, casinos, etc. they all need lots of coins, which the banks are clearly not giving out in many parts of the country. This is why the self service lanes took out the cash option and only accept plastic. Of course the money could have the plague on it and that's a better reason to go to plastic. Banks are shuttering branches nationwide at an alarming rate, and credit cards are getting cancelled for no reason with no notice. I'm wondering what plastic will be left in a year.
Quote: billryanI'm having a hard time believing there is a problem at the place with people walking out with hundreds of dollars worth of quarters. As Judge Judy says, if it doesn't make sense, it isn't true.
How many businesses need that much change in the first place, and it would be very simple to identify the few people who might do that.
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Nobody is walking out with $100 worth of quarters by themselves. However, if enough people "walk out" with $20 worth of quarters, the problem is just as bad. Of course, part of the problem could be that $20 bills are all that a lot of people have, but they're not going to play $20 worth of pinball, even if the newest machines are $1/play.
The obvious solution to me would be, switch to tokens. However, this could cause another problem; what if somebody wants to play, but doesn't want to play $20 worth of pinball, and all they have are $20 bills? Another possible solution: ask people to convert their unused quarters back to bills - there's usually somebody behind the counter (selling T-shirts) who could do this.
Over the years, the POH has been very good at getting publicity and I think this is just another example.
I took ~ $ 90 worth of coins to a Coinstar and got the voucher for Lowes Hardware store (no vig / commission for that). And the Lowes is right next door to the grocery store that had the coinstar. Easy peasy.
Quote: JohnnyQWell I did my part last week.
I took ~ $ 90 worth of coins to a Coinstar and got the voucher for Lowes Hardware store (no vig / commission for that). And the Lowes is right next door to the grocery store that had the coinstar. Easy peasy.
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You, sir, are a Great American!
But clearly with my ~ $ 90 in coin BACK in circulation, no reason for VEGAS not to resume dispensing out the coins again, right ?
While they were in several locations, none were next to a redemption machine.
Full disclosure: I didn’t check the machine to see if there’s any notification about the change.
This is similar to what Borgata AC is doing. At the redemption kiosks they have an option to donate change to the Atlantic County food bank.
Edit: LOL, jumped right to the end, didn’t see post above.
I was in the middle of mentioning that (I't was more prevalent soon after the covid outbreak). Some guys did well. Then I decided not to mention it as I didn't want to mess up anyone's current gig. Good Job Viper, u just let the cat out of the bag. 🙆♂️ 😀Quote: Viper21Not sure if it was mentioned already but there are casinos currently offering a premium if you bring in change. Not saying that confirms there is a shortage. Also most if not all the casinos I visit have a donation option on their atms for the remaining change on your tito to some random charities.
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Quote: 3for3The Southpoint, and otherwise player friendly casino, doesn't even give you a ticket back. It just rounds down to the nearest dollar.
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Really? Can anyone else confirm this? I normally speak very highly of the South Point, but they would lose some of my respect if they were doing this.
Quote: Viper21Not sure if it was mentioned already but there are casinos currently offering a premium if you bring in change. Not saying that confirms there is a shortage. Also most if not all the casinos I visit have a donation option on their atms for the remaining change on your tito to some random charities.
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Are any Vegas casinos offering this? I have about $1,000 in change.
Quote: WizardQuote: 3for3The Southpoint, and otherwise player friendly casino, doesn't even give you a ticket back. It just rounds down to the nearest dollar.
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Really? Can anyone else confirm this? I normally speak very highly of the South Point, but they would lose some of my respect if they were doing this.
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In Harrah's, Caesars, and Tropicana in Atlantic City, there are signs on the redemption machines about the coin shortage. Many new players don't read the signs and don't know to wait for the receipts for their missing coins, so they think they have been robbed.
Regarding rounding down, for at least a week Borgata was rounding up. For example, a voucher for $4.25 would get $5.00 from a redemption machine in Borgata.
When I was a Harrah's LV a while back, they had joined the no coin brigade. And the most obnoxious version - no TITO, but rather the transaction receipt you had to take to the cage. I wonder if the transaction receipt method is exempt from the TITO rule that abandoned tickets got 75% to the state and 25% to casino; could the casino claim 100% of the abandoned ticket, as it is not technically a TITO?
Quote: LoquaciousMoFWcould the casino claim 100% of the abandoned ticket, as it is not technically a TITO?
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(quote trimmed for clarity)
I believe it would still constitute an unredeemed voucher.
The last few times I was at the casino, I was picking up all the "extra change" tickets that people leave around the redemption kiosks and on average, I picked up over $20 per day, just doing it when I was redeeming my tickets. I actually believe that you could be a full time vulture and make over $100 per day at the casino without a sweat.
For the amount to be paid to the state, it must be on a "wagering voucher". What constitutes a wagering voucher is set forth in NRS §463.369, and further defined in NGCB regulation 1.190 as
[Emphasis added]Quote:“Wagering voucher” means a printed wagering instrument, or
digital representation thereof, used in a cashless wagering system, that has a fixed dollar wagering value
and is redeemable for cash or cash equivalents.
So, I imagine the casino's position is that since the receipt cannot be used in the TITO system, it is not a "wagering voucher" under Nevada regulations, and thus not subject to the payment to the state under the expired voucher NGCB Regulation 6.110(11) that specifies 75% of expired "wagering vouchers" will be transferred to the state.
It's a crappy customer unfriendly move, but I'd wager that the casino is correct.
EDIT: Also it saves administrative overhead, as uncashed "wagering vouchers" must be tracked under the Regulations, and I bet the number of uncashed wagering vouchers would explode if they issued them for sub-dollar amounts. Yes, it would mostly be handled by computer reports, but it would just be another thing to go wrong and get in trouble with the Board.
I'm happy to stand corrected and better informed on the matter.
And a quick internet search comes up with this:Quote: mtcardsConsider that in state quarters alone, there was over 1 billion per year produced on average, along with other coins, there is virtually no chance of a coin shortage.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/why-do-us-coins-seem-to-be-in-short-supply-coin-shortage.htm
Anyhows, I think Citizen Wizard should put his $1k worth back into circulation, OR at least some of it. Like I said in an earlier post, I used Coinstar's feature to get a voucher to Lowe's Hardware store to avoid any commission.
That's easier imho than trying to find a bank that doesn't require the coins to be counted and rolled/wrapped.
Quote: JohnnyQAnd a quick internet search comes up with this:Quote: mtcardsConsider that in state quarters alone, there was over 1 billion per year produced on average, along with other coins, there is virtually no chance of a coin shortage.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/why-do-us-coins-seem-to-be-in-short-supply-coin-shortage.htm
Anyhows, I think Citizen Wizard should put his $1k worth back into circulation, OR at least some of it. Like I said in an earlier post, I used Coinstar's feature to get a voucher to Lowe's Hardware store to avoid any commission.
That's easier imho than trying to find a bank that doesn't require the coins to be counted and rolled/wrapped.
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My bank will accept my loose coins and count them for me because of my ‘select customer status’.
Wegmans Coinstar will also do it for free if you accept a Wegman’s voucher. So plenty of options for me. I think I’m going to do it today! I’m guessing $200? We shall see!