Found $500 chip
So a friend of mine was at Foxwoods on Thursday playing craps - he has about $1500 to $2000 in chips - but doesn't know the exact amount - he's also had quite a few beers,
He looks down and sees $500 chip by his feet - so picks it up - not knowing if the chip is his (so he says).
He cashed out - and headed to a Hilton down the road. Headed home to NY yesterday without returning to the casino.
He's calling me freaking out - as he thinks the casino will come after him, as he now thinks the $500 wasn't part of his money at all - he says he probably knew that at the time, but now realizes he has more $$ than he should. I told him he's in the wrong, but booze and a free $500 kicked in,
He's now back in NY - and worried the cops will come knocking on his door - what are his options? Should he wait it out? Contact Foxwoods?
17 Replies
In Vegas the casino owns the chip and any taking of one not one's own is legally theft. I was shocked to read about this years ago, having found a $100 chip under a black jack seat with no one at the table. I bet it and blackjacked it. Ha. Anyway, I don't think anyone in history has ever been prosecuted or even charged for it as long it is off the floor and not other key areas, and it's such a gray area, "I thought I dropped it" defense that how could they? Overall it's just treated as a non-issue in almost all cases. Finders keepers is the practical rule, if not the letter of the law.
In Vegas the casino owns the chip and any taking of one not one's own is legally theft. I was shocked to read about this years ago, having found a $100 chip under a black jack seat with no one at the table. I bet it and blackjacked it. Ha. Anyway, I don't think anyone in history has ever been prosecuted or even charged for it as long it is off the floor and not other key areas, and it's such a gray area, "I thought I dropped it" defense that how could they? Overall it's just treated as a non-iss
If the casino owns the chips and that is the reason taking one is theft, then taking any chip would also be theft, even if you won it or paid for it outright.
And finders keepers isn’t the law anywhere.
They would never prosecute someone for this. The only thing they could do is ban him if he refuses to give it back.
If the casino owns the chips and that is the reason taking one is theft, then taking any chip would also be theft, even if you won it or paid for it outright.
If you bought the chip it would be theft? Hmm. How does that work? Explain.
Yes the casino owns the chip. If you bought it you didn't steal it. If you get the chip outside of buying it, giveaways, other legitimate transactions without paying the standard value inside or on the grounds of the casino ... legally you have usurped it from them.
This also comes into play in the vast hobby of chip collecting. It's a big gray wink wink area where the casinos produce LE collectible chips with the express purpose of producing collectibles and for them to disappear from circulation to the profit of the casino. A guy in charge of this at The Palms was describing some of the technicalities to me years ago. Not sure if any of it has changed.
If you find a chip on the floor, almost certainly someone bought it or won it, yet you claimed it's still the casino's property. If that is true then it is also still casino property when you buy a chip.
In Vegas the casino owns the chip and any taking of one not one's own is legally theft. I was shocked to read about this years ago, having found a $100 chip under a black jack seat with no one at the table. I bet it and blackjacked it. Ha. Anyway, I don't think anyone in history has ever been prosecuted or even charged for it as long it is off the floor and not other key areas, and it's such a gray area, "I thought I dropped it" defense that how could they? Overall it's just treated as a non-iss
While you are being slammed for this, apparently this is actually true.
In fact, the casino is simply following state law. Nevada regulations allow casinos to seize chips if the casino "knows or reasonably should know" that the chips weren't obtained in the course of gambling by the individual presenting them. The little-known rule, intended to protect casinos against theft, counterfeit and other types of fraud, allows cage supervisors to keep the questionable chip while they investigate its origin.
Casinos post signs informing gamblers that chips can't be used as money, but they may go unnoticed or unheeded.
"Chips absolutely aren't legal tender. They're the property of the casino," MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said. "They are tendered for a very specific purpose and that purpose is highly regulated. We are obligated to verify that the chips were obtained through appropriate and normal gambling activity."
https://www.casinocitytimes.com/liz-bens...
12.060 Use of chips and tokens.
1. Chips and tokens are solely representatives of value which evidence a debt owed to their custodian by the licensee that issued them and are not the property of anyone other than that licensee.
2. A licensee that uses chips or tokens at its gaming establishment shall:
(a) Comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, and policies of Nevada and of the United States pertaining to chips or tokens;
(b) Issue chips and tokens only to patrons of its gaming establishment and only at their request;
(c) Promptly redeem its own chips and tokens from its patrons by cash or check drawn on an account of the licensee;
(d) Post conspicuous signs at its establishment notifying patrons that federal law prohibits the use of the licensee’s tokens, that state law prohibits the use of the licensee’s chips, outside the establishment for any monetary purpose whatever, and that the chips and tokens issued by the licensee are the property of the licensee, only; and
(e) Take reasonable steps, including examining chips and tokens and segregating those issued by other licensees to prevent the issuance to its patrons of chips and tokens issued by another licensee.
https://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocume...
According to nevada law, you are only the “custodian” of the chips and not actually the owner. My only question is how transferable the chips are. Certainly if you just found them on the ground they are well within their rights to view them as theft against them, since you used them to in a sense steal from the casino by tricking them into honoring chips that aren’t yours.
[QUOTE=checkraisdraw;58404903]While you are being slammed for this, apparently this is actually true.
Imagine that. On the internet a bunch of BS so habitual and ingrained that actually looking into it is second fiddle to just more BS.
No one said it wasn't true. If you think I did, you didn't read closely.
I always knew the chips were the property of the establishment of which they were purchased, which is why the days before the scamdemicK I warned all the full time players I was friends with to cash in all their chips, but some of them weren't worried so they were stuck with thousands of dollars in chips and nowhere to cash them in for months. If a casino ever goes out of business or closes over night whether it's on their terms or their state's, good luck trying to cash in all the chips you took home with you (not to mention the diseases and dirt on those chips). I cash my chips in daily then wash and sanitize my hands, I don't get why people love taking them home with them.
If you find a chip on the floor, almost certainly someone bought it or won it, yet you claimed it's still the casino's property. If that is true then it is also still casino property when you buy a chip.
The chip could of very easily fell out of a chip run or even the dealer's rack.
Speaking of Nevada .. It never hurts to mention that casino chips are not 'currency' and aren't to be used outside the realm of the casino(s}.
A poker Player (thought) he paid off a contractor for some work on his house with a $5K chip. When the contractor went to cash it in the cashier asked where he got it. The contractor was (unknowingly) honest about how he acquired it and the cage kept the chip and refused to pay out the funds. The Player was definitely out the $5K and the story didn't know if the contractor was paid in some of other manner. GL
it's bad luck to take a chip out of the home casino, just like taking rocks out of Hawaii will cause the goddess Pele to hit the doom switch on you.
It is actually referenced in the common law origins of the current laws that are on the books almost everywhere in the United States, but this is tribal land so who knows.
The full text is pasted below:
Spoiler
Finders keepers, losers weepers.
Actually it is referenced more by the possession is 9/10ths but it you actually look at historical common law as well as current British law as well most common law jurisdictions you will find the the finder has superior rights toward ownership over everyone BUT THE TRUE OWNER. In many US jurisdictions it is a crime to not turn in found property to authorities.
This can be either a civil tort or criminal, in fact it can rise to a felony. And yes it is prosecuted. Civil action would be at the choice of true owner.
Actually it is referenced more by the possession is 9/10ths but it you actually look at historical common law as well as current British law as well most common law jurisdictions you will find the the finder has superior rights toward ownership over everyone BUT THE TRUE OWNER. In many US jurisdictions it is a crime to not turn in found property to authorities.
This can be either a civil tort or criminal, in fact it can rise to a felony. And yes it is prosecuted. Civil action would be at the cho
I was joking. You must not have clicked the spoiler button. Haha.
the absolute most awkward situations i've ever run into at casinos are when someone is a little too drunk and knocks their chips over and then accuses people of stealing them when they fell
