Jackpots Collected by Trespassers Pose Dilemma for Las Vegas Casino Officials
The Nevada Gaming Control Board is currently discussing whether customers who are expelled from a casino should be eligible to collect their winnings if they manage to sneak back in and win money.
Based on the Las Vegas Review-Journal, members of the gaming board voted on October 4th to uphold the payment of a $2,000-plus slot machine jackpot to a repeat trespasser who had won it earlier this year at the Casablanca hotel-casino in Mesquite, Nevada.
The casino had disputed the payout, citing that the gambler had been banned from the premises due to various alleged offenses such as petty theft, disorderly conduct while drunk, and repeated trespassing violations occurring six times between 2011 and last year.
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This image depicts a ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign. Incidents of trespassing have reportedly increased within casinos located on the Las Vegas Strip. (Fox News Digital/Teny Sahakian)
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However, the Review-Journal reported that the individual managed to enter the casino again and win jackpots three times within a few months.
Some gaming officials have noted that the issue has become more severe on the Las Vegas Strip as banned gamblers realize that paying a small fine for trespassing citations does not deter them from reentering the casino and resuming their slot machine play.
Christopher Lalli, an Assistant District Attorney for Clark County, informed the Review-Journal that he reviewed records from July and discovered 87 trespassing cases that were brought before a Las Vegas judge who oversees a special resort corridor court.
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Lalli mentioned that the typical defendant would plead guilty and receive an order to stay away from the casino, usually for a period of six months.
Authorities have stated that trespassers often ignore judicial orders and reenter the casinos, knowing that regulators will insist on paying them if they win jackpots based on decades-old policies that were approved.
