Cash Doesn't Ride Anymore at Las Vegas Casinos

If you travel to Las Vegas, don't expect to debonairly walk to a card table or roulette wheel, throw down some cash, and proclaim, "Let it ride". That's because money no longer plays in Vegas.

It used to be traditional that, if you didn't plan on staying for a length of time at one spot, didn't want to bother buying chips, or just felt like playing the big shot, you could bypass chip purchasing and just place your cash down on your bet. The dealer would shout, "Money plays!", letting the pit boss know a cash bet had been placed, and play would begin. If you won, you took back your bills, as well as chips from the casino. If you lost, your money disappeared into a lock-box, as if you'd purchased chips and lost.

Now, due to new Nevada laws which went into effect this summer, money can no longer be accepted on a wager. The player must exchange his money for chips, which have become the only acceptable token for betting.

Gary Ivanov, table supervisor at the Rio Hotel and Casino, says the new laws are designed to make sure every dollar is properly taxed.

"The state can keep track of every dollar that is placed in the lock-box. Cash plays that won were never recorded before, and were not being taxed," Ivanov said.

So, be sure to get to the table with plenty of time to buy chips. No longer can a player suddenly get a feeling, race to a roulette wheel, and throw down a hundred-dollar bill on black; he might be forced to miss his chance as the dealer intones, "No cash plays."

December 5, 2007
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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