Colorado Casino Prosecutes Man for Playing $2 Abandoned Slot Machine Credit!

Wow, talk about draconian casino measures....or talk about just plain ridiculousness! But this actually happened.

Dan's bill for paying a $2 abandoned slot credit 

A man referring to himself as "Dan" in order to protect his identity entered Johnny Z's Casino in Central City, Colorado back in February. He sat down at a slot machine and there was a $2 credit on it. He innocently--OK, he knew it was a freebee--or at least without malice--played the credit. Next thing he knew he was grabbed up by security, who had traced him through his players card, and hauled to the backroom of the casino, then arresrted and charged with misdemeanor casino fraud. He then found himself in jail.

All this over two lousy dollars.

Dan, who has a state professional license to practice some sort of profession or business, now has a criminal record and his whole career is in jeopardy. He stated that it was not his intent to steal from anyone, even less the casino, and he pointed out that it was not the casino's two dollars in the first place. He said he simply saw the credit, figured no harm no foul, and played it. After all, he felt it was quite unlikely the player would come back looking for the two-dollar credit.

And, believe it or not, Dan's case is not at all unique in Colorado casinos. In the last five years, 80 people have been jailed for misdemeanor casino fraud concerning slot machines. These "offenses" included playing other people's credits, Dan's crime, as well as finding slot vouchers on the floor and cashing them out and finding casino chips on the floor or left abandoned on gaming tables.

In Dan's case, after pleading guilty and paying $250 in various fees and fines to avoid a bigger problem, the state of Colorado offered him the chance to expunge his record so that his $2 crime would not smear the rest of his life. But he still had to do 24 hours of community service and now must stay out of casinos.

My take: This is really hard to take! I think a little warning to any casinogoer who happens to play an abandoned credit would suffice.