One of the things I love about casinos is the atmosphere of controlled chaos; the flashing lights, the ringing machines, the throngs of people. That beautiful frenzy that distracts you from real life and all your troubles. But it also distracts you from things you should be paying attention to; like your purse, the money in your machine, and your chips. Add in alcohol and this will result in an amazing lack of attention paid to important things, like your TITO. (Ticket In, Ticket Out for those who don't know)
I will share with you a cautionary tale in the hopes that you are never quite as stupid as I was. A few years ago, and I was playing in the Paris casino. I was on a dollar Blazing Seven machine, and I was hot, not physically but luck wise. You know that fabulous feeling when everything you touch turns to gold? Well, that was me that night. One of my personality quirks is that I drink more when I am winning. Some people may drink more when they are losing to drown their sorrows, but I am just the opposite. When I am hitting I will have many celebratory “Whoo Hoo I am winning!!!” drinks and this was one of those nights.
I had $500 in the machine, and I was certain there were more jackpots in my future. Due to my reluctance to leave my “lucky” machine I had been steadfastly ignoring the call of nature. Finally, it became clear that I either had to visit the washrooms or become one of those stories people are always telling about wet chairs in the casino. I grabbed my purse and scampered over to those charming Paris washrooms. As I sat there listening to the French announcements they used to play, it occurred to me that I had no memory of having cashed out my TITO.
I frantically checked my purse, no TITO. My stomach suddenly felt queasy. I had no memory of cashing out because my $500 was still in that machine. I tore back to my machine, the money was gone. Of course.
What an awful feeling. There were people on either side of my machine, and I asked them if anyone had sat there after me. One of them said…”Yes, it was the strangest thing, a fellow sat down, spun once and cashed out and walked away.”
I felt like the dumbest person in the history of the universe at that point. I stood there dejected. Was there any point in asking the slot attendants for help? Do I dare admit my colossal stupidity to others? As much as I hated to do that, I figured it was worth a try. I told a slot attendant my sad tale of woe, and they called security. The slot attendants, a man in a suit and a fellow in uniform, clustered around me. Some people came over to congratulate me because they thought I had won the big jackpot. Hardly.
Mr. Suit said something about looking at the “tapes” and for me to sit tight. I sat and discussed my idiocy with the kindly security guard.
After around half an hour Mr. Suit returned and said, “It is your lucky day Miss. Because you told us immediately, we were able to cancel that TITO before it was cashed. We looked at the tapes and saw that things happened exactly as you said. If the man had cashed the TITO, you would have been out of luck. But as it stands he is the one who is out of luck, because he put his player's card in the machine and we know who he is.” He indicated that the thief would be in trouble if he went to cash that TITO at this point. And then he counted five crisp hundred-dollar bills into my hand. I seriously wanted to kiss him but settled for thanking him profusely.
The nice uniformed fellow walked me to a cab. I didn’t indicate that I wanted to go home, but I think they thought I had had enough excitement for one night.
I know I am not the first person to do something this stupid nor will I be the last, but hopefully you will keep this story in mind when you go to order another celebratory cocktail. Don’t forget your TITO!!!
[Images: Michael M, fanart.com,CasinoJapan]
This article appeared in another publication.
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