Personal Privacy in Vegas

Recently I was in Vegas and had something happen that was rather different from what I am accustomd to. When cashing in my chip at Bellagio I was asked for my SSN by the cage girl, after returning from the back she then asked for my ID. I asked her if there was something wrong especially since I am a decent player at several MGM properties(Bellagio is owned by MGM) and they have had a player card on me forever, I have hosts at several of their properties and was at a different MGM property less than 2 weeks before. She said it was just to update things, and that they didn't have current info since 2005. That is odd considering I typically stay at MGM properties and their player card links /info at all their properties...doesn't it? I did turn my player card in with my chips as I was cashing up a little over $5000. My questions are:
1) Doesn't a player card for all properties link info for the sister properties belonging to that group?
2)I've never been asked for a SSN unless I have cashed more than $10,000 in for chip before but was told on the same trip at the Wynn that I must give up my ssn any time more than $3000 is cashed in. Anybody heard if this is true? Is this the standard in Vegas($3,000 isn't that much!)?

Thanks.

Many casinos ask for some sort of ID for any cash out of $3k or more. You are not required to show them anything since they can just write down a physical description of you in their log books and they have you on camera (they have to fill out an MTR report) but they will often ask anyway. Often times the cage worker will not know that they don’t need to see ID. They are either ignorant or mis-trained. If you refuse to show ID then their boss will usually straighten things out.

The MGM properties have been a little wierd about their chips lately.

-Sonny-

The fairly benign explanation is that they want to make sure they track you on largish transactions ($>3k, but <$10k) well, so that when you cross a $10k threshold in cash in a day, they can reliably know you need to fill out a CTR form. And a physical description isn't very reliable. Although realistically, a SSN doesn't serve any purpose with the smaller transactions either.

This have tightened up in Vegas this year with the adoptions new rules on the subject. You could always tell the employee at the cage to cram it, and see what happens.

Wow! A real eyeopener! Is there more to this story than reported? I would never have imagined this kind of blatant abuse of patron's rights. Is this isolated, or is it going on all the time?

Thanks...

To all of you. I'm very surprised Vegas is more uptight about large transactions than other gambling areas. Maybe the only good thing about Vegas is the fact that there are so many casinos in one area.
That article is alarming but I should have known MGM is no better than Harrah's(even if they do typically offer a better game). At the end of the day I guess all casinos are part of an industry who doesn't make money by allowing people to win.

LV gets a lot of international business. I suspect something I call "rent-a-cop syndrome"- you tell a civilian that their job includes "preventing money laundering," "catching terrorists" etc. and they start to take it very seriously. So you walk up to a cashier with $4K and no ID, and they're thinking "Oh no, I'm not letting this money get sent to Osama, I want ID!"

I've seen security guards go gung-ho like this- pursuing suspected shoplifters down the highway in high-speed chases where someone could easily get killed over a $5 item. It's a manifestation of an urge to be a good citizen, which is a good thing as long as it's all kept in perspective. The recent nosiness of casinos I attribute partially to an idea they have that they are actually doing a public service.

Good point Auto...

You are probably correct in the psychology behind why people who have no real incentive to play the robocop roll end up playing it so very well.
On an odd note I saw something akin to that odd processing not long ago. This summer I spent a little time picking the brain of a casino manager who developed a romantic interest in me while I was playing at his casino. After dinner, drinks, and much talk(too much, I imagine a result of the alcohol mixing with the huge ego) he struck me as a person who finds it fun and laughable that people come and lose money at the casino yet he spoke of how he "takes card counters & cheats very seriously here". I was apalled that he lumped counters with cheaters but clearly in his mind he is stopping a serious crime when he bans someone for utilizing the ability to add, subtract and multitask.

Casinos doing as public service?

<i>The recent nosiness of casinos I attribute partially to an idea they have that they are actually doing a public service.</i>

I must respectfully disagree with this assessment. Casinos are generally not good corporate citizens, plundering the communities in which they operate. It is difficult for me to believe that casinos have suddenly developed corporate conscience or desire to be "good citizens."

Here's more on how Nevada casinos got to their current ability to hassle people for private information that's none of their legitimate business:

http://www.thebeargrowls.com/?p=91

Wynn Las Vegas has been by far the worst abuser so far.

See also:

http://www.thebeargrowls.com/?p=93

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