What Happens To All Those Unused Slot Machine Vouchers?

Unused slot vouchers are seemingly everywhere in Las Vegas casinos. Many bill breaker machines, where players redeem slot tickets, no longer return change. 

Instead, many of these machines return change as a smaller voucher of less than a dollar. This isn't the case in all Nevada casinos but the practice occurs at most gaming establishments in Las Vegas. 

Casino guests don’t always take the time to visit the cashier to exchange the vouchers for less than a dollar for cash. These small unused vouchers are sometimes left around the casino for others to use or end up lost or forgotten.

These tickets still have value and many go unclaimed throughout the year. The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) shares some information about the unused slot vouchers.

Nevada gaming regulators share how much money went uncashed. However, they don’t offer specific information.

The NGCB doesn’t offer details on which casinos the vouchers are tied to, how much each voucher was worth, or the average value of each ticket. The latter could be found if the other information was available.

One might think that there is much more money in uncashed slot vouchers lying around. That's not quite the case even though there might be more gaming vouchers than ever before.

In addition to the leftover change from the new bill breaker system, there are more electronic table games and sports betting kiosks that use gaming vouchers.

The amount of unused vouchers could also be greater since there’s more gaming revenue. Nevada casinos have seen gaming revenues north of a billion dollars for 39 consecutive months. Las Vegas makes up the majority of gaming revenue for Nevada.

Well … not so fast, my friend!

$24.4 Million In Unclaimed Slot Vouchers In Nevada

According to a 2011 law Nevada casinos keep 25% of the unclaimed slot voucher revenue. The state keeps the other 75% for its general fund.

During the most recent fiscal year (July 2023 - June 2024) Nevada casino guests didn’t cash in $24.4 million in gaming vouchers according to unaudited revenue data released earlier this month. 

That means Nevada casinos kept $6.1 million, which is down slightly from the $6.4 million collected from unclaimed slot tickets in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2022, the state collected $5.5 million.

NGCB Senior Economic Analyst Michael Lawton told Casinos.com that he won’t have any analysis on the dip from last year until the audit is final.

Smaller Windows To Cash Gaming Vouchers 

Cashing gaming vouchers isn’t as easy as it used to be in Las Vegas casinos. There was a time when players had up to 180 days (approximately six months) to cash in a voucher. That's no longer the case at all casinos.

The window to cash in a slot voucher is different at every casino, but some give customers only 30 days to redeem, while others still offer a 60-day window. Every voucher lists when it will expire underneath the dollar amount. This may not matter for small vouchers but it wouldn’t hurt to make note of this information if the money is significant.

There was a time just a few years ago when Las Vegas casinos were installing Bill Breaker machines with the Everi Cares Giving Module. This add-on allows a person cashing in a gaming voucher to donate the leftover change to a charity instead of printing a ticket.

This was a great option for players who don’t want to deal with change from the ticket. Anecdotally, this isn’t as widely available as it was just a few years ago.

(Image: Marc Meltzer / Casinos.com)