You’re planning a trip to Las Vegas and can’t wait to hit the different casinos on the strip. The room at the Orleans has been booked, the plane tickets purchased, and your itinerary set. You have $5000 that you are planning to use as gambling money while you’re out there. How are you planning on getting that money out to Vegas? Are you going to take the money with you in a suitcase or carry-on bag? Were you planning on leaving the money in your bank account and just using the local ATM’s out in Vegas and running up fees on your account? There is another option that a lot of people are not aware of, deposit it to the casino.
Most casinos will allow players to deposit money into a casino account and then take regular draws off the account. If you deposit $5000 in their account and just want to use $500 a day, you can go up to the main cage in a casino and request a draw off the account. Some casinos consider this as a type of marker, but in this case it’s a paid marker. You will usually need to show your Id and sign for the money. It’s a little longer than using an ATM, but it is a lot safer than keeping money on hand and a lot cheaper than ATM fees. At the end of your stay, if you have any money left, you have the option of either leaving the money in the account for a future visit, having them draw off the rest and give it to you right there, or you can even have it rewired to your bank account, most times free of charge.
To setup an account with a casino, call up the casino that you’re going to be staying at or the one you plan to frequent the most and ask them about setting up an account to deposit money to. Just explain that you’re going to be playing in their casino and you would not like to carry around that amount of money. Chances are you will have to speak with a supervisor to get the information as most Cashiers are typically not trained in this or do it so infrequently that procedure is setup to go through a supervisor. The supervisor will give you the procedure to setup the account and at that point it’s up to you to have the fund transferred. A few days after you transfer funds to the casino, I would recommend calling back and verifying that everything went well with the deposit.
A paid marker account not only provides security for your money while in Vegas but can also give you the feel and appearance of a high roller. Next time you go to Vegas, consider using this system if you have a decent amount you want to gamble. It may take a little effort, but consider that extra effort an investment in the security of your money.
