Understanding Casino Markers and Debts

Las Vegas lures millions of tourists every year around the globe, thanks to its night life and exotic shows. Being gambling as one of the city’s many highlights, casino owners have to ensure that its visitors will be encouraged to gamble and spend their money here; a strategy that led to the creation of casino markers. Markers are generally casino checks that a tourist will use inside a specific casino if he/she agrees to pay it in a short period of time: think of it as the casino’s own currency. This system, tourists borrowing markers, will encourage them to gamble in a casino but, of course, it has to be paid eventually using their (tourist’s) own money. Because casino markers are interest-free when paid on-time, people often think that applying to borrow markers is easy. This is not the case especially in gaming cities like Las Vegas where casinos have to study a tourist’s financial information including the borrower’s net worth. This information will enable the casino to decide whether the borrower/patron is fitting to repay the marker he/she’s about to borrow. Upon approval of the application, the patron has to sign an agreement stating that the marker has to be paid in the span of 15 to 30 days. Failure to do this will make the casino pursue the patron by all possible means. This has led to bankruptcy in some cases since casinos are very passionate at doing this. Many gamblers, however, find casino markers more convenient than carrying and cashing-out large amounts of money. Since every state controls its own gaming industry, casino markers, like in Las Vegas, are treated very differently. Debtors can face prison time or most likely a felony conviction in response to their inability to settle the account. Since casino markers are equivalent to checks, an unpaid marker can mean a bad check, a theft case defined by the Nevada Revised Statute Section 205.130. If the patron knows that he/she cannot repay the markers on time, it is advisable to contact the casino involved immediately. The casino will surely draft a more suitable payment plan with interests. Since casinos use the law to its full extent, the patron should try to pay the debt than to face criminal charges. Nevada laws allow the DA to decide what kind of charges will be appropriate for these kinds of situation. Ranging from theft, fraud or writing a bad check, these cases shouldn’t be ignored since the patron can end up in jail depending judge’s sentence like 6 months to 4 years of imprisonment. Casino markers/debts can turn into a very serious offense if un-noted. This will require a well-experienced criminal defense lawyer to get the tangled situation done. If there is one thing every person should learn about court, it is never to gamble alone. Always ask for help.