It was recently reported that since 2003, several casinos in Detroit, Michigan, have accumulated thousands of dollars that many casino gamblers had forgotten to cash-in before they left these gaming venues.
Winning tickets in these casinos are valid for three months only, but both MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown casinos have reportedly said that they are willing to honor expired prize tickets as well. M-G-M Grand says most of the unclaimed tickets are under a dollar in value. The casinos say more than 3 million dollars in table-game chips go unclaimed, but those don't expire.
Thanks to forgetful patrons, MGM Detroit has snapped up $331,335 in unclaimed tickets since 2002, while Greektown has reaped $318,370 since 2004.
According to Dan Gustafson, executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, state legislative authorities have requested information regarding the unclaimed fortune in recent years.
Nonetheless, they have never considered demanding that the casinos funnel it into public works as is the case for the lottery and racetracks.
Gustafson also said that the state permits casinos to record the value of unredeemed prizes as part of their income, since it is accepted practice in the casino industry.
