Cashing out at the Casino

[WYB!]

Hello,

 

I understand that in the casino most people would cash out daily, but say after a week long cruise or you got really luck that one night and you've done "well" at the casino.

 

Rather then walk around with wads of cash, can you then bring the chips or cash to the cashier's desk and get a check for the corresponding amount?

 

Just wondering if anyone has had experience getting a check rather then cash.

 

Stay well & safe travels.

 

- WYB

[phillygwm]

56 minutes ago, WYB! said:

Rather then walk around with wads of cash, can you then bring the chips or cash to the cashier's desk and get a check for the corresponding amount?

 

I maintain a credit line with CAS so it might be a bit different for others who do not.  

 

The casino doesn't want to have people walking around with large amounts of cash (and depleting theirs) so they'll issue a credit to my account, even if I haven't touched my line.  On the last night of my cruise, assuming I'm ahead, I'll go to the cashier and they'll either give me cash if it's under a certain amount (I think ~$2K, if I recall) or a check if it's more than that.  I would assume if you hit a large jackpot you'd get a check as well.  

 

Before I established my line, I kept money in my safe and I'd also go to Guest Services to put cash on my onboard account to minimize the amount.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by phillygwm

[pcakes122]

I just take the cash with me (I live near the port and park at the pier), so it's not an issue for me in terms of traveling with cash.

 

That said, on other NCL Casino groups there were stories of issues with NCL's checks (certain ships paid large payouts in check or partial check + cash.)  A few people reported that the checks did not clear if they deposited them immediately upon returning home.  Seems NCL needs time to communicate to the onshore team and get the money deposited into the account that the check was written on.  I believe all checks eventually did clear, but not without calls to NCL, etc.  So, that said, I think I'd always just take my cash.

[phillygwm]

49 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

That said, on other NCL Casino groups there were stories of issues with NCL's checks (certain ships paid large payouts in check or partial check + cash.)  A few people reported that the checks did not clear if they deposited them immediately upon returning home.  Seems NCL needs time to communicate to the onshore team and get the money deposited into the account that the check was written on.  I believe all checks eventually did clear, but not without calls to NCL, etc.  So, that said, I think I'd always just take my cash.

I'm a commercial banker IRL and we urge clients to adopt controls to mitigate the risk of fraudulent activity on their accounts.  One of these, Positive Pay, requires the maker to send a list of issued checks to the bank.  If there are checks presented that are not on the list or other discrepancies, the company has to manually authorize payment.  If the home office isn't aware of the check, that may not happen.  And, of course, the company also has to arrange for funding on the accounts though, personally, I would never bounce a good client's check if I knew they could move funds around to cover it.  

 

So if you DO take a check, give it a couple days from the time you get off the ship to allow the administrative stuff to happen.

Edited November 11, 2021 by phillygwm

[Middleager]

Last time I won $7 million, I was happy to carry that amount of cash all over. 

Wait, someone just woke me up.

 

It's good to know they can issue a cheque to you.

[dbrown84]

You can also wire ahead money to the ship to gamble with.  If you do this, then you have the option to wire money back to your bank at the end of the cruise.

[dbrown84]

Just now, dbrown84 said:

You can also wire ahead money to the ship to gamble with.  If you do this, then you have the option to wire money back to your bank at the end of the cruise.

of course, there are bank fees associated with this so it's probably only a good option for larger amounts of cash

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, WYB! said:

Hello,

 

I understand that in the casino most people would cash out daily, but say after a week long cruise or you got really luck that one night and you've done "well" at the casino.

 

Rather then walk around with wads of cash, can you then bring the chips or cash to the cashier's desk and get a check for the corresponding amount?

 

Just wondering if anyone has had experience getting a check rather then cash.

 

Stay well & safe travels.

 

- WYB

So, if you really hit it "big", the casino will not pay you in cash since they need to have cash on hand. "Big" is a relative term, but a $20K jackpot will be paid by check. And don't forget that if you have more than $10K in any form (check, cash, coins), you need to declare it to Customs as you disembark. 

 

If you're talking about having the casino write you $1K checks,,,, maybe you should just stick that in your pocket. 

Edited November 12, 2021 by BirdTravels

[WYB!]

Thank you for your input.

So to summarize:

if < $2,000 get cash

if > then $2,000 get some in cash and > $2k in a check

if > $3,000 get the check but wait 2-3 days to cash it

if > $10,000 remember to also declare the amount to customs upon re-entry.

 

Logistically does it take a while for the ship to prepare the physical check or can it be done in under an hour or should you request it at least 24 hours before the last port?

 

This also does not include information requiring a W-2 G form when "a substantial amount of money" is won gambling. Depending on the game. It's $1,200 or more in winnings at slot machines or bingo games, but $1,500 for keno. It's $5,000 for sweepstakes, wagering pools, and lotteries

 

Safe travels,

- WYB

Edited November 12, 2021 by WYB!

[pcakes122]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

So, if you really hit it "big", the casino will not pay you in cash since they need to have cash on hand. "Big" is a relative term, but a $20K jackpot will be paid by check. And don't forget that if you have more than $10K in any form (check, cash, coins), you need to declare it to Customs as you disembark. 

Not sure when the last time you won more than $20K on NCL was, but winnings at that level can be wired to your bank account by NCL.  No need to carry a check home or declare anything to Customs.  (Of course, deposits to your bank account in amounts of greater than $10K are reported to the IRS, as usual.)

[skeeter195]

I have been very lucky at times in NCL casinos.  I once took a check and it took 4 or 5 days for it to clear.  I now only take cash off the ship.  If it it over 10k I declare it.  Also NCL does not like to give out cash even though they have plenty.  They once insisted that over a certain amount needed to be paid by check.  I insisted that I would only take cash because of the prior check incident and they gave me cash.  I usually save up my larger chips to cash out on the last night.  In October I had my wife try and cash some chips and they put her through the wringer about where she got them.  The casino manager was called who recognized her and all was good until they tried to give her a check for the 12 yellows she had.  She took them back and I ended up cashing them in with the rest of mine.  

 

Is a check safer?, probably.  By having the cash in hand though is a guarantee that I have it 100%. 

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, WYB! said:

Thank you for your input.

So to summarize:

if < $2,000 get cash

if > then $2,000 get some in cash and > $2k in a check

if > $3,000 get the check but wait 2-3 days to cash it

if > $10,000 remember to also declare the amount to customs upon re-entry.

 

Logistically does it take a while for the ship to prepare the physical check or can it be done in under an hour or should you request it at least 24 hours before the last port?

 

No, if you won $3000 they wouldn't give you $2000 cash and $1000 check.  They'd probably try to give you everything via check or everything by cash if you insisted.  Personally, I'm happy to take a check; I don't want to be carrying thousands of dollars with me.  Regardless of amount, wait a few days to cash the check for reasons I stated earlier.  They're good for it. 

 

If it was over $10K, I'd ask for a wire to make things easier going through Customs.  I've never won that much so not sure what their internal thresholds are.  Remember, wires can only be sent on weekdays during business hours so you won't see it instantaneously.

 

Usually I've told the cashier that I want to close out my line of credit early in the evening of the last day.  If I owe them money, I write a check from the account they have on file.  If they owe me, they might need an hour or so to get the check cut, find an authorized signer, etc.  It isn't a huge project.  In my experience, I'm one of a handful of people with a line of credit on most of my sailings so I get attention.  This isn't Bellagio.

 

One more comment about people who hold their chips until the end of the cruise.  I find it easier to cash out when I'm finished play for a session but that's me.  If it's a large amount, the cage will call over to the pit to confirm my winnings.  If I were to show up with thousands of dollars of chips on Saturday night, it might cause a hassle that I don't need.    

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by phillygwm

[pcakes122]

9 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

If it was over $10K, I'd ask for a wire to make things easier going through Customs.  I've never won that much so not sure what their internal thresholds are.  Remember, wires can only be sent on weekdays during business hours so you won't see it instantaneously.

I have done this.  The minimum wire was $10K at that time (2019.)  I haven't been lucky enough to test what the maximum wire could possibly be lol 🤞

[jvsnana]

Not winnings related, but we used to be able to use non refundable OBC to cash out in the casino using a slot machine.  Any recent updates doing this?

 

[Rhea98]

3 hours ago, jvsnana said:

Not winnings related, but we used to be able to use non refundable OBC to cash out in the casino using a slot machine.  Any recent updates doing this?

 

Curious myself.

[phillygwm]

6 hours ago, jvsnana said:

Not winnings related, but we used to be able to use non refundable OBC to cash out in the casino using a slot machine.  Any recent updates doing this?

 

I've never done it but I've read you could take a cash advance at the casino (3% fee) which could be used against OBC.

[WYB!]

I found that previously on NCL whenever I'm at the cage with anything more then $500 in chips, they always call over to the area that I was playing to verify before they change the chips for cash.

As such, I usually tell them where I was playing as I hand my chips over for processing.

- WYB

Edited November 13, 2021 by WYB!

[BirdTravels]

13 hours ago, WYB! said:

This also does not include information requiring a W-2 G form when "a substantial amount of money" is won gambling. Depending on the game. It's $1,200 or more in winnings at slot machines or bingo games, but $1,500 for keno. It's $5,000 for sweepstakes, wagering pools, and lotteries

Yes. A slot machine hitting a jackpot over $1200 automatically locks and a slot attendant will hand pay the jackpot (along with bringing you a W2G form which is reported to the IRS). If the jackpot is over $10K, NCL has an elaborate process of auditing the machine, checking its firmware levels, etc. which could take 30-45 minutes, kinda annoying. 

[WYB!]

The casino charges 3% as a cash advance fee, (with the fee being waved for Ruby and Elite level casino players).

 

Is there a maximum ceiling on the fee or is the sky is the limit on the 3% fee?

 

Although, I think the maximum you can draw daily against your room is $2,500(?) ) ($75 fee @ 3%).

 

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise/players-club

Edited November 15, 2021 by WYB!

[shout19661966]

no fee if you put your card into a slot machine and use it. Now I might be incorrect but i do believe this to be true. If you go to say a blackjack table and use your card to get say $200 in chips you will pay $206 for that $200.

[Sand and Seas]

5 minutes ago, shout19661966 said:

no fee if you put your card into a slot machine and use it. Now I might be incorrect but i do believe this to be true. If you go to say a blackjack table and use your card to get say $200 in chips you will pay $206 for that $200.

If you put your card into a slot machine and download cash, it will let you know thee is a 3% fee before you finalize your download.

[mscdivina2016]

On 11/12/2021 at 11:54 PM, BirdTravels said:

Yes. A slot machine hitting a jackpot over $1200 automatically locks and a slot attendant will hand pay the jackpot (along with bringing you a W2G form which is reported to the IRS). If the jackpot is over $10K, NCL has an elaborate process of auditing the machine, checking its firmware levels, etc. which could take 30-45 minutes, kinda annoying. 

And how will they verify my SS number?  They can't.  All they can do is take what I give them.