Part III: Slot Machine Cheating · Physical Cheating Methods

SCAM #24: TITO Ticket Theft and Redemption

How it works

In the TITO era, cheats simply steal valid tickets from other players and cash them. Common methods include: (1) “Grab and go” – distracting a player at a ticket redemption kiosk or ATM, then stealing their cash or ticket as it emerges; (2) finding abandoned tickets on the casino floor or in machines; (3) reaching into a machine after a player has cashed out but before they’ve retrieved their ticket. In jurisdictions like Colorado, simply using or taking abandoned TITO credits can result in criminal charges under fraudulent acts statutes, even for amounts as small as $2.

Where it appears

All casinos using TITO (ticket-in/ticket-out) systems.

On the record

Joseph Whit Moody became the first person added to Nevada’s Black Book for a TITO-related crime in 2018. He distracted elderly women at ticket redemption kiosks and stole their cash. Many victims were tourists who declined to return to Nevada to testify, allowing him to operate for an extended period.

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.