Few cities have as many tricks as Sin City. It’s home to some of the busiest casinos in the world, so millions of tourists travel to Las Vegas every year. Unsurprisingly, these immense flocks of gullible tourists attract plenty of scammers. This has given birth to many ways to rip off bright-eyed visitors. Like anything, education is key. As long as you know what to watch out for, you will have a great time in Vegas. For this reason, we have compiled a list of the city’s favourite scams. Be prepared to be surprised by the outrageousness of these easy to fall for scams!
Top Tourist Scams in Las Vegas
Scam #1: The Pokie Machine is About to Hit Big
This is one of the most popular scams inside of the casinos. As you are enjoying the slots, someone will sneak up behind you & whisper in your ear. They will tell you that they know a slot that’s about to pay out big. If you follow them they will lead you to a slot machine & urge you to play. After inserting cash into the machine, you might hit a small jackpot. If you win anything this good Samaritan will instantly demand half of the winnings.
What they are doing is leading people to random slot machines. If you win they get half, & if you lose they will just say you have bad luck. They know that no machine is “due” to win, but if they pull this on enough people they will make money. The best thing to do is firmly deny anyone who wants to lead you to a machine. You are better off without them!
Scam #2: Taxi Shenanigans
Since there’s a steady stream of visitors coming in from the airport, taxi drivers developed this scheme. They know that you can’t wait to get to the strip. But what you don’t know is that there’s a long way & a short way. The longer route is known as “taking the tunnel”. Unsuprisingly, it involves taking an unnecessary tunnel that adds miles & $18 to your cab fare. This scam allows nefarious taxi drivers to literally double the travel cost.
Fortunately, these scammers will quickly change the script if you know what they are doing. All you have to do is say the name of your hotel & “no tunnel please”. They may still try to convince you to take the tunnel route because of a “traffic accident” or “road work”. If they try to pull this threaten to call the police & take another cab. Before you open the door they will begrudgingly take you to the strip on the real route.
Scam #3: Dropped Cash
This is one of the Las Vegas scams. It will normally take place after you have racked up credits on your favorite machine. As you are playing furiously, someone will tap you on the shoulder. They will tell you that you dropped some money. You will be a little startled, but will look for the mystery cash anyway. Unfortunately, there isn’t any cash on the floor. As soon as you give up & get back to your machine, you will quickly realize that you have no credits. The stranger will be gone, on his way to party with your credits.
The way they pull off this scam is incredibly simple. As soon as you are distracted looking for money, an accomplice will hit the payout button on your machine. They will then relieve you of your ticket & cash it out before you figure it out. The best way to avoid this scam is to be alert when gambling. Never let someone sweet talk you into neglecting your machine!
