# Is mailing back a winning sports book ticket to a casino for a claim safe to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563 "2017-01-30T03:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/1 "2017-01-30T03:21:38Z")
I won a fairly substantial amount of money at the MGM (on the Falcons!) and have 120 days to claim my winnings. I bet on a future weekend so can not cash out in person. Any advice out there? Could someone who opens mail pocket my ticket? Is there any safeguard? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/2 "2017-01-30T04:03:46Z")
That’s what [Registered Mail](https://www.usps.com/ship/insurance-extra-services.htm) is for. It provides special security during transport and delivery. Certified Mail and insured mail do not. The Federal Reserve used to ship currency to banks via Registered Mail a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/3 "2017-01-30T14:04:22Z")
I assume you’ve called the casino and asked them if it’s OK to send in the ticket, and what else you might need to include? Did they give any advice? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/4 "2017-01-30T15:10:06Z")
I signed the back of my ticket and sent it through first class mail. Casino employees are not allowed to play against the house so they couldn’t mess with it. And having your name on the ticket goes a long way in preventing someone else from using it. I think your bigger threat would be having the ticket get lost instead of stolen. But like mentioned above, registered mail gets it into a casino employees hands and they would have too much at stake with their employer to mess with it. So, sign it and send in registered. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/5 "2017-01-30T16:42:32Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Casino employees are not allowed to play against the house … I don’t know about other states but in Nevada this is not true. Most, but not all, casinos don’t allow employees to play house games like blackjack or craps but employees are free to bet on sports, play slots, etc. It is common for poker dealers to get up from dealing and take a seat at the table. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mailing-back-a-winning-sports-book-ticket-to-a-casino-for-a-claim-safe-to-do/778563/6 "2017-01-30T17:54:02Z")
They are also free to have friends who can gamble all they want.