The reels are always spinning in the gambling industry, and “The Double Down” is here every Friday to catch you up on all of the week’s biggest news. Sports Handle’s “Get a Grip” rounds up everything on the sports betting side, and US Bets provides the best of the rest: brick-and-mortar happenings, online casino developments, poker headlines, and more. So pull up a chair, crunch the numbers, and slide forward another stack of chips.
Hit the jackpot, go home with jack squat
Games of pure chance — like slot machines, for example — are the great equalizer. Everyone who spins the reels has an equal opportunity. Anyone can win.
But not just anyone can collect their winnings.
CTV News in Toronto reported this week on a cautionary tale from Casino Woodbine in Etobicoke, Ontario, where 52-year-old Anthony Michael (I know what you’re thinking — yes, he’s the bass player for Halen Van) hit a CAD$4,133.50 slot jackpot in November, but a month later, still doesn’t have his winnings. The reason: He doesn’t own a photo ID.
Michael explained that for medical reasons, he doesn’t drive a car, and thus he doesn’t have a driver’s license, and in fact possesses no government-issued photo ID. Had he won a bit less on his jackpot spin, it wouldn’t have been an issue. But for payouts in excess of $3,000 in Ontario, identification is required.
When Michael learned this, he became properly motivated to finally have a photo ID made. The bad news: He was told it could take until February to complete that process.
The reason the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario requires photo ID for large payouts is a sensible one — they don’t want their casinos used for money laundering. And Woodbine Casino says Michael’s money will be there waiting for him when his photo ID arrives.
As soon as he has a wallet-sized card confirming he is who he says he is, he’ll be more than 4,000 Canadian dollars richer. But until then, winning big at the casino is not an option; he’s only allowed to lose big.
This week on Gamble On …
Every Thursday, US Bets drops a new episode of the Gamble On podcast, and this week’s welcomed Sports Handle co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Brett Smiley, who gave his takes on everyone from Elon to Saquon, and who admitted to the podcast hosts that he’s come around on the joy of single-game parlays:
Exclusive clip from this week’s Gamble On podcast, titled “Dr. Smiley or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Single-Game Parlay” https://t.co/WV5yxrt959 pic.twitter.com/kamd4XI8CA
— US Bets (@US_Bets) December 22, 2022
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Image: Blundell Design
