Does having an expired ID mean you can't collect your winnings when you strike it rich? A viral TikTok clip featuring a woman on a casino floor shouting in despair highlights a widespread misunderstanding. 

“Get me my money that I won!” the woman yells, pumping her fists and disturbing the players around her. Then, a dramatic voiceover worthy of the “in a world where” movie-trailer guy utters: “She won the jackpot, but expired ID equals no cash-out.”

VIDEO- https://www.tiktok.com/@choclitkwueen4/video/7290238634807119147?is_from_webapp=1

The video fails to state that the woman who screamed did not lose any money. She permitted just one more unethical social media user to acquire views through misleading information aimed at provoking anger. 

According to the remarks, that goal was accomplished. 

“The casino will REACH for ANY reason NOT to pay a winner!!!” wrote Chris P.

“They didn’t care about her expired [ID] when she was putting the $ in and lost !?!?” added Dave.

Overlooked Details 

If a jackpot winner fails to provide a valid photo ID (like an unexpired driver’s license, another state-issued ID, or passport) and a Social Security/tax ID number, all US casinos must, by federal law, hold the winner's payout until they can present these documents later. 

Both items are necessary for anyone who wins $1,200 or more on a slot or other video machine, or over $10,000 in a table game. That’s due to those levels of activity prompting Uncle Sam to claim its share, and stringent regulations exist to guarantee that it consistently receives it. 

Residents outside the US may also face taxes at rates reaching up to 30%. 

If you are unable to provide a legitimate ID and Social Security/tax ID number upon winning, a casino staff member will request that you complete an unclaimed jackpot form, give you a copy of the filled-out form, and keep your winnings in the cage for you. The representative will also typically take a photo of you to ensure your friend with a valid ID doesn’t attempt to claim the receipt. (Refer to the “Reasons Casinos May Refuse Payment” section below.) 

If the woman who was yelling ever managed to calm herself down, she would have received a deadline to bring back a copy of the claim form, along with a valid ID and Social Security/tax ID number to the casino. The minimum duration differs across gambling jurisdictions but is typically enough for most individuals to update an expired ID or find a lost or forgotten Social Security number. 

Typically, it’s 90 days, but casinos can hold onto unclaimed cash for as long as they please, and many choose to do so. 

Our investigation found no individual lawsuit, although numerous ones would probably have been submitted if the given time was consistently inadequate. 

Reasons Casinos Can Deny Payment

• You’re underage: The minimum gambling age differs by state, but being underage always results in losing your winnings and automatically makes it a part of the casino’s income. This regulation has faced numerous challenges and consistently prevails.  
• Your name is in a deadbeat database: In Nevada, if you win over $1,200, your name will be checked against a database of individuals with unpaid state fines, pending restitution judgments, or child support debts in Nevada. If your name is mentioned, the casino must either keep your funds until it receives a response from the state or pay your winnings directly to the state, allowing it to decide where the money goes. Despite Nevada not being a participating state in the Gambling Intercept Program, this federal/state/tribal initiative seizes gambling winnings in most other states with legal gambling from anyone in that database who has outstanding child support obligations anywhere in the US.  
• You’ve enrolled in the self-exclusion list: This optional program, provided by states and tribes, assists individuals struggling with gambling by preventing their entry into casinos. Participants in this usually final attempt are not only unable to collect their gambling winnings but may also be banned and potentially arrested in the future for trying to access the same casino. 
• You claim someone else’s winnings, or someone else claims yours:  Only the legitimate winner of a jackpot is able to claim it. This also involves claiming a winning voucher left behind by another person in a slot machine. In Nevada, NRS 465.070 specifies that it is illegal “to assert, gather, or acquire — or try to assert, gather, or acquire — money or valuables in or from a gambling game … without placing a wager.” Numerous gaming authorities view ID fraud as either a misdemeanor or a form of felony theft. Moreover, as all jackpots exceeding $1,200 are confirmed by surveillance, this is a crime that no one can possibly escape. 
• Machine malfunction: While exceedingly uncommon, there are instances when a slot machine displays a jackpot payout that never actually happened. Producers refer to this as a “visual mistake.” A win of $42,949,672.96 has been observed several times throughout the years. This is due to the fact that a line of code can, in the right circumstances, result in a "win" of 2 raised to the 32nd power, equaling 42,949,672,96. 

Regardless of what you observe on TikTok, casinos do not employ unfair or illegal tactics to take money from their patrons, as doing so would jeopardize their operating licenses. 

Furthermore, the odds in casinos achieve this for them with remarkable effectiveness.