Previous ban led to denied payout
- With its stunning stained-glass skylights, our 130,000 square foot St. Louis casino has a Victorian look. But there’s nothing dated about what it contains: the latest, most popular slots and video poker machines, a wide variety of table games, and one of the last live poker rooms in the market.
- Variety of Slot Machine Wins! Ameristar Casino - Blackhawk, Colorado - Duration: 4:35. $2250 HIGH LIMIT SLOT MACHINE WIN - Ameristar Casino - Blackhawk CO - Duration: 0:42.
An Iowa woman had the experience that everyone who puts a coin into a slot machine dreams about: she hit the jackpot. But Tamara Bean has not seen a dime of her winnings, as the casino is refusing to pay her.
Ameristar Casino Locations You'll find the ideal gambling getaway in the Midwest at any of our Ameristar casino locations. From East Chicago, Indiana, to Black Hawk in Colorado, you'll find decadent dining, great gaming odds and modern, comfortable hotel rooms with great rates.
Bean played the penny slots at Ameristar Council Bluffs and won a $1,733 jackpot. When she tried to cash out, the casino informed her that she had been banned for marijuana possession in 2002. As a result, she was ineligible to claim her winnings.
Bean says casino allowed her to gamble
Speaking with NBC 6 News in Omaha, Bean was incredulous at the turn of events, and added that
They haven’t shown me anything to state I wasn’t allowed in there.”
Ameristar Council Bluffs disagrees with Bean on that point. The casino insists that it has documentation that she was barred from the premises seventeen years ago. Her signature is on that notice and reads “Tamara Sheffield”, her name before she got married.
Bean made several arguments in her interview with NBC 6. She believes that since she has patronized Ameristar Council Bluffs on numerous occasions with a legal driver’s license showing her as Tamara Bean, there should not have been any problems with her winning a jackpot. She also feels that because the casino granted her a rewards card, it was effectively granting her permission to play.
Cashout triggered identity check
The problem for Bean is that, according to Ameristar, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission says the casino does not have to make sure banned players stay away. It was not until she scored her big cash that Ameristar needed her social security number. In Iowa, slot machine winnings of more than $1,200 are reported by the casino on form W-2G.
Even though Bean has a rewards card, social security numbers are not required to get one. Therefore, with a different name, her earlier ban would not have been pinged.
Gaming Commission backs Ameristar
Adamant that she is owed her jackpot, Bean asked the Gaming Commission to investigate. It ruled that the casino’s decision was “not arbitrary” and was therefore valid.
Ameristar Blackhawk Casino Co
Despite the commission’s input and Ameristar’s documentation of her banishment, Bean still believes the casino is freerolling her. She insisted that
Ameristar Casino Blackhawk Slot Machines Machine
They took my money for all these years, so why wouldn’t you give me the money that I legally own?”