I used to be a security officer at a popular casino/resort in the northeast. I would usually get stuck on a post near the nightclub quite a bit when I worked the evening shift. One Saturday night, I was approached by an older woman. She looked very upset.

Me: “Yes, ma’am, can I help you?”

Guest: “Someone needs to be out there patrolling that nightclub line!”

The nightclub was located right next to the post I was at, and if I stepped forward just a little, I could get a good view of the line. I immediately went to full alert mode. As it was a Saturday night, the line of people waiting to get into the nightclub was long, and tempers could get frayed. Fights could, and would, break out as a result. I’d seen it happen.

I stepped forward and looked out at the line, expecting to see a brawl going on, but everything seemed perfectly calm. I was baffled.

Me: “Is there a fight going on?”

Guest: *Shouting.* “No! There are people in that line using naughty language!”

My jaw nearly dropped. Surely, she couldn’t be serious, but the look on her face said she was.

Me: “Ma’am, that’s not something we have any control over. It’s not against the rules.”

She gave me one of the dirtiest looks I’d ever seen.

Guest: “Well, it should be!”

Then she stormed off. I watched her go, wondering exactly where she thought she was. I mean, did she misread the big “casino” sign out front as “church”? And even if she was conscious of where she was, what did she expect us to do? Start going up and down the line and treating everyone there like they were in kindergarten? “No, no, no! We don’t use that kind of language, and I’ll put you in timeout if you don’t stop! No nightclub for you if you don’t watch your potty mouth!”

I work at the call center of a local casino/hotel resort. While I get asked this same question several times every Sunday, this Sunday happens to be April 1st.

Caller: “Are you guys open today?”

Me: “Yes, sir. We’re open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

There’s a pause on the line before:

Caller: *In a very suspicious tone* “Is this April Fools?”

I had to spend fifteen minutes trying to convince him that, no, casinos and hotels don’t close on Sundays, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have their employees come in when they’re closed and tell people they’re open as a joke. When the guy finally hung up, he still didn’t sound totally convinced.

I work at the local casino. A customer comes up to me and stands in front of the three-foot neon sign advertising the arcade.

Customer: “Where is the arcade?”

I just leaned around them and pointed.

I work in a casino. It’s my first day on the floor after a week of testing on how to comply with gambling and alcohol laws, so it’s not out of my mind that a test might appear. Sure enough, along comes someone who is already visibly oozing anguish. I barely get out “hello” before she starts telling me about every itemized red flag I just went through in training — losing her marriage, her mortgage, she feels out of control when gambling, the works.

I’m picking up the situation, and I have figured out this is probably a secret shopper of sorts, and so I make sure to take her name to my supervisor. My supervisor happens to be a personal friend, so I make a comment on my approach.

Me: “I’m guessing you’ve done this before, right?”

Supervisor: “This is actually the first report I’ve ever filed. I have no idea what I’m doing.” *Laughs*

Me: “Wait, what?”

Supervisor: “Is something wrong?”

Me: “I thought this was a plant. I mean, look at the paper; we only left one box unchecked!”

Supervisor: “I guess I wouldn’t put it past ’em. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it gets filed.”

Fast forward a month, and I heard a very familiar name over the intercom system calling for the exact same person to visit the customer service desk. Fast forward another month, and it happened again. I started to wonder whether they just recycled the same fake name or something, and then the whole process happened again — but now with a different person.

Maybe leaving treating gambling addiction in the hands of the people making money off of gambling addicts is a bit of a conflict of interest.

I work at a gas station. This has been an ongoing problem I didn’t notice until last night. There’s a regular who comes in frequently but usually at times I’m too busy to really pay him any mind. I’ve noticed him go into the casino multiple times — our gas station is one of those that have a lottery room — but again, I’m busy at those times so I don’t think much of it.

You have to be twenty-one to even go in there. You can’t just go through it to come in and out of the store if you’re under twenty-one.

Last night, the regular and a friend — an older guy I know is over twenty-one — came in right before we locked up; we were supposed to close in two minutes. The regular made a beeline for the casino. I had only these two in the store, so I actually noticed that he had a pretty young face and didn’t look old enough. Sure enough, after an ID check, he wasn’t even out of his teens. I made him leave after explaining that he had to be twenty-one or over to be in there.

I came in today and explained to my manager, and I learned from her and a coworker that this regular frequently sneaks in and lies about his age or says the owner said it’s cool. Nope.

He came in later today. He bought some soda, and I crossed paths with him on his way to the casino as I was heading out to the main floor.

Me: “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

Regular: “I’m just leaving.”

Me: “You have to use the main doors. Our store doesn’t allow you to even enter the lottery room to go in and out of the store if you’re not twenty-one.”

He just ignored me.

Now, I had to keep my eyes out for him to make sure he wasn’t sneaking in. I decided to talk to my manager because, if he keeps doing this, I think it’s best we stop selling to him until he understands he’s not above the rules. We’ve agreed that if I catch him again, I should inform her, and that I am to inform him that if he keeps it up, we will be calling the police. I don’t know how he’ll react, but I know I sure as h*** wouldn’t want to risk the fines — apparently, they range from $500 to $1,000 just for underage gambling, and trespassing has a wider range — and potentially thirty days sitting in jail.