Confessions of a Las Vegas Cage Cashier

Like everything else in Vegas, a casino cage operates 24 hours every day. The cashiers are responsible for buying back chips, redeeming markers, cashing checks, providing cash advances on credit cards, keeping the gaming tables stocked, adhering to all state gaming regulations and balancing it all at the end of each shift. Within a casino cage are several banks, including the chip bank, the front-line cashiers and the main bank, which must balance all the monies taken in and handed out.

My name is Leslie and I worked for three years as a cage cashier for the Mirage Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, starting at age 29. I was trained by the casino and then began my job in the position, which was fast-paced, stressful and rewarding. I was responsible for safeguarding large sums of other people's money, while at the same time providing for the needs of celebrities, sports figures, politicians and even an astronaut.