In this section, our attorneys explain Nevada’s criminal laws and legal concepts, A to Z
Criminal Law A to Z
In this section, our attorneys explain Nevada’s criminal laws and legal concepts, A to Z
Crimes by NRS Section
Every crime in Nevada is based in a section of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). For each crime, our attorneys explain the laws, penalties and best defenses to fight the charge.
Nevada DUI
Getting arrested for DUI does not mean you will be convicted. Police misconduct, defective breathalyzers and crime lab mistakes may be enough to get your charges lessened or dismissed. Visit our page on Nevada DUI Laws to learn more.
Post-Conviction
Even if you’ve already been convicted of a crime, there is still much you can do to seal your record and restore your rights. Our attorneys explain how.
Please note: Our firm only handles criminal and DUI cases, and only in California. We do not handle any of the following cases:
And we do not handle any cases outside of California.
Call Us NowPosted on
Defendants charged with unpaid casino markers (NRS 205.130) in Nevada might be able to do a payment plan to avoid incarceration. And once the entire amount is paid in full, the D.A. may agree to dismiss the casino marker charges completely. But prosecutors are not obligated to offer payment plans, and they treat each matter on a case-by-case basis. Not paying back casino markers can result in a hefty prison sentence and fines in addition to restitution orders.
Nevada casinos offer eligible players a line of credit (marker) to gamble with. Nevada law treats these casino credit lines like checks. Players are expected to pay back these markers within a specified time frame (usually 30 days).
If the player does not pay by the deadline, then the casino tries to redeem the marker at the player’s bank. If this transaction bounces, then the casino warns the player through a certified letter that he/she has 10 days to make good on the casino debt. Otherwise, the matter goes to the District Attorney’s Office for good. In Clark County, all gambling debt cases are handled by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office Bad Check Unit.
Yes, defaulting on paying back markers is a criminal offense in Nevada. This crime has two elements:
State law presumes that defendants had “an intent to defraud” if their bank account had insufficient money to cover the marker. In essence, defendants are presumed guilty even if they genuinely intended to pay back the marker.
No other state or territory in the United States makes unpaid markers a criminal charge.
The sentence in casino marker cases turns on the marker amount:
Casino marker amount |
Nevada penalties for non-payment |
Less than $1,200 | Misdemeanor:
|
$1,200 or higher | Category D felony:
|
Each unpaid marker is its own charge. The court does not add all the marker amounts together.
In practice, the D.A. usually dismisses bad check charges once the defendant pays back the outstanding amount. Prosecutors prefer defendants pay back everything quickly in one lump sum. But they may agree to a monthly payment plan over the course of two or three years.
As long as the defendant keeps paying, he/she may remain out of custody. Then once everything is repaid, the defendant has the discretion to drop the case. Note that it is never guaranteed that prosecutors will agree to a payment plan.
Possibly, but it is unlikely. Once the casino tries and fails to redeem the patron’s marker, the patron can certainly ask the casino to consider a payment plan in exchange for not going to the prosecutor. But in most cases, casinos give patrons only 10 days to pay in full before handing over the case to the D.A.
Yes. But in practice, casinos usually let the D.A. act as their debt collector so they can avoid the time and expense of litigating a lawsuit. However, the Venetian – a Las Vegas casino – is known for filing civil lawsuits against patrons for unpaid casino markers while the criminal case is pending.
Our Las Vegas casino marker lawyers serve clients throughout the state, including Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite, and Reno in addition to Las Vegas, NV.
See our related article, What is a casino marker?
A former Los Angeles prosecutor, attorney Neil Shouse graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School (and completed additional graduate studies at MIT). He has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Dr Phil, The Today Show and Court TV. Mr Shouse has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal and Top 100 Civil Attorneys.