Page 8 - March 2006 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Fort KnoxTM Mystery Progressives Offer a Vault Full of Winnings
Barona’s Ranch House Buffet Serves Up
TSouthern Hospitality
he South has risen again at Barona Valley
Ranch Resort & Casino with the unveiling
of the Ranch House Buffet’s new menu, “A Southern A air,” which showcases the unique avors from the region. After indulging in these classic comfort foods guests will leave feeling like
true Southerners.
Every Monday night, diners are invited to begin
their feast with Creole Shrimp Remoulade or creamy Crab and Corn Bisque. Entrées include delicious Blue Crab Cakes, Roasted Sea Bass with Craw sh Butter Sauce, Signature Southern Pork Ribs, hearty Seafood Gumbo, Fried Black Pepper Cat sh with Hush Puppies and Alligator Fritters for the more adventurous. Of course, no night of Southern hospitality would be complete without a traditional slice of Sweet Potato Pie.
e Southern A air menu will be served in addition to the Ranch House Bu et’s regular menu featuring over 200 items from its eight individually themed stations.
For Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino reservations and information, visit www.barona.com or call toll free 888-7-barona (722-7662).
IGT’s Fort KnoxTM Mystery Progressives series takes your favorite slot machines to a whole new level ofthrillingbonusplay.
Look for penny versions of classic games such as Double Diamond®, The TerminatorTM and Cleopatra® as well as new games like Lucky Lion FishTM and Flip Flop DeluxeTM under the massive Fort KnoxTM video vault sign.
You’ll hear the excitement as Fort KnoxTM players anticipate the chance to win one
of four frequently awarded mystery progressives. e large overhead screen can be seen by all players in the Fort KnoxTM carousel area so everyone can share in the fun of trying to penetrate the virtual vaults.
e mystery progressive bonus can be randomly triggered at any time during game play and o ers a progressive jackpot in addition to base game earnings. Large video screens above the machines show four increasing levels of progressive jackpots — Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
When the bonus is initiated at random, sirens ring and the top-box video screen announces, “You are now entering Fort
Knox.” e vault doors unlock to reveal the message “Copper vault has been breached.” At this point,
you are already a winner of the Copper progressive jackpot. From there, you enter a maze of vaulted doors and hallways
throughout the Copper level.
A block of locked safes appears, and
you pick two to reveal their values. ose values are applied to the total you need to reach the next level. is Pick & Win bonus play continues as long as the safes you pick contain enough value to advance you to the next level. Bonus play ends when you do not reach your goal or when you reach the Platinum
progressive level.
As you complete each bonus round,
you’re greeted with piles of gleaming riches and a screen full of energetic fans, cheering your jackpot as your winnings are loaded into “Fort Knox Delivery”
armored cars.
Fort KnoxTM Mystery Progressives
series shows you the combination to
gaming excitement. Your favorite games + mystery bonus progressives = fun!
Yes, It’s That Time of the Year...Taxing Questions You Have Asked
Qby Jean Scott
: You say in your book, Tax Help for the Frugal Gambler, that a casino has to give you a W2G “...only for the win of $1200 or more on one hand.” I was lucky recently while playing a 25-cent Triple Play video poker machine, hitting $1,000 royals on two lines. The casino insisted on
giving me a W2G although I pointed out to them that I was under the $1200 limit on each hand.
Identi cation Number and Certi cate. By signing this form, you certify, under penalties of perjury, your SSN. is relieves the casino of the responsibility for accuracy and puts it onto the individual’s shoulders.
All casinos should have W9 forms for you to ll out, but you might want to carry a blank one. ey are available to print out from the IRS web site or you can order one at the IRS order form toll-free number.
Q: Jean, I know you’re always stressing the need for a gambler to keep a diary of gambling sessions. I am following your advice, but I have one question about my diary. I gamble frequently and this diary fills a thick notebook each year. Do I need to send this notebook with my tax return?
A: Rest easy, faithful student. No, you don’t need to send your gambling diary with your tax return. But save it with all the other things you keep with your tax records. You will nd it mighty handy if you’re audited in the future and the IRS wants to see proof of the gambling gures on your tax return.
If you want to learn more about getting comps and how to get more of them, you might want to read two books by Jean Scott: The Frugal Gambler and More Frugal Gambling. Go to her Web site (www.FrugalGambler.biz) for other products, including Tax Help for the Frugal Gambler by Jean Scott and Marissa Chien, E.A.
A: I understand your confusion. Even casinos were confused when multi-line games rst came on the market, and many looked at it as you’re doing now—3lines means 3 hands. However, the IRS soon made it clear that all the line winners on one
“play” of a multi-line machine are totaled together and are considered one “hand.” ey’re saying that it doesn’t matter whether one bet covers just one or many lines, it is still a single bet.
erefore, you will end up with more W2Gs when you play multi-line games—especially if you’re a lover of Fifty Play or Hundred Play!
Q: Recently my friend was playing bingo at a California casino and hit a $3000 jackpot. However, the casino would not pay her the money at that time because she didn’t have her Social Security card with her. They said she had 24 hours to bring it in and then they would pay her. This was very inconvenient for her as she
lived quite a good distance from the casino and hadn’t planned on making the trip there again the next day.
A: I have heard of this before, usually from someone who was playing in a small or newly-opened casino, where employees often haven’t been trained yet in federal governmental regulation areas. ere is no federal or state law that requires a U.S. citizen to give written proof of his Social Security number (SSN) when he is issued a W2G. He or she could give it to the casino orally. However, the casino is responsible for having the correct SSN on the W2G. is is why many casinos ask for the actual SS card if your number is not already in their database from previous W2Gs.
But with the current problem of identity theft, many people wisely do not carry their SS cards. However, you do have another option. You can request that the casino give you a W9 form, Request for Taxpayer
Page 8 March 2006
Jean Scott, The Frugal GamblerTM Gaming News (Continued)