Passport is not an acceptable form of ID??!!!

[babonsi 0]

It had been a while since we last went there, so we decided to go to Win River Casino for the night (in Redding).

Everyone seems to think that I look younger than my age (which I guess should normally flatter me but, after all these episodes, it's really starting to pi$$ me off!) and therefore I'm always carrying my passport around as an ID. We just weren't able to get a state ID card for myself yet ... after having applied twice - 1st time in Nov. 2005 and then Jan 2006 - we are STILL waiting for it! Anyway, we've NEVER had any trouble with my passport being accepted, no matter where we were (we spent New Years Eve in Nevada and have been to lots of other casinos in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, etc)

But here we are, having fun tonight ... enjoying some drinks, dancing and listening to a pretty cool live band, winning some, losing some, the old story ...

We had been in there for about 3 hrs when we decided to go to the cashier and cash out our winnings (not a fortune, mind you). So my hubby and I were waiting in line when a security guard comes to us and asks me for an ID. Fine, it's not like it was the first time it happened ... I open my passport to the ID page to show it to him and he takes it from my hand and starts staring at it. Seems like he was having some trouble locating my DOB, so I pointed it to him ... It was our turn to the cashier, so we stepped out of line and asked him what was the problem (he had been staring at my passport for like 3 mins now!) He eventually says that the passport does not qualify as a form of ID and he has to check up with his superior, so he starts calling through his radio "Emergency code at cashier"! By now, people were staring at us like we were some kind of freaks/public menace My hubby was trying to be calm about it and squeezed my hand saying it's ok, knowing that I tend to get pretty damn agravated at this kind of situations (heck, who wouldn't???) ...

The superior arrives (in the meantime, another guard showed up as well, so there were now 3 big guys who carried guns, surrounding us ) It was his turn to start staring at my passport now ... so he proceeds in doing it. He starts asking me all kinds of questions ("so, are you visiting from a foreign country?", "is this your only piece of ID?" ... ), that my hubby ironically asked him if we should just get a lawyer (lol it's funny now that we think of it, but back then we were just exasperated!) They said that my passport does not meet the requirements of an acceptable form of identification, since it doesn't have a "physical" description of myself

The passport includes: DOB, height, color of eyes & obviously, picture. They said it HAS to show the weight & hair color as well, or else they can't accept it #######??? Did 'Weight Watchers' move into win river casino and we didn't know it?! What the heck does my weight and hair color has to do with being old enough to consume alcoholic beverages on their premises??? What if I dyed my hair purple before going there, they wouldn't have let me in coz the picture shows I'm blonde??

I was so flabbergasted by their aberations and the cheap & absolutely useless show they put on, that I felt my blood boiling till my temples started to throb like crazy ... My hubby though, just like always, stayed calm, told them that they should get their Alcoholic Beverages Control Board facts straight before treating their customers like that and then, just like a hero lol (awww gotta love that though! ), took me by the shoulders and said: "com'on baby, let's spend our money elsewhere, since they don't seem to want it here" (that's my hubby!!! )

I was unable to stop shivering from anger all the way to the parking lot ... my poor husband had to listen to me using probably most of the cursing words in the English language lol and when I ran out of those, I started the Romanian ones

At first, we were thinking of looking into making a complaint somewhere ... but then we decided it's not worth the trouble. But guess who won't ever be stepping foot into that darn place anymore? (even after we get my state ID card with the "proper physical description" including my bra size!)

Sorry for the lenght, just had to vent!

Miha (24 yo, blonde hair, dark hazel eyes, 5'6'', 110 lbs) & Steve

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I WOULD write to them, demanding an apology and also saying you, and none of the people you've told about this episode will be visiting their downmarket establishment again.

They treated you APPALLINGLY - you should be rightfully angry about it - and I'd even consider suing their asses for 'hurt feelings' 'embarrassment' and 'inconvenience'.

You say the 'rues and regs' DO mention passport as a suitable ID form - therefore they were just WRONG.

Make a fuss.

I would.

[aussie&princess 0]

Umm someone needs to smack them across the head. Passport is THE BEST FORM OF ID!!!! what da*mn school they go to. crying out loud.....

[Fischkoepfin 1]

The same things has happened to me before and there's nothing you can do. I once wanted to go into a bar in Philadelphia with a bunch of friends and only had my passport with me. My friends got in; I didn't. Why? They only accept PA-state IDs, and my passport was most likely fake anyway. I was so mad that night because the PA-ID at the time was a joke and half of the ones they had seen from my friends were fake, whereas my passport had about 50 different security protections, including ID-card in plastic and holograms, etc.

Where I live now, they have a similar law, only that bars and other non-minor places only and exclusively accept Indiana Driver's Licenses. I've refused entrance with a Georgia license, and I've also been asked for additional identification (Phote-ID) in addition to my Georgia license other than my passport (which the bouncer also viewed as a fake). The only solution was to get the required ID, and now it's no problem whatsoever (they stopped carding me the moment I had my IN-DL).

I wish you the best of luck with getting a state-ID asap. Bars, casinos, and so on seem to be able to make their own rules about IDs, and it is in their disgression to change those rules on the spot. The less known the form of ID you present, the more likely it is that they will not admit you.

[sparkofcreation 0]

What state are you in? I don't have a single piece of ID with my weight and hair color. My state DL only has height and eye color (since both weight and hair color can change so easily) and my job did away with the full-description IDs in favor of ones that had a larger picture and larger text for our names and titles. Unless I'm mistaken, my passport doesn't have any description of me at all.

[CarolineM 0]

My florida DL only has my height.

[silly_chick 0]

OMG, that's horrific... I'm sorry you had to go through this!

Yep, I had problems using my passport as an ID too, so I totally relate.

[j&js 0]

A couple years ago when James and a couple friends were over here just visiting, they wouldn't let his friend buy a scratch ticket with his passport. Yea, you only need to be 18 to buy those. And then I tried to use my ID to buy it for him and the lady said no, she already knew it was for him. Weird people.... who would take the trouble to make a counterfeit passport and then sit in a bar or buy a scratch ticket?!? Obviously you would be off doing crazy international things if you could make a legitamite looking passport.

I don't think that complaining would do any good, it is generally up to the discretion of the place to accept ID or not, or at least I have seen signs to that effect in stores before. But I would tell your friends not to give those creeps any money either!

[jesse89148 0]

I work in a casino in Las Vegas and Passports are a totally fine I.D. Security gaurds are the brightest people in the world you must realize.

[meddykomp 0]

It doesnt make sense. Here I have been told that a passport is the best form of ID since they are not as easy to get.

[ladybird216 2]

I work in a casino in Las Vegas and Passports are a totally fine I.D. Security gaurds are the brightest people in the world you must realize.

Passports MUST be ok for ID...in Las Vegas there are 1,000's of foreign visitors in the casinos who would only have a passport. Totally mind-boggling!!

[britbird 4]

Unfortunately rules can be different from state to state. They can also be different from establishment to establishment.

It's very annoying when Passports aren't accepted (i've had that happen a couple of times) but from the casino/bar's point of view they can get fined a LOT of money and lose their license if it is shown that they let people in who did not have suitable forms of ID, or checkable forms of ID.

I am not familiar with a Romanian Passport, but i do know that a number of European 'passports' are just a piece of paper with a few signatures and a photo attached...they don't look terribly legit, hence the recent rules in the US that require swipable passports.

I would strongly recommend you get yourself a State ID ASAP. It will make your life an awful lot easier.

You could take your case to the Alcohol Beverage people, but the casino will simply come back with the response that they reserve the right to remove people from their establishment should they so desire. It's also not helpful arguing with security guards because, as another poster mentioned, they are not that smart and certainly mostly have the sort of personality that precludes them from reasoned debate.

[allynella 0]

NJ DL's do not carry weight or hair color. Nor do any of my other ID's....

Edited February 5, 2006 by allynella

[Fandango 1,439]

I think you should write to the casino...and btw, did you get the names of all these people?

My dl doesn't have my weight on it...that's ridiculous.

And as others have said.....#######? there are plenty of tourists in Vegas who aren't going to go get state id's to gamble...what a bunch of asshats those guards were

[ChristinaM 0]

Maine State ID and DL's show your weight, sex, hair colour, eye colour and height, in that order.

Mine reminds me of when I was 40 pounds lighter and me hair was a shade of dirty ginger, but hey - it's still a valid ID although the picture no longer looks like me and the descriptions are wrong.

Man, I'd be pissed too. I'd also be writing to complain.