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Backstory: This took place roughly four years ago, I had went to the casino and won big. After I leave at 1:30AM I stopped by iHop to get something to eat.
Story: So it was a Saturday night, the Casino was full, and I went there to play some free money coupons I get plus I had a 100$ I could spend, so after about 3 hours of gambling I had won up to 8,000$ I hit two jackpot's, and I decided to play another machine Cleopatra II which had a max bet of 250$ which I decided I would try a few spins, well I did my math wrong and it was 500$ a spin, but on my 3rd spin I got 4 scatters (free spins bonus game) and with that I ended up with 25 free spins at $500 a spin, with a multiplier going up from 1x to 50x.
After two dead spins (no wins) I get four more scatters, and another 25 free spins, and this begins to draw a crowd.
Well, after it was all done, I won a damn decent amount of money, high six figures, I got cashed out, and then I played one more progressive slot machine making my way out because it was getting late, and of course not even paying attention I max bet on this machine and after five or six spins, it's buzzing, blinking, congratulating me on my progressive win! I looked at the machine and people are celebrating around me, and I'm wondering if I broke the fucking machine.
Nope, a progressive jackpot.
After they took me to the back, the win was verified, and the money was wired into my bank account, I was honestly in shock, I had to sign paperwork that I read, I also made sure they didn't disclose my last name to protect myself and my Daughters, even though we live somewhere else, and were their to visit family.
(Yes, family found out, and cousins, uncles, aunts, some family I hadn't met came to me, and would ask me for some money or a loan. I said no.)
So I take my winnings, I get all the paperwork done, photo taken, and security escorts me to my car as I am leaving, and I do have some cash on me. I got to my truck which I had just bought that day, and as I drove home, I was getting hungry, I saw an iHop and I pulled in and parked.
It wasn't crowded, however there was one table with about six people, who were obviously still drunk and there to eat. I was seated and I already knew what I wanted and ordered.
My waitress brings me my drink, apologizes for the delay as they are understaffed, and I tell her it's no problem, I am in no hurry.
I watched these men and women treat this waitress like shit. I was in earshot so I overheard part on a conversation, which made my blood boil.
40 minutes later asked for the check, and paid, I already asked for mine I was done already and wanted to go home and sleep, and these entitled assholes refused to tip! They threw a fucking fit about tipping. They gathered their things, and the one thing I heard a woman say "How pathetic do you have to be to beg for money for a tip! Fucking poor white trash, I am never coming back!"
Then the waitress got a surprise of a lifetime, my meal was 24$, I left her a tip of 2400$, I hid it so when she saw it and the note I wrote on the receipt.
"There are sometimes spoiled entitled people in the world, but every once in a while their is someone who does care about the people working in the food industry and service industry, you kept a smile the entire time those drunk assholes threw a fit. Also I called the police to report six drunk people about to leave here in separate cars. Enjoy the show and I hope this money helps!"
She ran up to me and hugged me! Thanked me, and asked if this was really happening and I said yes it is. She was so happy, that now with that money she could move on in her life earlier than she planned.
We also got to watch as all six of those people got pulled over for drunk driving, four cars pulled over, several police, as I drove by I just waved.
tldr; I won a progressive jackpot, and I shared the wealth with a waitress at iHope by giving her a $2,400.00 tip on a 24$ order, while she was dealing with six entitled people who were drunk, being loud, yelling at her, complaining about the food. So i called 911 to report that several people would be leaving the iHop I was at as they we're heavily intoxicated, and they got arrested, and four cars got impounded.

(Not sure what permissions are required, but this is totally okay to share on a future episode if you guys would like. I would honestly love it if you do!) ^_^
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After falling behind a whole bunch after you guys switched to weekly episodes, I finally managed to get around to sort of binging a lot so I could finally catch back up. As such, I heard a bunch of viewer stories, and was reminded of a strange event (one of the few) of my own that I figured I would put out there and see what people's thoughts are on it.
I'd first like to preface this story with an important personal note by saying that I am a staunch Catholic and am very much in the Jesse camp of skepticism and just complete disbelief when it comes to paranormal/supernatural stuff, and will forever maintain that what happened to me has a logical explanation to it, even if I'll never be sure what that explanation is. "^_^
As a bit of important background info, I currently just turned 30 years old this past July (I'm officially old now. T~T) . My family annually vacations in Lake Tahoe California/Nevada ever year in August and has done so for the past ~20 years, since it's the best time for hiking as there's no snow on the mountains and the melting snow makes the numerous lakes & rivers as full and lively as possible. In the evenings, it has always been extremely common for us to head across the state-line to the Harrah's casino for some evening gambling at the video poker machines at the bar and some Blackjack or Pai Gow table games, but me and my two brothers (one older by about 3 years, one younger by about 2 years) would instead frequent the arcade at the Harvey's hotel/casino just across the street where we would play while our parents gambled. (As a dumb aside, in this arcade there is also a claw machine filled with just colored ducks that I tweeted out with the whole SGS tagged with the hashtag #DucksForDavis back in 2018 that Jesse liked, and I'll always be so happy for that, so thank you Jesse. That made my day. ^_^)
A tourist pamphlet book of coupons that we would get from our time-share gave us an additional $5.00 or so in tokens for cashing in $20.00, and this arcade offered a redemption prize of $5.00 in tokens in exchange for 500 tickets. This particular arcade also had a baseball themed timing-based ticketing game that would give you 3 plays per token and would pitch a slow, medium, and fast "pitch" that you had to time on the Jackpot light that would give [at a minimum] 25, 50, and 100 tickets respectively that would only increase upon more unsuccessfully attempts. Over the years of us playing that game, my brothers became good enough at it to the point where it was VERY easy to exploit and win significantly more than in $5.00 in tickets. For example, we would often win double-that or more by earning 1000+ or 1500+ tickets per every $5.00, so we essentially paid $20.00 up front and played for free the rest of our trip and would get the best prizes every couple of years after accruing enough tickets (we managed to get a Wii one year at ~20k tickets as I recall). So basically, we never had to actually spend any money at this arcade to play or win anything. I was never particularly good at this game myself, so I would most often just stand around and watch them exploit this clearly unbalanced game and proceed to play other games that I enjoyed after we had enough tickets in surplus to exchange.
I don't remember exactly when this particular event happened since all these trips have basically blurred together in my head, but one time within the last 10 years (I want to say 7 ago or so but that's really just a guess), I was standing next to this ticketing machine while they were playing like normal. There is an airhockey table just to the right of this game, and at the time we were playing I distinctly remember 2 teenage boys aggressively playing while I just watched my brothers exploit this ticketing game.
At a certain point, I just remember feeling SOMETHING strike me extremely hard and fast across my right temple and I immediately dropped to the ground. Like I straight-up just collapsed and slumped to the ground, clutching the side of my head in pain. My initial thought was that the airhockey puck had accidentally gotten hit into the air and hit me and that was what I felt. When I dropped to the ground, my brothers were very visibly concerned about what had happened to me and stopped what they were doing to make sure that I was okay.
I slowly stood up from my knees, rubbing the side of my head vigorously to help alleviate some of the pain, insisting that something had just hit me but that I was okay but was just hit by an airhockey puck. But when I glanced over to look at the airhockey table to the right of the game cabinet, I don't remember seeing anyone at the table and there was no evidence of any stray puck anywhere on the ground, and I had no lasting damage/pain/bruise on my head from this supposed 'hit' I took. It basically appeared that I was struck in the side of my head by nothing and I dropped to the ground randomly for no reason with no indication that anything had physically damaged me.
Because it happened so long ago and none of us REALLY paid attention to what had occurred or happened, neither me or my brothers can really remember all the exact details such as if anyone was playing airhockey that night or if anyone was at the table after I supposedly got hit by the flying puck, so I tend to take all of this with a grain of salt. I certainly don't believe it was anything supernatural or paranormal, but it was certainly a bizarre occurrence that stands out in my memory to this day.
Anyways! That's it. ^_^ Not something SUPER bizarre, and I don't believe that anything unexplainable, paranormal, or supernatural occurred that day, and I've never experienced anything like it since. I'm absolutely certain there's an explanation for what happened, even if it's just me mentally experiencing this for seemingly no reason, but I'm curious and interested to hear people's thoughts.

Original Article

Could Blockchain Technology Ever Replace TITO?

First, what is TITO?

A system for slot machine play through the use of a barcoded paper ticket. The ticket may be purchased in advance of slot machine play, or issued from the slot machine if there are credits remaining at the conclusion of the patron’s gaming session. When the patron has completed his play, balances on the ticket can be redeemed for cash at a kiosk or the casino cage or used for further play at the casino that issued the ticket

Where did it come from?

In consideration of the potential use of blockchain to phase-out the TITO, we must understand the nuances around which TITO was adopted. This entails understanding how TITO helps to solve the problem of data collection in the casino industry.
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Ticket-in, ticket out (TITO) machines are used in casino slot machines to print out a slip of paper with a barcode indicating the amount of money represented. These can in turn be redeemed for cash at an automated kiosk, or be used for game play at other slot machines. The machines utilize a barcode scanner built into the bill acceptor, a thermal ticket printer in place of a coin hopper (some rare machines are set up to pay with coins if the payout is less than the payout limit, and to print a ticket in situations where a hand pay would normally be required) and a network interface to communicate with a central system that tracks tickets. MGM was in the middle of construction of its major hotel in Las Vegas and invited several gaming machine manufacturers to join a consortium for its Cashless Casino experiment. In the group were Bally Gaming, IGT, Sigma Games, Universal and several others. They were all presented with the MGM UIB Protocol documents and were aided in the realization of the protocol on their gaming platforms. The first trial of the system was actually at the Desert Inn property. MGM Had situated several trailers in the parking lot where the manufacturers could bring their gaming devices for test before being installed on the Field Trial at the Desert Inn.
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On or about March of 1992 Applied Computer Technology began evaluating software that was developed for Five Star Solutions and subsequently sold to MGM Grand Hotels, Inc. for a slot monitoring and accounting system. Applied Computer Technology began to modify software and specify a new hardware platform for MGM to use in order to implement its designed system and to allow expansion of its current capabilities at the time. On June 30, 1992, Applied Computer Technology, Inc. issued a quotation to MGM Grand, Inc. to engineer and design a Universal Interface Board or UIB for MGM Grand to be installed into slot machines for the purpose of monitoring critical machine status and components, displaying messages to the user of the slot machine, reading magnetic strip cards and communicating messages to and from a host mainframe computer. On or about July of 1992 the quotation was expanded to include the printing of Bar Codes on a receipt ticket printer manufactured by Star Micronics Inc, model #sp300. MGM Grand provided them with a model printing algorithm in BASIC source code as an example of how to print the ticket which they used to develop the algorithm. This saved a lot of development time since the code they provided already had been developed. They were also presented at that time with a sample ticket. On or about August of 1992, they received word from MGM that they had located a bill validator that was capable of reading the tickets that Applied Computer Technology was currently printing, and for ACT to start writing preliminary code for the validation of tickets to and from the mainframe computer so that when the unit did arrive ACT would be ready in a short time to test their protocols. On or about October 22 of 1992 ACT received a prototype Bill Validator from MGM Grand hotel who had received it from Pat Green of Triad Design. The Bill Validator was special in that it not only was able to validate currency but also to validate coupons with bar coded tickets on them. Mr. Green was using a second parties Bill Validator outfitted with his own special circuitry which incorporated a laser bar code reading system.
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The following in an excerpt of the very first functioning version of code
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https://preview.redd.it/u9i7rwt4zi121.png?width=580&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee6ec6151ce37fbe654eebad1af7b8de41473b4c
As can be seen by the above section of program highlighted in blue and titled Revision History, an entry was made on June 5, 1992 repairing a section of the program with the function name do_sds_pend(). This section upon further examination shows that the program at that time was capable of handling pending transactions for cashouts, and jackpots whereas the program would receive a cashout signal from the gaming device, transmit the amount of cashout or handpay to the mainframe computer, and await a command from the mainframe to print a ticket worth a set amount of credits/coins and finally signal the gaming machine after the ticket was printed that the pending state was complete and to continue its operations as normal.
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TITO USE

The concept of Ticket In / Ticket Out (TITO), as described above was a boon to the Casino Slots Departments and the estates they manage. TITO enabled the phase-out of mechanical machine hoppers, prone to jamming, and requiring constant replenishment which tied up considerable sums of cash which was open to theft as it crossed the casino floor instead of being secured in a vault.
Today, the TITO voucher is ubiquitous and the ability to track them across the gaming floor is increasingly prized in its ability to address:

• When there is theft, to rapidly determine who the perpetrator is for swift apprehension.
• To issue alerts when more than a certain value, or vouchers in a certain combination, are cashed in.
• To detect patterns of activity when vouchers close to expiry, or multiple small “remainder” values are cashed.
• To track the preference of players who move from machine to machine and measure time of play.

However, for all the benefits TITO brought to the casino floor, it is not without it’s pitfalls and weaknesses which provide opportunities for improvements in the system or, potentially a phased replacement of the entire TITO system.

TITO VULNERABILITIES

1. Partial Payouts: A partial payout occurs when a ticket is inserted into a machine, with an amount that is not supported by the denomination. For example, a ticket valued at $148 is inserted into a $10 per spin slot. In this instance, the machine will print a ticket for the remaining $8.00. Quite often, patrons unfamiliar with the process, will assume the machine is out of order, taking the $8.00 and leaving.
2. Ticket Theft: At first, this may seem rare. However in the casino environment, designed to distract patrons and guide their eyes elsewhere and combined with comped alcohol, it happens more often than assumed. This is not just theft from the patron however. Ticket Theft uses casino resources as they are often asked to investigate lost or stolen tickets. A stolen ticket for $20 to a patron, may cost a casino $75 in labor to resolve.
3. Money Laundering: Casinos have always been an ideal location to change illegal money. With the advent of TITO, it’s never been easier. Though FinCEN has tasked gaming operators with the responsibility of reporting suspicious transactions, with so many events happening on the casino floor, this activity remains difficult to prevent. Suspicious activity involving TITO usage can be any, all, or hybrids of the following two examples:

a. Placing currency in a slot machine, then cashing out after minimal or no play and redeeming the TITO ticket at a kiosk on the gaming floor (“bill stuffing);
b. Patrons pass a large quantity of chips, cash or TITO tickets between themselves in an apparent effort to conceal the ownership of the chips, cash or TITO tickets; if patrons are closely related, such activity may not be seen as suspicious.

1. Employee Collusion/Reprinting: Employee theft accounts for the majority of loss throughout all industries, and casino gaming is no exception. Most lost or stolen tickets are reported, but some remain unclaimed. Each TITO ticket is created with an expiration date. If they are not redeemed within 60 days of their creation, the funds are returned to the house. Employees with sufficient access are able to run reports of unclaimed tickets which are about to expire then reprint and pass them to a non-employee for redemption.
2. Theft of Time: TITO incidents are frequent. The investigation on them is time consuming. Each time a ticket is inserted into a machine, the system generates a new ticket number. A single TITO ticket may have a dozen or more events. Manually referring to slot location, time of ticket event, and pulling up the correlated video takes dozens of man-hours each week.
3. Exploiting reporting times in ticket creation with the mainframe disseminating the ticket information to the slot control system and kiosk systems allows a window for patrons to copy and cashout a ticket more than once.
4. Tickets are often counterfeited with advanced processes or fake tickets are created and sold at a discount to unknowing patrons. While this doesn’t seem to effect the casino, it does, as any money a player loses on the street, is money the casino loses an opportunity to win on house edge.

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CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE PAST

Understanding the why, behind the advent of TITO requires a bit more knowledge of how operations in both cash handling as well as data was collected during the past. To start, as late as the 1980’s, the ubiquitous presence of computers and smart-phones with which we are all so familiar were unknown because, for the most part, they did not exist. This meant that most analytics were done manually, if at all. Typically, this meant that they were not really done, and people relied upon superstition verging upon Witchcraft and "gut feel" for the decisions that they made. There was no data available to help in this decision making and no simple way to analyze or to interpret it even if the data had been available.
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Back in the day, "the Count", where one emptied the Gaming Table drop boxes and counted out the money and checked out the Fill and Credit paperwork, was critical. Only at these times was the Operation really aware of what they were winning and losing and until the money was actually counted then everything else was little better than guesswork.
By the time the 1990’s rolled around, we might term the epoch the near past. In the near past, computers existed and within a few years after mobile phones of the most basic sort were becoming common. By this time, Microsoft Office had revolutionized office productivity and Excel actually meant that a normal person could produce graphs that looked professional.
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Indeed, by this point, a huge share of the (still very small amount) data analysis conducted was processed in Excel while simple Access databases accounted for much of the rest. There were, of course, more complex analytic tools out there, but my they were not commonly employed and were all but invisible to the majority of employees.
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At least some of this was due to the staff still employed and rising to the top ranks of the industry. With some notable and far sighted exceptions, the majority had "grown up" in the Gaming Industry, especially the Table Games portion of it, without analytics and reliant upon the "gut feel" method of working out what was going on; many of them distrusted technology and of the work and training they would need to be able to get the most out of even the basic tools available to them at this time.
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Analysis was lacking in almost every aspect of the Table Games Operation. This could, of course, be contrasted with the Slots Departments who were beginning to reap the benefits of mechanization and the analysis that could be applied to the early electro-mechanical and increasingly purely electronic slots systems. So, in Slots, you could say there were the beginnings of the "Siloed systems", that is systems that gathered data and allowed analysis solely within their own bounded confines (or with Excel); while for Table games there was nothing...unless enterprising staff entered the data themselves.
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CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE PRESENT

If we skip forward from the 1990’s, to around 2011 when Galaxy Macau opened, a cornerstone of the largest and most vital Table Gaming market the world had ever seen, much had changed. By this time, analytics systems, even for Table Games had become ubiquitous and pioneering companies were beginning to go further and to promise real, timely, actionable intelligence from the deluge of data that had flourished in the sixteen years between these dates.
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Indeed, it is easy to argue that the actual collection of data, the easy bit, had completely outstripped the ability to suitably organize, analyze and act on the data being recorded and stored: the hard bit. The growth of data and the formation of the silo systems themselves seemed almost designed to stymie efforts to draw anything meaningful from the awful weight of what was being collected.
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This is not to denigrate the Silo Systems in use at the time. Indeed, this whole era might be handily subtitled the Silo Systems Age even as the period before this could be considered the Data Dark Ages. The silo systems had been spectacularly productive in what they were designed to do and, in earlier periods of this age, had given unprecedented insight into operations, within the siloed data itself. While data flows were, relatively speaking, low and what needed to be known or understood strictly circumscribed they worked very well indeed.
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But the very strength of systems designed to store data within limited parameters and to analyze and interpret this data inevitably meant that these systems could not consider data from outside their silo. Nor, as it increasingly became apparent, were they entirely well suited to the increasing data flows coming from larger and more data intensive operations and from the increases in the areas from which data was being collected. The answer to this always seemed to be to add more independent siloes, but it seemed that as quickly as these were added, they were being filled up by what data was being collected and they were being superseded in what Operations Management wished was being collected.
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To even attempt to consider data across the growing numbers of siloes in use, it was back to Excel for the enterprising staff member brave, or fool-hardy, enough to try to sift the deluge of data for the nuggets of information buried within. It was a period that could, for our nascent data explorer, be characterized by the printout and the highlighter pen.
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Forests of print outs for the siloed data were produced; much of which could not be extracted in any other way as this feature had never been considered when the silo was constructed. Then the explorer sat down and tried to impose order upon the chaos of the data and to consider events on printout "A" that might illuminate detail on printout "B" before typing everything into Excel and trying to graph or pivot table it.
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CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE FUTURE

The future will be a world without siloed systems. Or rather, since it will take a while for the current siloed systems to be replaced, it will become like that after having gone through a transitional period where there are overarching systems binding the siloes together and taking data from all of them.
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We have already reached a stage where cross-silo systems exist and are looking at data, and more importantly the connections between data in different siloes collected for different purposes, in new and illuminating ways. There are some very exciting technologies out there that are examining data in entirely new and unprecedented ways; giving insights into things people have long believed and confirming some ideas even while they debunk others. Now data can be examined from IoT style devices on the gaming floor and combined with data from Ratings and Food and Beverage systems to give a far more detailed and nuanced picture of a Patron and their interaction with the Operation.
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Similarly, data can be taken on dealer performance and ratings to determine how they interact with Patrons, how efficiently they perform their duties and even such things as how they impact upon Patron dwell tie at their tables.
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In a business such as Casino Table Games where rewarding Patrons through reinvestment has to be balanced against making sure that they actually add value to the Operation by their wager amounts and style of play and where customer service must be balanced against sufficient game-pace to make margin there are myriad areas where data analytics can be beneficial.
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Bringing this data together from the siloes within which it is stored and analyzing it in context can already provide incredible business insights. The idea that there has to be only one provider, that one company, supplier or organization can do everything end-to-end, is a holdover from the Silo Age.
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The Future of Gaming Analytics will be one of best-of-breed suppliers of the basic building blocks of data collecting feeding into similar providers of data analytics and the entirety of this analysis and output being available on whatever medium best suits the individual planning to consume it.
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OK, BUT NONE OF THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH BLOCKCHAIN...

Well, it does now - and it's under the guise of how Casinos know their players - be patient...
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Without knowing your players, there is no real way a casino can best serve them. They can’t be sure what it is they like, or how they are expected to play. The concern being that if competition has a better grasp on player identity and behavior, there is every reason for a casino’s players to defect to another property. When this occurs, and it does, casinos begin to “buy their business” by offering higher promotional levels in an effort to entice the return of their once loyal players.
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So, how can technologies be deployed to aid a casino in their quest for information regarding their players and understanding what they like and what their actions are on the casino floor? There is, unsurprisingly, a considerable overlap with the data that is used to determine the best optimization of Table Games.
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Ratings data as it currently exists is the obvious starting point. This gives the casino a picture of what their staff and systems believe is happening, and while it may not (and almost certainly isn't) completely accurate it does do a very good job of determining Gaming Preference.
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What do patrons prefer to do?
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Data from smart IoT enabled devices, such as Smart Shoes are currently determining actual game pace, determining what is really going on at the Gaming Table level. Next Generation sensors, already in "real world" deployments, can determine both the location of any wagers made and with increasing accuracy the cash values of these wagers. Data from Venue, Hotel and POS systems can be linked to create a Patron profile of what they are doing when they are not wagering on the Gaming Tables. Where are they interacting with the broader Casino offering? How are they paying for this interaction? What are their non-gaming preferences? Geo-location sensors can be deployed, via opt-in applications, to track Patron movements about the property. Where are they going when they do not interact with the wider offering?
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From the sum of this data, again gathered from across the various siloes in which it currently resides, a more complete and more holistic picture of the Patron as an autonomous actor can be determined.
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A combination of bet recognition and game pace can determine their real, as opposed to assumed, value to the operation. What is meant by this is the real House Advantage maintained by the Casino against their play (for any Table Game type where this can be a variable). It can issue alerts when play exceeds certain thresholds, or changes in marked ways.
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For the first time an accurate appraisal of what they like to do in addition to their Gaming can be determined. This enables enhanced market segmentation and a fuller picture of the likes and dislikes of the patron in question. If he or she only goes to the seafood restaurant, why would a casino send them a voucher for a steak? If they like the Spa, why reward them with a buffet voucher?
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Offers can be made "on the fly" when the Patron is in proximity with something a casino now recognizes that they enjoy doing. Subtly rewarding them for brand loyalty to the casino and explicitly discouraging them from gaming somewhere that does not know them as well.
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An increasingly non-siloed, data rich and free data environment is a picture of the future when customers are more reliant on technology. So while no-one knows for sure in what precise direction technology will shape how the Casino Industry will face the future, the broad trends are sufficiently established to be knowable. What is required therefore is the ability to do this, before the competition does.
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AGAIN, WHAT ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN?

Any Blockchain solution company, in evaluating the potential for casino penetration should take into heavy consideration the history of TITO, how and why it was developed, and the continued lean on knowing the players. Combining that with how a wallet/ledger solution would solve the 7 identified TITO vulnerabilities above will give you a solid approach in both development and marketing efforts. It should be obvious to those of us involved in Blockchain tech how, the implementation of an enterprise level, patron utilized wallet which communicates with not only slots, but casino credit mechanisms would be of tremendous asset in combating fraud while generating new player data casinos have never had access to. The value proposition lies within cost savings, player retention, player information and habit knowledge, and anti-theft.

The question is not will Blockchain replace TITO, but who is willing to step up and begin that process?

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I've always wondered why companies aren't utilizing BOTH sides of blockchain (finance and data) in the world of casinos. I wrote this in the hopes that someone will step up and introduce blockchain as a way to replace the current TITO systems in place in casinos.
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First, what is TITO?
A system for slot machine play through the use of a barcoded paper ticket. The ticket may be purchased in advance of slot machine play, or issued from the slot machine if there are credits remaining at the conclusion of the patron’s gaming session. When the patron has completed his play, balances on the ticket can be redeemed for cash at a kiosk or the casino cage or used for further play at the casino that issued the ticket
Where did it come from?
In consideration of the potential use of blockchain to phase-out the TITO, we must understand the nuances around which TITO was adopted. This entails understanding how TITO helps to solve the problem of data collection in the casino industry.
Ticket-in, ticket out (TITO) machines are used in casino slot machines to print out a slip of paper with a barcode indicating the amount of money represented. These can in turn be redeemed for cash at an automated kiosk, or be used for game play at other slot machines. The machines utilize a barcode scanner built into the bill acceptor, a thermal ticket printer in place of a coin hopper (some rare machines are set up to pay with coins if the payout is less than the payout limit, and to print a ticket in situations where a hand pay would normally be required) and a network interface to communicate with a central system that tracks tickets. MGM was in the middle of construction of its major hotel in Las Vegas and invited several gaming machine manufacturers to join a consortium for its Cashless Casino experiment. In the group were Bally Gaming, IGT, Sigma Games, Universal and several others. They were all presented with the MGM UIB Protocol documents and were aided in the realization of the protocol on their gaming platforms. The first trial of the system was actually at the Desert Inn property. MGM Had situated several trailers in the parking lot where the manufacturers could bring their gaming devices for test before being installed on the Field Trial at the Desert Inn.
On or about March of 1992 Applied Computer Technology began evaluating software that was developed for Five Star Solutions and subsequently sold to MGM Grand Hotels, Inc. for a slot monitoring and accounting system. Applied Computer Technology began to modify software and specify a new hardware platform for MGM to use in order to implement its designed system and to allow expansion of its current capabilities at the time. On June 30, 1992, Applied Computer Technology, Inc. issued a quotation to MGM Grand, Inc. to engineer and design a Universal Interface Board or UIB for MGM Grand to be installed into slot machines for the purpose of monitoring critical machine status and components, displaying messages to the user of the slot machine, reading magnetic strip cards and communicating messages to and from a host mainframe computer. On or about July of 1992 the quotation was expanded to include the printing of Bar Codes on a receipt ticket printer manufactured by Star Micronics Inc, model #sp300. MGM Grand provided them with a model printing algorithm in BASIC source code as an example of how to print the ticket which we used to develop the algorithm. This saved a lot of development time since the code they provided already had been developed. They were also presented at that time with a sample ticket. On or about August of 1992, they received word from MGM that they had located a bill validator that was capable of reading the tickets that Applied Computer Technology was currently printing, and for ACT to start writing preliminary code for the validation of tickets to and from the mainframe computer so that when the unit did arrive ACT would be ready in a short time to test their protocols. On or about October 22 of 1992 ACT received a prototype Bill Validator from MGM Grand hotel who had received it from Pat Green of Triad Design. The Bill Validator was special in that it not only was able to validate currency but also to validate coupons with bar coded tickets on them. Mr. Green was using a second parties Bill Validator outfitted with his own special circuitry which incorporated a laser bar code reading system.
The following in an excerpt of the very first functioning version of code
#nointerleave /* so compiler does not interleave */
//#nodebug /* disable debug mode */
/* debug tools */
#define dbugport 1 /* if def using debugger serial port */
//#define fakestrat 1 /* if faking stratus mainframe */
//#define romver 1 /* if compiling for rom */
#define disp 0xA0
#define ledon IRES(PIODA,1; /* macro to turn on led */)
#define ledoff ISET(PIODA,1; /* macro to turn off led */)
/* TUI.C -- Universal Interface Board program for Z-World Tiny Giant */
/* Copyright (C 1992, 1993, Applied Computer Technology */)
/* Author: Peter Filiberti */
/*
Revision History
Rev 1.01 5/20/92 Fixed do_sds_pend( incorrect indexing bug.)
Rev 1.02 6/04/93 Added check for end_TX in Do_Stratus_Xmt to make sure
that previous xmit ended before new one begins.
Also remmed out old drop ticket print string and added
new one that doesn't display cash amounts.
As can be seen by the above section of program highlighted in blue and titled Revision History, an entry was made on June 5, 1992 repairing a section of the program with the function name do_sds_pend(). This section upon further examination shows that the program at that time was capable of handling pending transactions for cashouts, and jackpots whereas the program would receive a cashout signal from the gaming device, transmit the amount of cashout or handpay to the mainframe computer, and await a command from the mainframe to print a ticket worth a set amount of credits/coins and finally signal the gaming machine after the ticket was printed that the pending state was complete and to continue its operations as normal.
TITO USE
The concept of Ticket In / Ticket Out (TITO), as described above was a boon to the Casino Slots Departments and the estates they manage. TITO enabled the phase-out of mechanical machine hoppers, prone to jamming, and requiring constant replenishment which tied up considerable sums of cash which was open to theft as it crossed the casino floor instead of being secured in a vault.
Today, the TITO voucher is ubiquitous and the ability to track them across the gaming floor is increasingly prized in its ability to address:
When there is theft, to rapidly determine who the perpetrator is for swift apprehension.
To issue alerts when more than a certain value, or vouchers in a certain combination, are cashed in.
To detect patterns of activity when vouchers close to expiry, or multiple small “remainder” values are cashed.
To track the preference of players who move from machine to machine and measure time of play.
However, for all the benefits TITO brought to the casino floor, it is not without it’s pitfalls and weaknesses which provide opportunities for improvements in the system or, potentially a phased replacement of the entire TITO system.
TITO VULNERABILITIES
Partial Payouts: A partial payout occurs when a ticket is inserted into a machine, with an amount that is not supported by the denomination. For example, a ticket valued at $148 is inserted into a $10 per spin slot. In this instance, the machine will print a ticket for the remaining $8.00. Quite often, patrons unfamiliar with the process, will assume the machine is out of order, taking the $8.00 and leaving.
Ticket Theft: At first, this may seem rare. However in the casino environment, designed to distract patrons and guide their eyes elsewhere and combined with comped alcohol, it happens more often than assumed. This is not just theft from the patron however. Ticket Theft uses casino resources as they are often asked to investigate lost or stolen tickets. A stolen ticket for $20 to a patron, may cost a casino $75 in labor to resolve.
Money Laundering: Casinos have always been an ideal location to change illegal money. With the advent of TITO, it’s never been easier. Though FinCEN has tasked gaming operators with the responsibility of reporting suspicious transactions, with so many events happening on the casino floor, this activity remains difficult to prevent. Suspicious activity involving TITO usage can be any, all, or hybrids of the following two examples:
a. Placing currency in a slot machine, then cashing out after minimal or no play and redeeming the TITO ticket at a kiosk on the gaming floor (“bill stuffing);
b. Patrons pass a large quantity of chips, cash or TITO tickets between themselves in an apparent effort to conceal the ownership of the chips, cash or TITO tickets; if patrons are closely related, such activity may not be seen as suspicious.
Employee Collusion/Reprinting: Employee theft accounts for the majority of loss throughout all industries, and casino gaming is no exception. Most lost or stolen tickets are reported, but some remain unclaimed. Each TITO ticket is created with an expiration date. If they are not redeemed within 60 days of their creation, the funds are returned to the house. Employees with sufficient access are able to run reports of unclaimed tickets which are about to expire then reprint and pass them to a non-employee for redemption.
Theft of Time: TITO incidents are frequent. The investigation on them is time consuming. Each time a ticket is inserted into a machine, the system generates a new ticket number. A single TITO ticket may have a dozen or more events. Manually referring to slot location, time of ticket event, and pulling up the correlated video takes dozens of man-hours each week.
Exploiting reporting times in ticket creation with the mainframe disseminating the ticket information to the slot control system and kiosk systems allows a window for patrons to copy and cashout a ticket more than once.
Tickets are often counterfeited with advanced processes or fake tickets are created and sold at a discount to unknowing patrons. While this doesn’t seem to effect the casino, it does, as any money a player loses on the street, is money the casino loses an opportunity to win on house edge.
CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE PAST
Understanding the why, behind the advent of TITO requires a bit more knowledge of how operations in both cash handling as well as data was collected during the past. To start, as late as the 1980’s, the ubiquitous presence of computers and smart-phones with which we are all so familiar were unknown because, for the most part, they did not exist. This meant that most analytics were done manually, if at all. Typically, this meant that they were not really done, and people relied upon superstition verging upon Witchcraft and "gut feel" for the decisions that they made. There was no data available to help in this decision making and no simple way to analyze or to interpret it even if the data had been available.
Back in the day, "the Count", where one emptied the Gaming Table drop boxes and counted out the money and checked out the Fill and Credit paperwork, was critical. Only at these times was the Operation really aware of what they were winning and losing and until the money was actually counted then everything else was little better than guesswork.
By the time the 1990’s rolled around, we might term the epoch the near past. In the near past, computers existed and within a few years after mobile phones of the most basic sort were becoming common. By this time, Microsoft Office had revolutionized office productivity and Excel actually meant that a normal person could produce graphs that looked professional.
Indeed, by this point, a huge share of the (still very small amount) data analysis conducted was processed in Excel while simple Access databases accounted for much of the rest. There were, of course, more complex analytic tools out there, but my they were not commonly employed and were all but invisible to the majority of employees.
At least some of this was due to the staff still employed and rising to the top ranks of the industry. With some notable and far sighted exceptions, the majority had "grown up" in the Gaming Industry, especially the Table Games portion of it, without analytics and reliant upon the "gut feel" method of working out what was going on; many of them distrusted technology and of the work and training they would need to be able to get the most out of even the basic tools available to them at this time.
Analysis was lacking in almost every aspect of the Table Games Operation. This could, of course, be contrasted with the Slots Departments who were beginning to reap the benefits of mechanization and the analysis that could be applied to the early electro-mechanical and increasingly purely electronic slots systems. So, in Slots, you could say there were the beginnings of the "Siloed systems", that is systems that gathered data and allowed analysis solely within their own bounded confines (or with Excel); while for Table games there was nothing...unless enterprising staff entered the data themselves.
CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE PRESENT
If we skip forward from the 1990’s, to around 2011 when Galaxy Macau opened, a cornerstone of the largest and most vital Table Gaming market the world had ever seen, much had changed. By this time, analytics systems, even for Table Games had become ubiquitous and pioneering companies were beginning to go further and to promise real, timely, actionable intelligence from the deluge of data that had flourished in the sixteen years between these dates.
Indeed, it is easy to argue that the actual collection of data, the easy bit, had completely outstripped the ability to suitably organize, analyze and act on the data being recorded and stored: the hard bit. The growth of data and the formation of the silo systems themselves seemed almost designed to stymie efforts to draw anything meaningful from the awful weight of what was being collected.
This is not to denigrate the Silo Systems in use at the time. Indeed, this whole era might be handily subtitled the Silo Systems Age even as the period before this could be considered the Data Dark Ages. The silo systems had been spectacularly productive in what they were designed to do and, in earlier periods of this age, had given unprecedented insight into operations, within the siloed data itself. While data flows were, relatively speaking, low and what needed to be known or understood strictly circumscribed they worked very well indeed.
But the very strength of systems designed to store data within limited parameters and to analyze and interpret this data inevitably meant that these systems could not consider data from outside their silo. Nor, as it increasingly became apparent, were they entirely well suited to the increasing data flows coming from larger and more data intensive operations and from the increases in the areas from which data was being collected. The answer to this always seemed to be to add more independent siloes, but it seemed that as quickly as these were added, they were being filled up by what data was being collected and they were being superseded in what Operations Management wished was being collected.
To even attempt to consider data across the growing numbers of siloes in use, it was back to Excel for the enterprising staff member brave, or fool-hardy, enough to try to sift the deluge of data for the nuggets of information buried within. It was a period that could, for our nascent data explorer, be characterized by the printout and the highlighter pen.
Forests of print outs for the siloed data were produced; much of which could not be extracted in any other way as this feature had never been considered when the silo was constructed. Then the explorer sat down and tried to impose order upon the chaos of the data and to consider events on printout "A" that might illuminate detail on printout "B" before typing everything into Excel and trying to graph or pivot table it.
CASINO ANALYTICS IN THE FUTURE
The future will be a world without siloed systems. Or rather, since it will take a while for the current siloed systems to be replaced, it will become like that after having gone through a transitional period where there are overarching systems binding the siloes together and taking data from all of them.
We have already reached a stage where cross-silo systems exist and are looking at data, and more importantly the connections between data in different siloes collected for different purposes, in new and illuminating ways. There are some very exciting technologies out there that are examining data in entirely new and unprecedented ways; giving insights into things people have long believed and confirming some ideas even while they debunk others. Now data can be examined from IoT style devices on the gaming floor and combined with data from Ratings and Food and Beverage systems to give a far more detailed and nuanced picture of a Patron and their interaction with the Operation.
Similarly, data can be taken on dealer performance and ratings to determine how they interact with Patrons, how efficiently they perform their duties and even such things as how they impact upon Patron dwell tie at their tables.
In a business such as Casino Table Games where rewarding Patrons through reinvestment has to be balanced against making sure that they actually add value to the Operation by their wager amounts and style of play and where customer service must be balanced against sufficient game-pace to make margin there are myriad areas where data analytics can be beneficial.
Bringing this data together from the siloes within which it is stored and analyzing it in context can already provide incredible business insights. The idea that there has to be only one provider, that one company, supplier or organization can do everything end-to-end, is a holdover from the Silo Age.
The Future of Gaming Analytics will be one of best-of-breed suppliers of the basic building blocks of data collecting feeding into similar providers of data analytics and the entirety of this analysis and output being available on whatever medium best suits the individual planning to consume it.
OK, BUT NONE OF THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH BLOCKCHAIN...
Well, it does now - and it's under the guise of how Casinos know their players - be patient...
Without knowing your players, there is no real way a casino can best serve them. They can’t be sure what it is they like, or how they are expected to play. The concern being that if competition has a better grasp on player identity and behavior, there is every reason for a casino’s players to defect to another property. When this occurs, and it does, casinos begin to “buy their business” by offering higher promotional levels in an effort to entice the return of their once loyal players.
So, how can technologies be deployed to aid a casino in their quest for information regarding their players and understanding what they like and what their actions are on the casino floor? There is, unsurprisingly, a considerable overlap with the data that is used to determine the best optimization of Table Games.
Rating data as it currently exists is the obvious starting point. This gives the casino a picture of what their staff and systems believe is happening, and while it may not (and almost certainly isn't) completely accurate it does do a very good job of determining Gaming Preference.
Data from smart IoT enabled devices, such as Smart Shoes are currently determining actual game pace, determining what is really going on at the Gaming Table level. Next Generation sensors, already in "real world" deployments, can determine both the location of any wagers made and with increasing accuracy the cash values of these wagers. Data from Venue, Hotel and POS systems can be linked to create a Patron profile of what they are doing when they are not wagering on the Gaming Tables. Where are they interacting with the broader Casino offering? How are they paying for this interaction? What are their non-gaming preferences? Geo-location sensors can be deployed, via opt-in applications, to track Patron movements about the property. Where are they going when they do not interact with the wider offering?
From the sum of this data, again gathered from across the various siloes in which it currently resides, a more complete and more holistic picture of the Patron as an autonomous actor can be determined.
A combination of bet recognition and game pace can determine their real, as opposed to assumed, value to the operation. What is meant by this is the real House Advantage maintained by the Casino against their play (for any Table Game type where this can be a variable). It can issue alerts when play exceeds certain thresholds, or changes in marked ways.
For the first time an accurate appraisal of what they like to do in addition to their Gaming can be determined. This enables enhanced market segmentation and a fuller picture of the likes and dislikes of the patron in question. If he or she only goes to the seafood restaurant, why would a casino send them a voucher for a steak? If they like the Spa, why reward them with a buffet voucher?
Offers can be made "on the fly" when the Patron is in proximity with something a casino now recognizes that they enjoy doing. Subtly rewarding them for brand loyalty to the casino and explicitly discouraging them from gaming somewhere that does not know them as well.
An increasingly non-siloed, data-rich and free data environment is a picture of the future when customers are more reliant on technology. So while no-one knows for sure in what precise direction technology will shape how the Casino Industry will face the future, the broad trends are sufficiently established to be knowable. What is required therefore is the ability to do this, before the competition does?
AGAIN, WHAT ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN?
Any Blockchain solution company, in evaluating the potential for casino penetration should take into heavy consideration the history of TITO, how and why it was developed, and the continued lean on knowing the players. Combining that with how a wallet/ledger solution would solve the 7 identified TITO vulnerabilities above will give you a solid approach in both development and marketing efforts. It should be obvious to those of us involved in Blockchain tech how, the implementation of an enterprise level, patron utilized wallet which communicates with not only slots, but casino credit mechanisms would be of tremendous asset in combating fraud while generating new player data casinos have never had access to. The value proposition lies within cost savings, player retention, player information and habit knowledge, and anti-theft.
The question is not will Blockchain replace TITO, but who is willing to step up and begin that process?

All my information comes from VisitIndiana so the list is not 100% comprehensive. If you know of anything that's missing, please post and share with everyone! If you've ever been to any of these events, or if you go this week, please share your experiences
Also be sure to visit the city-specific subreddits, as local happenings lists are starting to catch on, and they probably use different sources
This Week Only
Northwest Indiana

• Beverly Shores

Third Saturday Stargazing at the National Lakeshore: August 19th at Kemil Beach. Join members of the Chicago Astronomical Society to get a closer look at the evening sky over Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Weather permitting, see star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, planets, meteors, and learn about constellation lore from the darkest site in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Held on the third Saturday of every month from Jan. to Dec. Times vary depending on the sunset, so check website for times.

• Goodland

Goodstock Music Festival Outdoor Music Event: 100-1130PM PM August 19th at Foster Park. The Mission Of The Music Festival Is To Raise Money For Mary T. Klinker Veterans Resource Center Who Help Homeless, Almost Homeless & Veterans In Need And They Service A 7 County Area. The 4th Annual festival will be taking place on August 19th, 2017 at Foster Park in Goodland, Indiana. The Festival will start at approximately 1:30 p.m. CST. with opening ceremonies. The Legendary Jack Russell’s Great White will be headlining the event.

• Hamlet

Hamlet Rendezvous: August 19th-20th at Starke County Fairgrounds. This weekend celebration takes you back 150 years. Events include hawk/knife demonstrations, muzzle shooting, a tea, a fashion review, an iron skillet/rollin' pin toss, a carry-in supper, period music and a friendship fire or round robin
Yellowstone Trail Fest: August 19th-20th at Starke County Fairgrounds. Held in Hamlet, the Yellowstone Trail Fest celebrates the history of the Yellowstone Trail. The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of states in the United States. It ran from Massachusetts to Seattle, and right through our town of Hamlet. The Yellowstone Trail Fest features multiple contests with cash prizes - Geocaching, Battle of the Bands, Zucchini and Metal Work Sculpture. In addition to these, join them for the 5k Rainbow Splash Run, local vendors, food and much more. The Hamlet Rendezvous, a historical re-enactment of local traders and life, is held in conjunction with the Yellowstone Trail Festival.

• Michigan City

Lubeznik Art & Artisan Festival: 10AM-5PM August 19th-20th at Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Now in its 36th year, the mission of LAAF is to celebrate and foster the appreciation of a dynamic array of contemporary artists and artisans through the exhibition and sale of contemporary art in a festival setting. Enjoy artist activation, food, beer and wine. Free parking and shuttle service from Blue Chip Casino.

• Munster

Pooch Apalooza Dog Fair: 9AM-4PM August 20th at Centennial Park. Free Admission - Drop in for a social event you and your friendly pooch are sure to enjoy. This event, dedicated to the dogs, will feature a variety of contests, demonstrations, dog-care tips and more. Concessions available.

• Porter

Music Heritage Series at the National Lakeshore: 730-900PM August 18th at Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. Join in with the Save the Tunes Council as they perform traditional music associated with the sounds of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Tune up your vocal cords and gather for a sing-a-long.

North East Indiana

• Fort Wayne

Shindigz National Soccer Festival: August 17th-19th at the Saint Francis University Field. The ShindigZ National Soccer Festival has evolved into a true festival including youth clinics put on by major universities, golf outings, a wide range of live entertainment, opportunities for youth involvement, food vendors, tailgating parties, giveaway prizes, and, for the 21 and older crowd, beer tents. ShindigZ National Soccer Festival is honored every year to bring in teams that are top ranked in the country. Due to the great history of the event, ShindigZ National Soccer Festival has been recognized nationally as the premier collegiate soccer event! For additional information, please visit the National Soccer Festival website at www.nationalsoccerfestival.com.
Zoo Brew & Wine Too: August 18th at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Zoo Brew & Wine Too offers guests 21 and older the chance to sample delicious food, beer, and wine from over 40 local and regional establishments as they stroll through the zoo listening to music from local bands and enjoying the animals. Proceeds from this event support zoo operations, conservation, education, and animal care programs. VIP tickets are $150, and offer fewer lines with an early admission of 5 PM. Regular admission tickets are $75 for admission at 6 PM. For more information, please contact [email protected] or 260-427-6831. Tickets go on sale July 10 at Noon!

Central Indiana

• Bargersville

Summer Concert Series in Bargersville: 7-10PM August 18th at the Town Hall. Come enjoy live music, food trucks, a fresh produce stand, and a beer and wine garden from 7 to 10 p.m., including Hazelwood String Band on Aug. 18.

• Cumberland

Cumberland Arts Goes to Market: 9AM-4PM August 19th at Saturn Street at Cumberland Town Hall. A Celebration of Art & Community! 9th annual arts and crafts festival with Farmers Market. Unique items, amazing silent auction, superb entertainment including The Irish Airs and Silly Safaris, festival food and food trucks. Family friendly event. Free admission with free, close parking. Handicapped accessible. Located on Saturn Street, next to Cumberland Town Hall. It’s an easy walk to shop at booths and enjoy the festivities!

• Greenwood

Wamm Fest: 10AM-8PM August 19th at Craig Park. This annual summer festival celebrates wine, art, music and microbrew. The musical lineup performs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the gate.

• Indianapolis

Indiana State Fair: August 4th-20th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The Indiana State Fair continues to be the one event which brings families together to experience the best of Indiana! Entertainment, exhibits & food!
Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience: August 18th-27th at Phoenix Theatre Underground. Mortality and mystery — imagine them fused together into an intimate, interactive theatre experience that will make you laugh, ponder, and wonder. Just don't bring the kids. This is grown-up, dead-serious fun. Presented by Chicago-based playwright-performer, Neil Tobin, Necromancer as part of the IndyFringe theatre festival. Details at neardeathx.com.
PlayFit: 10AM-5PM August 19th at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Join us for an indoor fitness extravaganza! Celebrate healthy choices and active play with special activities. Free with general admission.

• Lafayette

Aaron Kelly Performs Live At 6th Street Dive: 900-1130 August 18th at Sixth Street Dive Bar & Grill. From Illinois, Folk Singer songwriter Aaron Kelly performs his Lafayette, Indiana debut concert on Friday August 18th at 6th Street Dive, the hottest new restaurant and music venue in Tippecanoe County. About Aaron Kelly: The shadow cast by the city of big shoulders is a shade where a certain imagination gets ignited. Perhaps it’s all the train tracks that harken back to when Chicago was truly freight handler to the nation, sending catalog dreams speeding over steel to far off corners of the country. Aaron Kelly grew up thinking big and making plans, and wondering where those trains were going to. Falling under the influence of Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, and Jack Kerouac, his songs aren’t too dissimilar from those crates and packages of the last century. They carry the promise that something good is coming. These are songs meant to ease a burden and bring a smile, carefully crafted and made to last. Aaron has been featured by American Songwriter Magazine, and released Barefoot and Bottomed Out, his first solo album, in 2016, after zig-zagging across the country for the last 7 years with his band, Overman
Sizzlin' Summer Fest: 7AM-7PM August 19th at Tippecanoe County Amphitheater. Join us for the 2nd Annual Sizzlin Summer Fest! WHEN: Saturday, August 19th, 2017 WHERE: Tippecanoe Amphitheater (4449 State Road 43 N, West Lafayette) SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 7:30AM-9:00AM REGISTRATION FOR 5K! 9:00AM BEGINS Paws For A Cause 5K brought to you by: Tito's Handmade Vodka and their Vodka for Dog People Program! All 5K Info & To Register: 5K Run/Walk Registration 1:00PM-5:00PM CABIKE SHOW 1:00PM-7:00PM FESTIVAL HOURS EVENTS INCLUDE: Live Entertainment (See line up below) Adult Beverages Car & Bike Show Local Vendors & Businesses Doggie Agility Playground Kids Area TICKETS ARE ONSALE NOW WITH ADVANCE PRICING: $10.00 Adults ($12 at the door) $8.00 Military, Police, Firefighters, EMT's $5.00 Children 12 and under. FREE 3 yrs and younger NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN DUE TO RAIN CANCELLATION Entertainment By: Blue River Band Acoustic 1:00pm- 2:00pm Cornfield Mafia Acoustic 2:30pm-3:30pm Christine Nicole Acoustic 4:00pm-5:00pm Troy Cartwright 5:30pm- 7:00pm
Guided Tours at the Haan Museum: August 19th and 20th at the Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art. Take a Guided Tour and explore an extraordinary collection of Indiana art including paintings, ceramics, bronze and stone sculptures, and an array of American furniture and antiques all housed within a mansion that served as the Connecticut Building from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

• Lebanon

35th Annual Traditional Pow-wow: August 19th-20th at Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds. Native American singing, dancing, Red Road specials, and food. Open at 10 am., Grand Entry 1pm & 6:30pm on Sat., Open at 10:30 am, Grand Entry 1pm Sun

• Mooresville

Link Observatory Public Program: 700-1130PM August 19th at Mooresville Public Library and Link Observatory. Bring the family to explore the universe with the Indiana Astronomical Society and the Goethe Link Observatory, owned by Indiana University. Each program includes an exciting multimedia presentation on NASA missions and space exploration. Presentations take place in the Community Room at the Mooresville Public Library. After the presentation, free shuttles are provided to the Observatory for telescope viewing (weather permitting). Choose from either the 7:00 pm or the 9:00 pm presentation, then ride the shuttle bus to the historic Link Observatory just south of Mooresville. No registration is required for this free program and presentations are suitable for all ages. Presentations are handicapped accessible, but accessing the Observatory's main telescope does require climbing stairs. There are often smaller telescopes available for viewing on the lawn.

• Redkey

Redkey Gas Boom Days: August 19th-20th at Downtown Redkey. Chili Cook off, Historic Demonstrations, Arts & Crafts, Antiques, food & more. Information: Rhonda, [email protected]

• Rushville

Rushville's Riverside Park Amphitheater Concert Series: 7PM August 19th at Riverside Park Amphitheater. Come watch great live music under the stars at Rushville's Riverside Park. An affordable and relaxing time awaits you and your family. Bring your own chairs and enjoy our beautiful park, food from local vendors, and a beer garden. Check the schedule of events and mark your calendar today! Summer 2017 Shows: Aug 19th- Blizzard of Ozzy- Ozzy Osborne Tribute.

• Russiaville

Winding Creek Bluegrass Festival: August 17th-20th at Wildcat Valley. Bluegrass in the woods! Enjoy America's best bluegrass bands, music workshops, vendor booths, free camping & more. Bring lawn chairs. Visit website for list of bands & full schedule!

• Zionsville

Wine & Pottery Painting with Kiln Creations: 6-8PM August 17th at Hopwood Cellars Winery. Paint your very own wine cooler while drinking some wine! ;) $30 per person Price includes all supplies, instruction, glazing & firing and delivery to the winery within 7-10 days. ​ Sign up here: http://www.kilncreations.net/

Southern Indiana

• Bloomington

Joe Schmoe Saves the World: 730-1000 August 16th-19th at the Wells-Metz Theatre. IU Summer Theatre presents a premiere musical: Joe Schmoe Saves the World! A dance-rock musical that takes place during the Arab Spring in Iran and tells the parallel stories of an indie rock duo in America and two Iranian students in Tehran. Reacting against conformity, fear and the status quo, the two young women at the center of the story risk everything in an attempt to change the world through their art. Tickets are available at the Indiana University Auditorium box office or at theatre.indiana.edu

• Greensburg

Greensburg Power of the Past: August 17th-20th at the Decatur County Fairgrounds. Annual machinery show. Featured tractor is the John Deere. Festivities include Flea markets, food booths, kids games, toy show, fiddle contest, steam engines, entertainment and more!

• Madison

Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues: August 18th-19th at Bicentennial Park. Nine great blues performers rock the stage non-stop at this 2 day event. Sixty professional barbeque teams from around the country compete in the Indiana State Championship Barbeque Cook-Off for cash/prizes and a chance to represent Indiana at the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s world championship. On Friday night, there’s a Backyard Blast cooking competition for amateurs and a Kid’s Q for the youngsters on Saturday. Riverboat cruises on the Queen City paddle wheeler, a 5K RibberRun/Ride, the Pig Toss Corn Hole Tournament and the “Piglet Pen” children’s play area, round out the offerings for a great family weekend.

• Rising Sun

Rising Sun's Music on Main & Cruise-in: 6-8PM August 18th at Main and Front Streets. Join us in Rising Sun along the Ohio River waterfront for a free cruise-in and concert presented by Rising Sun Main Street. The event is FREE and open to the public! Music and a Cruise-in begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. Any classic car, truck, motorcycle, or vehicle is invited to participate free of charge. Information on bands with be posted to the Rising Sun Main Street and Rising Sun/Ohio County Tourism Facebook and website pages when announced. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets. In case of inclement weather, the event moves to Heritage Hall on Main Street in downtown Rising Sun. For more information on Music on Main, contact Karrah at Rising Sun Main Street at (812) 438-2750. The event moves to Heritage Hall on Main Street in case of inclement weather. Information on lodging, eateries, events, and tourism attractions is available by calling (888) 776-4786
Inaugural Ohio County 4-H Rodeo: 7-10PM August 18th at Ohio County 4H Fairgrounds. It's the inaugural Ohio County 4-H Rodeo in Rising Sun, IN. Jackpot bulls, barrel racing, bull rides, sheep and steer riding. Novice and amateurs welcome. Sign-ups for sheep riding, steer riding and novice bulls is available by calling (513) 317-8725. Buckle and cash prizes to winners. Protective gear provided. Rodeo admission is $10 per person with ages 5 and under for free. Additional fee for riding. Produced by Fox Hollow Rodeo.

• Santa Claus

Rock the World Christian Music Fest: August 19th at Holiday World & Splashin Safari. For years, you’ve asked us to serve up Skillet at Rock the World – 2017 is the year! Additional main-stage performers are Hawk Nelson, Ryan Stevenson and Hollyn!

ONGOING EVENTS
Northwest Indiana

• Chesterton

Chesterton's European Market: Every Saturday from 10AM - 2PM until October 28th on Third Street and Broadway in Downtown Chesterton. An outdoor family/artisanal market

• Hobart

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged: Fridays-Sundays in August at the Center Stage Theater. An hysterical romp through 38 Shakespeare shows by 3 actors in just 97 minutes!

• Hebron

Pav's Summer Car Nites - Every Tuesday evening through the summer. Variety of rides, good food and music at Pav's Restaurant
Suzy's Diner Cruise Night - Every Wednesday, April to October, 4-8 p.m at Suzy's Diner. Enjoy cool cars, music and a special discount at the diner

• Munster

Sunday Market in the Park: 8AM-2PM every Sunday through October at Centennial Park Clubhouse. Produce, plants, home-made jams and jellies, baked goods, cheese, food vendors, drinks, local crafts and artwork, jewelry, clothing, bath and beauty products, direct sales businesses and more! Live Music every other week beginning May 14

• Plymouth

Mayor's Month of Music: 7-10PM Fridays in August at River Park Square. Mayor's Month of Music is held in historic downtown Plymouth at River Park Square. This beautiful venue provides a wonderful area to enjoy an evening of music. Pack a cooler of your favorite beverages, grab some dinner from one of Plymouth's downtown restaurants, a lawn chair and you will be all set for an awesome evening. Concessions are available on site. This is a family-friendly event. There is no admission charge for the concerts.

• Portage

Portage Cruise-in: Every Tuesday evening throughout the summer. Variety of rides, good food and music at Woodland Park
Portage Community Market: 11AM-3PM every Sunday until September 11th at Founders Square Park. More than 30 vendors will participate in the Portage Community Market. There will be locally grown produce, flowers, popcorn, honey, bread, barbecue, handmade crafts and much more.
Portage Summer Music in the Park: Every Tuesday evening throughout the summer. All concerts will be held indoors at either Sycamore Hall or Oakwood Grand Hall in Woodland Park. Featuring Music ranges from 40s to 50s, rock & roll, swing, blues, contemporary and all featuring local talent.

• Valparaiso

Summer Rhapsody Music Festival: Thursday nights until August 31 at The Porter Health Amphitheatre in Central Park Plaza. For all of the music lovers out there, come out and enjoy the sounds of the season with the Summer Rhapsody Music Festival. This concert showcase features many artists – each with their own unique style and sound. Select Thursday nights in the summer, concertgoers of all ages will enjoy a feast of different sounds underneath the beautiful night sky at The Porter Health Amphitheater in Central Park Plaza. Whether it’s a rock n’ roll band of yesteryear, an easy-going Motown group, or the elegant sounds that only a symphony orchestra can create, there’s something for everybody at this music festival. Bring your picnic, your blanket or chairs, and of course, your music-loving family and friends, and come relax in the park with the sounds of the Summer Rhapsody Music Festival.
Valparaiso Market: Every Tuesday and Saturday throughout the summer from 11AM-1PM. Fresh produce, handmade crafts, flowers, and live entertainment.
Taltree Railway Garden: Open from April 1st through October 31st. Featuring dwarf plants and model steam engine trains, the exhibit showcases the impact steam engine trains had on early 19th century U.S. railroads
South Point Cruise-In: 6-9PM Fridays June-August at the Harley-Davidson of Valparaiso. Live music featuring classic rock, country, oldies and more, beer garden, food, cars and bikes

North East Indiana

• Auburn

You Had Me at Merlot Walking Wine Barrel Art Tour: All summer in Downtown Auburn. Walk the beautiful tree lined streets of Historic Downtown Auburn and enjoy 20 Wooden Wine Barrels transformed into unique works of art by local and regional artists. This outdoor walking tour exhibit is juried with awards and art auction held each year at the end of summer. This annual exhibit has included many different art objects over the past eight years, from giant paintings on easels to garden benches. This year's exhibit celebrates the many wineries of this area with its wooden wine barrels. Walking Tour maps are available at no cost in most downtown businesses
First Fridays Downtown Auburn: 5-8PM the first Friday of every month at Downtown Auburn. Enjoy Auburn downtown on Friday Nights! Fun for families and grown ups... And those in-between! Late Night Shopping, Live Entertainment, Local Culinary Delights, Locally Crafted Beverages & Much Much More! Sponsored by ADAC Inc., there will be fun & entertainment every 1st Friday of the month in AUBURN!

• Fort Wayne

Rock the Plaza: Free concert series put on by the Allen County Public Library each Saturday evening throughout the summer

• Middlebury

Essenhaus Classic Car Cruise-In: Every Thursday throughout summer at Grounds of Das Dutchman Essenhaus. A weekly classic car cruise-in with no participation or entry fee. Participants will also enjoy door prize giveaways, coupons for shopping and dining as well as 50’s-style music. Most evenings, hand dipped ice cream and live entertainment will be provided.

• Nappanee

Plain & Fancy: May 24th - October 14th at the Amish Acres Round Barn Theatre. A New Yorker and his sophisticated girlfriend drive down around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to sell a piece of property. Here they meet Amish folk, whose convoluted English speech, clothes and habits haven't changed for centuries. The clash of cultures educates and entertains at the same time in this quaint musical comedy. It was the first Broadway show for both composer Albert Hague and author Joseph Stein who each went on, respectively, to win Tony awards for Redhead and Fiddler On The Roof. The Round Barn Theatre has become the national home of this 1955 Broadway hit. This 2017 production marks the 31st anniversary year that The Round Barn Theatre has produced Plain and Fancy making it one of the longest running shows of all time

• Shipshewana

Midwest's Largest Flea Market: 8AM-5PM every Tuesday and Wednesday until October. Same venue as the Shipshewana Auction
Shipshewana Trading Place Auction: 9AM every Wednesday all year. This auction features up to 10 auctioneers selling a variety of antiques and misc. items beginning with the auction bell at 9 am. Visitors tell us there is no other experience quite like it. With a variety of food choices on site, including our Auction Restaurant, featuring Amish home-style cooking and the best pie in town, you can easily spend the entire day shopping, relaxing and enjoying the sights & sounds without having to leave our grounds.
The Home Game: A Musical: July 13th - October 19th at the Blue Gate Theatre. A son's journey, a father's hope. For as long as he can remember, handsome LEVI TROYER has loved playing baseball. He daydreams about playing in the major leagues, but with his father's expectations that he remain on the farm, he manages to keep most of his dreaming in check. All of that changes when a sports talent scout happens into town one day and catches sight of Levi's amazing fast ball. Impressed with both his pitching and batting skills, the talent scout offers Levi a deal he can't refuse. With the decision fully Levi's, how will he choose between his father's wishes of an Amish life and his own deepest dreams? What will it cost him? Levi's journey is one you won't soon forget in Blue Gate's newest musical, THE HOME GAME - A Son's Journey, A Father's Hope.
Mennonite Girls Can Cook The Musical: July 25th - October 20th at the Blue Gate Theatre. Now from Blue Gate Musicals: something completely different. Mennonite Girls Can Cook!Watch the excitement, confusion, and just plain frantic fun when a small town cable cooking show, hosted by two Mennonite women, attracts the attention of a Hollywood producer. This idea recipe for hilarity will make you laugh your spatulas off as these lovely ladies gear up for the "Big Time" - and do their best to deal with their starstruck neighbors, who compete for their own fifteen minutes of fame

• Warsaw

Lake City Skiers Water Ski Show: 6:30-7:30PM every Sunday and Tuesday at Hidden Lake. The shows are a themed production including music and costumes with an announcer to guide you through the action. You will see Extreme jump acts, An all girl Ballet line, Barefoot water skiing, Swivel skiing, doubles routines and human pyramids just to name a few. The show last about 1 hour followed by a meet and greet with the skiers. The Lake City Skiers have been providing fun family entertainment since 1989 and are Indiana's only competitive show ski team holding 4 National Championships in 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2016.

Central Indiana

• Connersville

Fayette County Farmers' Market: Saturdays 9AM-12PM until October 7th. Local vendors from Fayette and surrounding counties offer farm fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods, herbs, plant stock and seeds, high quality crafts including paintings, pottery, sculptures, alpaca fiber items, goat milk soaps, jewelry, photography and so much more. Local artists, performers, and musicians highlighted as regularly scheduled entertainment. Now accepting SNAP/EBT, SenioWIC Farmers' Market Vouchers, several vendors accept debit/credit cards.

• Fishers

Kroger Symphony on the Prairie: Every weekend at Conner Prairie. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's summer series provides music from classical, pop, and rock genres from mid-June through Labor Day weekend.
Saxony Market: 8AM-12PM Saturdays at Saxony Market. SAXONY MARKET is proud to provide a home for some of Central Indiana’s finest local vendors selling these fine products: fresh produce, Indiana sweet corn, homemade baked goods, floral and gardening supplies, savory herbs, crafted jewelry, authentic home cooked cuisine, sweet treats, handmade bath products and much more!

• Indianapolis

Groovin' In The Garden: 2-5PM every Saturday until September 30th at the Easley Winery. We offer daily wine specials, cool tunes from the best musical acts of the greater Indianapolis area, and an experience you won't soon forget. Feel free to bring along your favorite foods or order from local restaurants to have delivered here to the winery, and don't forget to bring a chair!

• Kokomo

Banksy Art on Display in Kokomo: August 4th - September 15th at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library. See a unique piece of Banksy art on display in Kokomo. Library reps speculate Kokomo just might be the first library in the world to host an actual piece of art by Banksy. Other libraries, they say, have hosted displays with posters or prints of his work, but Kokomo will have the real deal on display. The piece is called “Haight Street Rat.” It was created in San Francisco on the side of a bed and breakfast. Art collector Brian Greif paid the building owner for the rights to tear down the wall and claim the piece. The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library has planned several events related to the piece of art, starting with the unveiling from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 4 at the main branch downtown. The art will be on display through September 15, 2017 during the library's regular hours
First Friday Kokomo: 530-900PM the first Friday of every month at Downtown Kokomo. Free, family-friendly arts-based event held the First Friday of every month in Downtown Kokomo from 5:30-9:00 p.m., January-December. Activities include art, music, food, local vendors, shops, entertainment, kid's activities & much more! Check website for monthly themes and schedule of activities.

• Lafayette

EXHIBIT: The Many Faces of Indiana Art: 1-4PM August 4th - October 28th at the Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art. This is a juried exhibition designed to examine, challenge, educate, and enrich the viewer's definition of art. The exhibition features a wide range of works in many forms by over 20 Indiana artists. Paintings, glass, photography, woodcarving, metal working, jewelry, and textiles are just a few of the many art forms being showcased in the exhibition.

Southern Indiana

• Bloomington

Bloomington Community Farmers' Market: 8AM-12PM Saturdays at Showers Common.

• Clarksville

The Music Man: July 12th - August 20th at the Derby Dinner Playhouse. Family entertainment at its best! This romantic and touching Broadway musical features a nostalgic score, rousing dance numbers, and is a grand tribute to the simplicity and optimism of Smalltown, USA. A classic story to be shared with every generation. Ticket price includes dinner, show, tax, & parking. Located just minutes from downtown Louisville, KY.

• French Lick

Elephant Retreat and Giraffe Encounter at Wilstem Ranch: All summer long. An African elephant herd of three girls will be retreating at Wilstem Ranch, only 7 miles from French Lick. The three elephants that retreat at Wilstem Ranch each year are retired from making appearances in parades, circus acts and more. But as they age, even elephants need retreats, and they're coming to town for a vacation! This one of a kind up-close encounter is a rare and wonderful opportunity to learn more about these amazing creatures and connect with them in a tranquil environment

• Newburgh

Newburgh Farmers Market: Saturdays 8AM-12PM through September 30th. At the Newburgh Farmer’s Market you will find the very best seasonal produce complemented by products like honey, grass fed meats, dairy products, flowers, cheese, breads, and pastries. There are also crafts, art, plants, flowers, & honey along with live music to complete the festival atmosphere. Free. Special event weekends include: Kids Day and Dog Days of Summer.

• Orleans

Orange County HomeGrown Orleans Farmer's Market: 8AM-12PM Saturdays through October 28th at Orleans Congress Square. Locally grown produce, baked goods, local handcrafted items, Buck-a-Book trailer, jammer tent, Master Gardener, and fun family activities. Sponsored by Orange County HomeGrown