Vegas Taxi Driver Returns $300,000 Left By Famous Poker Player

[NateVest]

On Monday, December 23, a 28-year-old poker player left $300,000 in the backseat of a Yellow Checker Star taxi. Fortunately for the unnamed player, who has been outed as a well-known pro, the driver of the taxi, Gerardo Gamboa, turned in the money and it was returned to the rightful owner.

Gamboa discovered the package when a hotel doorman at the Bellagio handed him a brown paper bag that had been left in the backseat. Gamboa, who has been driving taxi since 1989, initially thought the contained chocolates, but upon closer inspection discovered six bundles of $100 bills totaling $300,000.

Gamboa immediately contacted his dispatch and returned to the office to turn in the money. He then surmised that the money came from a passenger he had picked up from The Cosmopolitan and dropped off at the Palms Place Tower ? a $9.10 fare that earned him a $5.00 tip. From there, he headed to the queue at Bellagio where the money was discovered a short time later.

The Metro Police were contacted and promptly launched a four-hour investigation, and with the help of casino officials, they were able to determine the money belonged to a famed poker player who wished to remain anonymous.

"He was grateful. He was very understanding; he wasn't irritated. To a point he was irritated, but he wasn't mad or aggressive or anything. Maybe a little more embarrassed than anything. I mean, he left $300,000 in a cab, but he was an awesome guy," Yellow Checker Star field operations manager Joel Willden said of the pro, who turned up at the company's headquarters in search of the money.

?My dignity is not for sale, and that's the way I am. That's the way our parents taught us when I was a kid," said Gamboa, who was awarded a steak dinner for two, a $1,000 reward, and named Cab Driver of the Year by Yellow Checker Star. In addition, the unnamed poker player gave Gamboa a $10,000 reward for his good deed.

For more on Gamboa, check out the following video:

Vegas Taxi Driver Returns $300,000 Left By Famous Poker Player | PokerNews

[greengiant]

What a good person. People like this make me happy to call myself human!

[lifesonsrv]

Nice to hear a positive news story for a change. Side note - unnamed 28 year old pro poker player is a friggin' dumbass. I almost feel like if you leave fat stacks of cash in a taxicab, you deserve to lose said fat stacks of cash. Sure we all make mistakes and we all misplace shit from time to time, but good lord...

If it were me, I'd like to think I'd be so grateful to the cabbie, and so furious with myself, that I'd punish myself/reward the dude with a hell of a lot more than 3.33%. But yeah, I know what you're thinking. And you're right, it's easy for me to say sitting here waxing hypothetical.

[scooterdice]

wow honesty in vegas.....is this a sign of the apocalypse?

[don7238]

That's very good that this poker player rewarded $10,000 for the return of the money

[CUSTOMTABLES]

seee....good things do come from doing good....most would have takent he cash....deff woulda did the same n give it back.....guilt vs the right thing to do? wat if it

[JLynn171]

the only thing i can think is why is he takin a taxi if he is carrying that much cash with him smh....

[rghy2]

The real question is, what was the point of starting a second thread over this article?? Seriously.

[PimpGameNM]

The real question is, what was the point of starting a second thread over this article?? Seriously.

they could start a million threads about this and every time i will write "what a fucking idiot YOU ARE DRIVING A CAB keep the money"

[easyweight]

Ha it would be hard to try to give it back but if i was the poker player i would of done the same thing and tossed the guy like 10k..bc he could of had nothing but that taxi giving that back gave him a really good rep in his community im sure