Published on: May 12, 2026, at 07:55 AM.

Updated on: May 12, 2026, at 07:55 AM.

• Casino server claims MGM seized $76,000 baccarat gratuity
  
• Suit alleges casino breached labor regulations by appropriating employee tips
  
• MGM National Harbor faces a lawsuit seeking over $1.1 million in damages

For every casino cocktail server’s dream, receiving a substantial tip from a successful high roller at the baccarat tables can feel like striking gold. For Tajia Mackyeon, a waitress at MGM National Harbor earning $12.70 an hour, that fantasy momentarily transformed into reality — until the casino seized the funds, as stated in a recent federal lawsuit.

Mackyeon is pursuing at least $1.12 million in damages, claiming the casino breached the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Maryland labor laws by confiscating a substantial $76,000 tip unfairly.

The lawsuit contends that MGM can pay her less than the minimum wage only on the assumption that tips would supplement her income, asserting that the casino must not seize those tips when they are significantly high.

A Transformative Amount

On the night of April 13, 2026, a successful baccarat gambler at MGM National Harbor gifted Mackyeon with 16 high-denomination chips — comprised of fifteen $5,000 chips and one $1,000 chip — as a tip, according to the lawsuit details. This sum equated to more than five times her annual salary.

Having gambled for several hours, the player had accrued a substantial win while wagering the maximum amount of $25,000 per hand.

Mackyeon inquired three times if he genuinely intended for her to keep the money, to which he consistently affirmed his intention, as outlined in the lawsuit. The player “exhibited no signs of confusion or impairment” and continued to gamble for approximately half an hour afterward, demonstrating that casino management deemed him capable of making sound financial choices, the complaint argues.

“Had the player wagered $76,000 on red at the Defendant’s roulette table and lost, Defendant would have retained the funds,” the lawsuit states.

Upon the player’s departure, management insisted that Mackyeon return the chips he had gifted her. In subsequent days, she sought clarity regarding the tip but received no responses. Ultimately, she learned that the management had returned the funds to the player.

The FLSA explicitly states that “[a]n employer may not retain tips received by its employees for any purpose, including allowing managers or supervisors to keep any part of employees’ tips, irrespective of whether the employer takes a tip credit.”

“Defendant’s management was aware that the $76,000.00 tip represented a potentially life-altering amount for Plaintiff … and knew, or recklessly ignored the likelihood, that confiscating such a sum from her, neglecting to address her inquiries, and ultimately returning it to a third party would cause her significant emotional distress.”

Unequal Power Dynamics

The complaint accuses MGM of transgressing federal labor laws, Maryland wage rules, conversion, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It charges MGM with leveraging the power differential between casino management and low-wage tipped employees and subsequently refusing for several days to clarify why the funds were taken in the first place.

The $1.12 million sought in damages encompasses restitution of the tip, punitive damages, compensation for emotional distress, unpaid wages, and legal fees.

Casino.org has reached out to MGM Resorts International, which has yet to submit a response to the allegations.