[Ammi]

A Las Vegas taxi driver has proved to be the Good Samaritan of the season after returning a bag full of cash found on his back seat.

Gerardo Gamboa thought someone had left a paper bag full of chocolates in his cab, but it turned out to be $300,000 (£184,000) in cold, hard cash.

The taxi driver was making a pick-up on Monday at the Bellagio hotel when a hotel doorman noticed the brown paper bag and handed it to him, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

He checked the bag while at a traffic light and found six bundles of $100 bills.

"Oh my God, this is cash money," was his immediate reaction to the find.

He called his supervisor and took the money to the company's main office.

Las Vegas police and casino officials were able to link the money to a well-known poker player whose identity remains secret.

The cabbie said he had not spoken to the passenger during the journey.

When asked if he had considered keeping the cash, he said: "Oh no, no, not even, not even one second, no."

It is unknown whether he will receive a reward from the poker player, but the cab company has awarded him $1,000 for his honesty.

Singing Mr Gamboa's praises, Bill Shranko of Yellow Checker Star Transportation said, "This guy is just terrific. Not one problem with him in the whole 13 years."

The taxi driver himself said he was satisfied with his decision to turn the money in.

"I did the right thing for myself, for my family, for my company and the city of Las Vegas," he said.