• When a cheating scandal recently unraveled at a Bellagio craps table in Las Vegas, three of the four accused participants were arrested, and one turned state's evidence, in a scam that is said to.
• Fifteen people have been arrested in a major casino scam that netted more than $2 million from cheating at baccarat in Ontario. Among those arrested were several employees of Casino Rama near Orillia.

MICHIGAN CITY — A man who kept winning big at Blue Chip Casino did it by cheating, according to authorities, who finally have the suspect in custody some three years after he allegedly won more.

Cheating in casinos refers to actions by the player or the house which are prohibited by regional gambling control authorities. This may involve using suspect apparatus, interfering with apparatus, chip fraud or misrepresenting games. The formally prescribed sanctions for cheating depend on the circumstances and gravity of the cheating and the jurisdiction in which the casino operates. In Nevada, for a player to cheat in a casino is a felony under Nevada law. In most other jurisdictions, specific statutes do not exist, and alleged instances of cheating are resolved by the gambling authority who may have more or less authority to enforce its verdict.

Advantage play techniques are not cheating. Card counting, for example, is a legitimate advantage play strategy that can be employed in blackjack and other card games. In almost all jurisdictions, casinos are permitted to ban from their premises customers they believe are using advantage play, regardless of whether they are in fact doing so and even though it is not cheating, though this practice of barring law-abiding citizens from public places is subject to judicial review. So far, courts in New Jersey and North Las Vegas, Nevada have found the practice of barring law-abiding citizens to be illegal.

Online casinos are also vulnerable to certain cheating methods. In the early 2000s, some players discovered that the random number generator at one poker site did not produce truly random sets of 'decks', and instead chose from about only 200,000 different possible deck configurations. Generation of true random numbers by machines continues to be difficult. This allowed the players to know what flop was coming if they knew the hands being held by three players.

Methods of cheating by players[edit]

The methods for cheating in a casino are often specific to individual games and include the following:

• Past posting: After a bet is won, a player replaces smaller-denomination chips with large-denomination chips.
• Hand mucking: Palming desirable cards, then switching them for less desirable cards that the gambler holds.
• Card marking: Various methods exist to mark cards during play.
• Marked decks: Usually involving the collusion of casino employees, it may be possible for a marked deck to be introduced into play. There are many different ways to mark decks of cards, some of them very difficult to detect. Casinos often replace their cards at table games and either sell or give away the used decks. These decks are usually cut or altered before they are sold or given away. This to prevent cheaters from buying used decks and then using the cards to cheat at table games.
• Slot machines: Methods exist for altering the outcome of slot machine games.
• Collusion: In poker games, the practice of two partners signaling to each other the values of their cards can be very difficult to detect.^[1] Also, in table games, players can collude with the dealer.
• Using auxiliary devices: In Nevada, New Jersey, and other jurisdictions, using any device which helps to forecast the odds or aid in a legitimate strategy such as card counting is regarded as cheating.^[2]
• Top hats: In Roulette, players place a bet after the ball has landed. The chips are disguised using a third party's chip - the 'top hat'.
• Using a computer to gain an edge, illegal in Nevada since 1985.

Methods of cheating by casinos[edit]

• Using a rigged roulette wheel.
• False deals: A dealer may be able to deal the second card from the top (used in conjunction with marked cards), or the ability to deal the bottom card of the deck (used in conjunction with placing desirable cards at the bottom of the deck), see for example Mechanic's grip.
• False shuffles and cuts: A dealer may seem to mix or cut the cards, while retaining certain cards or the whole deck in a desired order.
• Using a deck of cards with non-standard composition.
• Using a cold deck.
• Using loaded dice.
• Using rulesets not sanctioned by a gambling control authority.
• Using slot machines which pay lower than the statutory minimum.
• False advertising by not paying advertised promotions.
• Mail fraud or sending a mail offer but not honoring the offer once the customer is at the casino, also called bait and switch.
• Rigged video poker machines, such as the Vegas 'American Coin Scandal'^[3]
• Rigged drawings, such as at The Venetian, Las Vegas.^[4]
• Corrupt regulators, such as Ronald Dale Harris.
• Using a computer to gain an edge over the players.

Prevention of cheating[edit]

Cheating can be reduced by employing 'proper procedure' - certain standardized ways of shuffling cards, dealing cards, storing, retrieving and opening new decks of cards.^[5]

Most casinos are obliged to have an extensive array of security cameras and recorders which monitor and record all the action in a casino, which can be used to resolve some disputes. Some casinos use facial recognition software to detect known cheats and criminals.^[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^T. Hayes, 'Collusion Strategy and Analysis for Texas Hold'em', 2017
2. ^Forte, Steve. Casino Game Protection. SLF Publishing, 2004
3. ^American Coin: A True Story of Betrayal, Gambling, and Murder in Las Vegas, Frank Romano, 2013, ISBN1475985096
4. ^Simpson, Jeff (25 February 2004). 'Venetian Settles Complaints'. Las Vegas Sun. casinocitytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
5. ^Zender, Bill. Casino-ology 2 : new strategies for managing casino games. Huntington Press. ISBN9781935396437.
6. ^Prince, Todd (13 October 2018). 'Facial recognition technology coming to Las Vegas Strip casinos'. Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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Fifteen people have been arrested in a major casino scam that netted more than $2 million from cheating at baccarat in Ontario.

Casinos Cheating Players

Among those arrested were several employees of Casino Rama near Orillia.

It's alleged that casino dealers were recruited to predetermine the outcome of card games, but police wouldn't reveal details of how the scam was carried out.

Investigators are calling the sting the largest in memory, said OPP spokesperson Sgt. Bob Paterson.

Casino Cheating Devices

Baccarat, popular with many gamblers, is a hard game to play and one that's difficult to cheat in, said Paul Burns, vice-president of the Canadian Gaming Association.

Burns said it's troubling, albeit not surprising, that inside help would be enlisted.

'Employees, by and large, that work in the gaming industry are honest folks. But ultimately you need checks and balances in the casinos and that's why there's surveillance. That's why dealers deal cards but they don't count money and they don't count chips,' he said.

'I'm sure the tactics of how they recruited these people would be interesting in its own right.'

The charges follow a 44-month investigation into an alleged international casino cheat team.

The investigation involved the OPP, Windsor police, the FBI and police from several American states.

U.S. authorities said the scheme targeted 18 gaming parlours in Canada, California, Nevada, Mississippi, Louisiana, Washington state, Indiana and Connecticut.

The scheme netted $3.3 million (U.S.) from the American casinos, according to U.S. indictments unsealed yesterday.

However, interim U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt in San Diego said the actual losses could be much higher.

'We are not aware of any other cases of this magnitude,' said Kathy Leodler, acting head of the San Diego FBI field office.

The OPP initiated its investigation after receiving information from the California justice department.

'Only one casino was affected (in Canada), and it was Rama,' Paterson said.

Seven of those arrested were scheduled for bail hearings today in Orillia and eight others will make their first court appearance in the city, 115 kilometres north of Toronto, on June 26.

All are charged with fraud over $5,000 and cheating at play, while some face additional charges.

The operation bears the mark of organized crime in the sense that those involved knew each other, Paterson said. 'It took some co-operation and planning.'

Casino Rama had no comment on the arrests yesterday.

'Because it's an ongoing OPP matter, we don't comment,' spokesperson Jenna Hunter said.

'Integrity and security are priorities at Casino Rama and at all (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) locations,' she added.

Police have outstanding arrest warrants for seven more people, from Windsor, Barrie, San Diego and Las Vegas.

'They obviously have been tracking these guys and I suspect there's some organization created to do this and they've watched them to ensure they catch them all,' Burns said.

The international aspect of the case reflects the tendency of cheats to move to different venues, he said.

'They probably move from casino to casino. Cheats do that. From what I know and have been told and heard, they generally move around.'

At the same time, law enforcement agencies work together to combat gaming fraud, he said.

'They share information, descriptions of people and how they operate. There's a lot of information sharing.'

'The OPP and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission have people who are specialists in tracking cheats and identifying cheats. And they train the casino surveillance people on what to watch for. They track cheaters because there are known cheaters who operate around,' Burns said.

'If the casino knows who they are and suspect cheating, sometimes they just ask them to leave.

``They usually oblige and then move on. On the other hand, if they catch them in the act, they'll throw the book at them.'

The arrests are troubling but provide evidence that surveillance works, he said.

'The fact people were arrested says the checks and balances and the regulatory environment worked. I think people can take confidence that the games are fair.

`` The fact people were arrested says the checks and balances and the regulatory environment worked,' Burns added.

WITH FILES FROM the Star's wire services

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