May 2011: News Time

Welcome back to Casino Surveillance News, the longest-running trade letter for our little niche in the casino world. The news-only portion can be seen at http://casinosurveillancenews.com/newsletter-2 Interesting reading and viewing:  http://casinosurveillancenews.com/training-materials/slot-cheating-devices Keynote Article: There will be no Keynote article this month: I am working a contract with a deadline, and besides that, inspiration is low this month, after two major articles completed and published. I am re-organizing the Casino Surveillance Operations Manual to include articles (a whole bunch of them) published since 2005, and also incorporating a number of my training classes. This will eventually result in a reorganization of the website, as well. I will, however be publishing a short political blog on my "politics" site, for those interested in my conservative political viewpoint.

It's News Time:

Busts and Scams:

Lenders to the stalled Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino-resort project are now asserting fraud and conspiracy claims against the original developers and investors. See the story Founders of Internet gambling companies PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were among 11 people charged by the U.S. in a case that seeks at least $3 billion in forfeitures and penalties on charges of bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling.  See the story Further info from Federal press release (Editorial Note: please take a look at the timing of this case, together with the March announcement by Steve Wynn that he was entering a partnership with PokerStars and the announcement that Washington DC has legalized internet gambling [story below]. There appears to be a coordination between these attacks. As to the final desired result, by whoever is coordinating, your guess is as good as mine. It is interesting, however, that the DC is looking into partnership with a totally non-US company for the actual management of  gambling in DC through the internet. Nothing like deliberately sending the money outside the country.) Two of the men arrested in the federal Internet poker crackdown are already tied to a massive fraud case being prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission in Las Vegas. See the story A federal appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, has upheld the conviction of a Las Vegas truck driver who tried to extort $500,000 from two Strip casinos. See the story The MGM Grand hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip has sued a pool maintenance contractor, charging it's responsible for a chlorine leak last summer that sent 26 pool patrons to the hospital. See the story (Editorial Note: I would like to look at the personnel list of this company and find out how many of the employees are using the same green card number, and also how many of the employees are being paid on a cash-daily basis.)  Here is the original story on the clorine gas leak. Seven men from across Ontario were arrested after what police called a "debit-card skimming team" hit Fallsview Casino in Ontario, Canada. See the story Further developments:  The team of alleged debit-card skimmers accused of bilking ATMs at what one police officer called the "worst place in Ontario you could ever commit a crime" were released on bail after spending a week in custody. See the story The Michigan State Police have a high-tech mobile forensics device that can be used to extract information from cell phones belonging to motorists stopped for minor traffic violations. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has demanded that state officials stop stonewalling freedom of information requests for information on the program. See the story [Editorial note: what does the state of Michigan not understand about the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, . . . ?] A customer injured when a sports book patron dived for a water bottle thrown into the crowd by a cheerleader has won $6.6 million in his lawsuit against the Palms hotel-casino in Las Vegas. See the story An armed man who tried to rob a change counter in the early morning hours at the Stratosphere Las Vegas fled without chips or money. See the story In Pennsylvania,  a man pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped more than 100 counts each of access device, theft and receiving stolen property charges involved in using casino player club cards abandoned or stolen at Sands Bethlehem casino. Back in November,  the man used 155 different players’ rewards cards and managed to get $400 in free play credits off the cards in 40 minutes, according to court documents. See the story The man accused of robbing the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas of $1.5 million in gambling chips pleaded not guilty to all charges---three counts of armed robbery, including an enhancement for a victim being 60 years or older, and one count each of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and carrying a concealed weapon. The accused is related to a Las Vegas area judge. See the story Washoe County, Nevada sheriffs say a man walked into the Gold Ranch Casino near Verdi, Nevada, a few miles from Reno on the California border, and robbed the business of more than $100,000.  See the story A Bethlehem man has admitted to producing between $30,000 and $70,000 worth of phony bills that he made from real ones he got at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. See the story An Oak Ridge, N.J., man has been accused of using small pieces of sandpaper to mark playing cards at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA.  The man was arrested as he sat at one of the casino's poker tables. See the story

Other Casino News of interest:

Atlantic City casinos now have the option of canceling some progressive slot jackpots and pocketing the money themselves - a potential windfall in the millions. See the story The District of Columbia is becoming the first U.S. jurisdiction to allow Internet gambling, moving ahead of traditional gaming locations such as New Jersey and Nevada.  See the story A Nevada legislative panel amended and approved a bill that would pave the way for the state to set the standard for Internet gambling. The bill allows for internet gaming after it is legalized by the Federal government. See the story Continued Atlantic City casino deregulation could soon mean elimination of casino floor supervisor positions  after the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement published "emergency regulations" on its website that could save casinos millions of dollars annually. The new regulation eliminates staffing requirements for table games supervisors, such as pit bosses. It is the state's latest attempt to streamline New Jersey's  gaming laws. See the story Caesars Entertainment Corp., owner of four Atlantic City casinos, has laid off an undisclosed number of table games supervisors in the first round of personnel cuts related to New Jersey's deregulation of the gaming industry. See the story Non-negotiable slot credits, or what is commonly called free play, has become the primary form of customer incentives in many casinos around the globe and has essentially replaced cash-back incentives in those jurisdictions that permit it. See the story (Be aware that this form of promotion is especially vulnerable to insider scams, and scams worked with the cooperation of casino promotions employees.)

CSN News:

Currently Available Programs: CSN's complete, on-site, one-payment permanent training program, customized for YOUR casino operation, can still be set up for you. We can accommodate privately owned, corporate, or tribally owned casinos outside of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Please see what is available at this page: http://casinosurveillancenews.com/surveillance-training-programs

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I have taken down two related websites from the net. ALL OF OUR INFORMATION AND TRAINING IS STILL AVAILABLE either on the base CSN website or directly  from me. Contact jimgoding@casinosurveillancenews.com That's all for this month, Folks. Sponsors for this newsletter: Casino Surveillance Operations Manual and Gaming Glossary: inquire with booksales@casinosurveillancenews.com If you cannot access the Internet site casinosurveillancenews.com from the computer where you receive the newsletter, please re-subscribe from your home address or other email address. Many of my subscribers may have restrictions on their internet access at work. You can now subscribe to the newsletters from any page of the website at www.casinosurveillancenews.com Mailing List Policy: Our mailing list will never be sold to ANYONE, and we will never send spam. No special mailings will go out for advertising purposes, unless I judge that it will be of real use and real benefit to you, the readers. The only use for this list will be the newsletter and any major flash that looks important enough that you will all want to know. Copyright © 2011 by Jim Goding. All rights reserved. Unauthorized sales or duplication by any means is a violation of law and of the proprietary rights of the author. Purchase this author’s work at www.casinosurveillancenews.com.