BJ21.com Newsletter
May 25, 2007
070525
Compiled by Al
Rogers
Al@bj21.com
High-stakes
cheating team?
A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted 19 defendants on charges
related to an alleged racketeering enterprise and a scheme to cheat
casinos across the country out of millions of dollars, Assistant
Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S.
Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt
announced today. Link
to the Indictment.
Seattle mayor's son
indicted in alleged casino-cheating operation
Jacob Dyson Nickels, the son of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, has been
indicted as part of an investigation into a multistate casino-cheating
ring that allegedly stole millions of dollars by bribing casino
employees to falsely shuffle decks.
McCain:
‘Scandal’ in cards as gaming takes off
In a debate raging over expanded gambling in Massachusetts, 2008
presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain warned that the explosion of
casinos nationwide could erupt into scandal and corruption.
Documents Connect the Dots Between Money, Tribal Casinos, Abramoff,
Doolittle, Bush White House, and State Government
A fresh look at documents released during the Abramoff scandal reveals
how one California tribe, now seeking to triple the slot machines at
its lucrative casino, used millions in gambling profits to influence
state and federal policy and expand its gambling empire.
Military
uses slot machines to fund overseas recreation
Carrie Walsh's husband was a decorated Apache helicopter pilot for the
U.S. Army. But years ago, Aaron Walsh started playing slot machines on
military bases. He became a gambling addict. It eventually ruined his
military career.
Thanks to Green Chip member Math
Boy for positng this article.
Internet Gambling:
How involved are the Indian tribes?
Last November a law went into effect which made financial transactions
to online gambling websites illegal, the so-called UIGEA.
Underage
gambling a growing casino problem
Down $500 at the blackjack table at Caesars casino, Xidi Zheng tried to
get $500 more at an ATM -- and that's when his luck really ran out.
MGM Mirage board
taps panel to study Tracinda bid
Shares of MGM Mirage settled down Wednesday while the company's board
of directors appointed a three-person committee to study a move by
Tracinda Corp. to acquire two of the company's largest properties.
More competition in the casino industry, a good thing
Let's look at the new poor games that have evolved over the past couple
of years because of the gaming consolidation: the most vicious of
"cuts" for players was the introduction of 6/5 Blackjack ...
Michigan
man charged with evading taxes on casino winnings
An Ortonville man was arraigned Wednesday on charges of using false
Social Security numbers to avoid paying taxes on more than $3 million
worth of casino winnings.
Promoter is looking into sports betting
... Delaware Sportsbetting Corp., a group looking to take advantage of
Delaware's exemption from the federal sports betting prohibition.
Nevada, Montana and Oregon are the other three states.
Failure of Loss Limits Repeal Assessed
The stakes are higher because of this year's failure of the legislature
to throw out the casino loss limit.
With Internet, dealers turn the tables on Wynn
Days after casino boss Steve Wynn notified dealers in a closed-door
meeting that frontline supervisors would be included in their
tip-pooling agreements, allegations were posted on a Web site popular
among dealers that Wynn insulted them for taking huge tips from players.
Executive
Pay: Say Hello to Mr. Big
As the gaming industry has expanded its reach around the globe, top
executives have reaped the rewards: increasingly lucrative pay
packages, wider use of company aircraft, personal security services and
substantial executive retirement payments.
Tocchet Pleads Guilty in Gambling Case
Former NHL player Rick Tocchet pleaded guilty Friday to running a
sports gambling ring, but might not have to serve any jail time.
Strip stripes perplexing -- County repaints white lines on sidewalks,
warns against 'obstructive activity'
Clark County crews for the past two weeks have been painting white
stripes along Strip sidewalks, indicating where "obstructive activity"
can and cannot take place.
The Bear Growls: FBI official misstates
nature of cheating indictment
Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent
BJ21.com
contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go
wrong in the world of casinos.
Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's
website, TheBearGrowls.com
By LVBear
LVBear584@cox.net
In the Department
of Justice press release about the case described in this news story, Assistant
Director Kenneth W. Kaiser, FBI Criminal Investigative Division, is
quoted as saying, “The subjects arrested and indicted colluded
with casino dealers and engaged in a sophisticated card counting scheme
to cheat casinos out of large winnings.”
The alleged crimes have nothing to do with card counting as it is
commonly practiced. Card counting is a perfectly legal, honest,
ethical activity. It is not illegal or cheating to count cards in any
casino game. Casinos do not like it, but even the casinos
acknowledge that it is perfectly legal.
Mr. Kaiser’s unfortunate misstatement casts a dark shadow over the
lives of legal, honest, ethical card counters who would never consider
colluding with a dishonest casino employee or engaging in any
form of cheating. I hope that the Department of Justice will
issue a press release correcting Mr. Kaiser's misstatement.
Note: The Department of Justice
did not respond to a request for
comment.
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Beat the Players - Casinos, Cops and the
Game Inside the Game, by Bob Nersesian
This
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Chapters
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Current Blackjack News
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