Same Nefarious Dominican Republic Casino Scam Keeps ensnaring American and Canadian Tourists

Do Not Follow Her!

I've written about this two or three times before. The scenario is always the same, and the targets are usually men lured by a sexy woman greeter at the casino entrance who gives a big flirtatious smile and hands over $25 or more in free gaming chips. She then says with a very alluring smile, "Come with me and I will lead you to the lucky table."

Lots of men oblige willingly and are led to that table, which usually has a game and a name of that game that no one's ever heard of. It is some kind of mixed version of keno and roulette and usually has the word "Super" to go with it.

Then they are told that they need to get to a hundred "points" that are needed to win a jackpot of $100,000. These points are won by the outcome of spins of a ball, and always within a few minutes the victims to this scam have...how many points?

You guessed it! Ninety-nine of course.

Then they are told by the dealer and "supervisor" that they are guaranteed to win the hundred grand if they keep playing. They are assured of securing that one-more-needed-point within a few more spins. But that next roll requires a bet of $1,000 or more, and when that doesn't win the needed single point, they are quickly reassured by the dealer that it was a real longshot that this happened.

Just one more bet will surely do it, they are told.

That one more bet is several thousand dollars. But what's six or eight thousand when you know $100,000 is coming your way?

Of course that spin miraculously loses again and the victims then find themselves out of cash, and then their credit cards are maxed-out, and they are given credit by the casino, and they know they should not accept it, but that hundred grand is still just one little, itzy-bitzy point away.

But it might as well be a hundred thousand miles away. Because it's never coming, and now the victims find themselves out of thousands in cash and credit, and still owe thousands more to the casino. Next they find themselves being hassled heavily by burly security guards to get the owed money from ATMs, and make emergency calls to their banks to get a credit extension for the money to pay up.

Finally the crooked debt is paid, and the casino lets them go with a free cup of coffee and maybe a breakfast. Their Caribbean vacation is ruined and their homecoming is not much better.

And when the revelation of being scammed hits them, they go to the cops and a bogus investigation ensues, the result always being that the crooked game is a concession leased out to an off-shore company (off-shore from the Dominican Republic...gimme a break!), and the casino's management knows nothing about it.

This is a devastating experience to for those  who are victimized by this scam.

If you want to see HOW devastating, listen to this interview with two recent victims.

My take: Since it is apparent that the Domincan government is not going to protect you against these casino scams and may even be benefiting from them, best is to stay out of Dominican Casinos, or at least avoid any games with big promises, especially those being hyped by sexy women.

Read the latest printed and audio version of this scam that happened at the Riu Bambu casino near Punta Cana here.