Rep. Barney Frank Gets 1 Step Closer to Legalization of Online Poker! "Govt should not interfere with people's liberty unless there's a good reason."

Representative Barney Frank certainly does not cheat his poker faithful. This week the Massachusetts representative introduced a set of bills designed to freeze the UIGEA and allow US residents freedom to play poker on the Internet. Frank's bill establishes the Department of the Treasury as the licensing and regulating authority, and provides for the consumer protections the gambling ban does not offer, including age and identification verification, responsible gaming systems, and measures against money laundering and cheating.

Alphonse D'Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, praised Frank and his efforts.

“Online poker is a legal, thriving industry and poker players deserve the consumer protections and the freedom to play that are provided for in this legislation,” said D’Amato. The ex-Senator said he promised to “activate the alliances grassroots army made up of over one million members to help him drive legislation”.

The bill grants states the right to opt out, meaning states that don't allow land-based poker do not have to accept online play. Licenses will only be awarded to operators that respect the laws of individual states, so such non-gambling states as Hawaii and Utah will likely be blocked by regulated poker rooms.

Also, players used to pocketing winnings on a regular basis without reporting them to Uncle Sam will now find their take a little lighter. Frank includes clauses that require the online gambling operator to set aside taxes against winnings before paying patrons.

Still, the legal gray cloud may be lifted if the bill can pass through Congress. Monitoring for cheating will ease the minds of many online players, and security of personal information may bring thousands of new players to the Internet.

"The government should not interfere with people's liberty unless there is a good reason," said Frank in a press conference on Capitol Hill. "This is, I believe, the single biggest example of an intrusion into the principle that people should be free to do things on the Internet. It's clearly the case that gambling is an activity that can be done offline but not online."

Peeping Tom Atlantic City Surveillance Supervisor Loses Bid to Get His Casino Job Back

ATLANTIC CITY - A former casino surveillance supervisor who was accused - then cleared - on charges that he used his security cameras to leer at women will not be getting his job back.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled Thursday that Caesars Atlantic City had every right to fire Robert Swan, even though he was exonerated of wrongdoing in a highly publicized casino spying case.

"Caesars apparently made a business decision to terminate all of the at-will employees who were implicated in the scandalous allegations of using surveillance equipment to peer at selected portions of the anatomy of female patrons and casino workers, which is within the employer's power to do," the court concluded in a 23-page opinion.

Swan was among four surveillance officers who allegedly trained their cameras on women's breasts and buttocks while working the graveyard shift in October 2004. While the other three were disciplined by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, the panel ultimately found no evidence that Swan violated any gaming regulations while performing his surveillance duties.

Caesars fired all four of the surveillance workers. Swan filed a lawsuit against the casino in 2006 claiming he was wrongfully terminated. Swan also contended Caesars created the false impression that he was "a pervert who abused his position as a surveillance officer and used surveillance cameras to leer at and stalk females on the casino floor."

Rejecting Swan's arguments, the appeals court ruled that Caesars had the authority to fire him with or without cause. Russell L. Lichtenstein, a Caesars attorney, said the casino conducted its own investigation of the spying allegations and found that Swan had improperly used the surveillance cameras.

"It was pretty clear that Swan violated a number of internal policies and procedures specifically designed to prevent this type of thing," Lichtenstein said.

A footnote in the appeals ruling quoted a former Caesars surveillance officer as saying that Swan allegedly used the cameras to zoom in on women, made copies of pornographic videotapes while at work and occasionally would fall asleep on duty.

Neither Swan nor his Philadelphia attorney, Richard M. Golomb, returned messages seeking comment.

In September 2005, Caesars agreed to pay a $185,000 fine to the Casino Control Commission to settle regulatory violations in the spying case involving Swan and his co-workers. Caesars also paid an $80,000 fine in 2004 in another case involving two other surveillance officers who trained their cameras on women's low-cut necklines.

Lichtenstein could not say whether Caesars tightened its policies in response to the video spying, but he did note that surveillance officers are required to sign rules that bar them from improperly using the security cameras. Previously, Caesars said it has a "zero-tolerance policy" toward any inappropriate conduct in the surveillance department.

Hidden in the ceiling of every casino hotel, the surveillance cameras are supposed to be used to surreptitiously monitor the gaming floor and other sensitive areas for cheating, theft and other crimes.

Major Australian Casino Burned By Fake-Chip Scam!

MELBOURNE'S Crown casino is in crisis after discovering its tables had been flooded with a fortune in counterfeit gambling chips. Casino bosses were scrambling to check the authenticity of a staggering $13.7 million worth of $1,000 chips after near-perfect fakes were detected a few days ago. Crown officials admitted they had so far found $36,000 in fraudulent chips, the Herald Sun reported.

To limit the damage, the casino resorted to changing the colour of its $1,000 chips to a different shade of blue, and a hunt for those behind the fraud has begun.

A gaming floor worker raised the alarm as she handled one of the chips in the high-security counting room. Crown officials admitted they had no idea how long the fraud had been going on or how much they had lost. (Probably a while)

"While doing routine checks, one of the officers detected what appeared to be fake $1000 chips. As a consequence of that, we recalled all of the $1000 chips from all of the tables," casino spokesman Gary O'Neill told the Herald Sun.

Mr O'Neill said the fakes were of a "reasonably good quality".

"We have checked all of them and we have found 36 fakes," he said. "I'm not saying it's not a problem ... but we have reissued a completely different chip."

Gamblers at Crown were kept in the dark last night as the $1,000 chips were gradually swapped for a different colour. "They are totally different," Mr O'Neill said.

Police and the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation have been notified of the fraud. "We don't know how long they have been in circulation on the floor," Mr O'Neill said.

Read more here about how counterfeit chip scams take place in casinos.

Poker Cheats Using Isotopes To Mark Cards?

This is a scary thought for brick and mortar cardrooms. Not too long ago I wrote an article for Bluff Magazine about the ongoing development of high-tech poker cheating, which I said might be around in a few years, but it might be around NOW!

That's if certain info I have been receiving is accurate. According to three different sources, two of which have previously supplied me with very accurate information concerning high-tech brick and mortar poker and casino scams, a high tech cheat team has been experimenting with Isotopes to mark poker cards in several UK cardrooms. I do not have the names of these cardrooms, but imagine this is taking place in London, as do most of the major poker and casino scams in the UK.

How fearful should we be if this becomes an everyday reality? VERY! I am no expert in Isotope card marking, and when I wrote my article on high tech cheating, I did some research as to what it actually is. The Wikipedia definition of isotopic labelling is:

The use of unusual isotopes as tracers or markers in chemical reactions. Normally, atoms of a given element are indistinguishable from each other. However, by using isotopes of different masses, they can be distinguished by mass spectrometry or infrared spectroscopy (see "Properties"). For example, in 'stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)' stable isotopes are used to quantify proteins. If radioactive isotopes are used, they can be detected by the radiation they emit (this is called radioisotopic labeling).

In other words, marking cards by isotopic labelling is about as foolproof a way to do it as possible, and virtually impossible to detect.

I only have one question on the subject: Will it soon be possible to mark cards in online poker games?

I will keep you posted.

Are How to Cheat at Roulette Gadgets Effective in Cheating Other Casino Games?

This is a question that is getting more attention lately. Why? Because more and more, casinos, especially those in the UK and Europe where the use of devices to beat casinos is a much less serious offense than it is in the US, are getting hip to high-tech casino cheats running around their roulette tables with computers. What is going on more these days is that the same type of devices, such as the shoe-based computer used by Hungarian cheat/gambler Laszlo Kovacs, are now being used to track the outcomes of other casino gambling games, mainly that of the Big Six Wheel. In theory, the mechanics of a manual Big Six Wheel, which is a popular game among non-die-hard gamblers, are quite similar to that of roulette. Instead of spinning a roulette ball around the grooves of a cylinder, the Big Six Wheel dealers spin an entire large vertical wheel, much like you see on the TV show Wheel of Fortune. In fact, keeping track of spins and using a roulette-type computer is easier to do on a Big Six Wheel than on a roulette wheel. So, yes, these roulette cheat gadgets are effective on manual versions of Big Six Wheels.

As far as other casino games go, roulette computers do not have much use.

Party Poker Takes Poker Cheats To War!

I have been blogging about player safety in internet poker for four years now and Party Poker has been one of the few sites that during this time has both avoided cheating scandals and consistently appeared on my Top-10 rankings for the safest poker sites. In addition to its clean record as far as cheating and player-accounts security are concerned, Party Poker has also been a leader in offering the best player sign-up bonuses as well as maintaining top of the line customer support and service, with online response times among the best in the online gaming industry.

Another field of excellence from Party Gaming is its online betting and sportsbook offering accurate wagering lines on various sporting and gaming events from all over the world including American, Australian and European professional leagues as well as wagering opportunities for popular lawn and pub games like cricket and darts. Just about all the action you can think of is waiting for you at Party Poker, so if you´re new to Internet Gambling or you´re a veteran looking for a change for the better, don´t hesiteate to sign up.

My advice is that you can feel safe and protected from cheating scandals when playing on Party Gaming´s sites.

Join the world's premier online poker room and enjoy a range of exciting tournaments. Play Omaha Hi Lo Poker in our busy poker rooms, with free practice play, and a range of money play games.

Connecticut Casino Cheat's Craps Case Going To Trial!

It is rare that a poker or casino cheat case goes to trial, but the case of Richard Taylor, who organized the Connecticut inside dealer cheat scam that victimized Foxwoods' and Mohegan Suns' craps tables, is taking that route. And it seems to me, in conjunction with his high $250,000 bond, that this guy is in some serious deep casino shit. He's probably looking at several years in state prison.

Jury selection is scheduled to start today in the case of the Memphis, Tennessee, man accused by police of masterminding an elaborate cheating scam at casino craps tables. Richard S. “Mr. Casino” Taylor, 43, of Memphis has pleaded not guilty to charges of cheating, conspiracy to commit cheating at gambling, first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.

Police say a group of more than a dozen people, including employees at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, worked with Taylor to cheat the casinos out of thousands of dollars. An investigation by the state police casino unit revealed some dealers were being paid in exchange for allowing late bets at their craps tables.

Dealers admitted to taking part in the scam, some claiming it has been going on for years, according to the arrest affidavit by state police Detective Richard Bedard.
Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Carney, who is prosecuting the case, initially filed a motion to include former Foxwoods dealer Mattie Tarlton of New London in the trial. Police said Tarlton made overpayments totaling nearly $60,000 while dealing. Other dealers have admitted to taking hundreds of dollars in payoffs from Taylor for allowing the late bets.

The motion recently was withdrawn and Tarlton is due in court Monday as part of normal pre-trial proceedings. Cases are pending against several other people, who police said used code names for identification at the casino and held secret meetings where dealers collected their payoffs, police said.

Taylor remains held on a $250,000 bond. He is represented by attorney Ralph Bergman.

Well, I guess "Mr. Casino" will soon be called "Mr. Jailhouse Casino" and he might start up a crooked craps game in the big house!

Poker Cheat Game Coming To Playstation 3!

Texas Cheat 'Em Coming to PlayStation Network on May 14th!

New downloadable poker game on the way from D3.

All right, all you latent poker cheats who are foaming at the mouth. Here comes your virtual cheat game and all the opportunities to cheat your balls off! I wonder if any of you would-be poker cheats will one day graduate and take a shot at cheating real poker games, either in brick and mortar poker rooms or at online poker. I hope not, but I think that some of you are destined to become real-world poker and casino cheats.

Here's the press release:

D3Publisher today confirmed that Texas Cheat 'Em from Wideload Shorts will launch for PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system via PlayStation Network on May 14, 2009. Texas Cheat 'Em will support online multiplayer, matchmaking, high score tables, voice chat and more for a full-spectrum online play experience.

About Texas Cheat 'Em

There's No Limit to the fast-paced, frenetic fun in Texas Cheat 'Em from Wideload Shorts. This game is a new take on the classic Texas Hold 'Em rules, turning an average online poker table upside down by layering party games and other gambling minigames on top of the basic rules, and allowing players to cheat to win. Cheating is FUNdamental in Texas Cheat 'Em! Cheat attacks are earned by players through more than a dozen minigames, so time usually spent waiting for others to deal or bet in online poker is replaced with loads of fun as players hoodwink their opponents. The game offers single-player as well as multiplayer options for up to eight players for a truly unique and robust gameplay experience.

Woman Snagged As Casino Cheat Has To Reimburse Her Victim Casinos! What a Shame!

Lady casino cheat ordered to pay back her victim casinos $2,985!

Cheating at three- and four-card poker has proven costly for a senior who targetted River Rock Casino Resort, and two other casinos in Vancouver and Coquitlam.

May Mei Heung Choi, 69, pled guilty in Richmond provincial court on Tuesday and received a suspended sentence, a two-year term of probation, and was ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution for three counts of cheating at play.

Richmond provincial court Judge Ron Fratkin has barred Choi from any casino or race track in B.C., and ordered her to take psychological and gambling addiction counselling as directed by her probation officer. She’s also to attend the adult forensic outpatient clinic as directed.

Choi must pay $2,020 in restitution to River Rock, $500 to Edgewater Casino and $465 to Boulevard casino.

Neither her lawyer, George Lee, or Crown counsel Megan Israels, was available for comment at press time.

I can understand why...obviously she was not that good of a cheater, certainly not good enough to hold a candle to some of the femme fatale poker and casino cheats who worked with me!

Poker And Casino Cheat Scam For May Posted!

My Cheat Scam for the month of May 2009 is the Harley-Davidson Runaway Scam. This one is quite a bit more ballsy than all the rest. You may have seen it depicted on television in both the US and UK, or you may have read about it in my book "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams," and if so, you know the balls it takes to pull off a caper like this!

In any event, read the May 2009 Scam of the Month here.