Saturday, July 21, 2007
Breaking Vegas Ultimate Cheat Episode
For those of you who never had the chance to see the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas" episode about my 25 years of escapades in the world's casinos, it is being aired on Tuesday, July 24th, at 10 p.m EST, 9 p.m CST and 7 p.m. PST. Please note that the episode will air on the BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL, not the History Channel, and it is called "The Ultimate Cheat." Enjoy it, and let me know what you thought!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Some Serious Dirty Poker!!!
The big poker scam finally happened! First it was the big baccarat scam in May, now the Borgata poker room in the midst of Atlantic City's biggest tournament ever has been stung with a high-tech poker scam aimed at its biggest players. Did you ever imagine cheaters intercepting the live feed from the cameras that show you players' hole cards on TV? Well, you bet, that's exactly what happened. One of the people arrested in the scam, Steve Forte, is considered the number-one casino anti-cheating consultant in the world. I know Forte pretty well and was shocked to hear he had allegedly reentered the world of "Dirty Poker."
And now all the people who badmouthed my book "Dirty Poker" as a gross exagerration of the cheating in major tournament poker can open up their eyes and see the truth!
Here's the news article:
I-Team Exclusive: Poker Cheating Scheme
July 18, 2007 02:05 AM
It sounds like the plot of one of those flashy casino heist movies -- a team of thieves, armed with high tech equipment concocts a scheme to steal vast sums of money from big shot gamblers.
It really did happen, although law enforcement officials are still unwilling to talk about it. Gaming agents in New Jersey arrested four suspects, including a Las Vegas man known internationally as an expert in how to thwart casino thieves.
In late June, the elegant Borgata in Atlantic City launched the largest poker event in the town's history, a $5,000 per-person buy in tournament with 337 players vied for $1.7 million. But someone else was after the money as well; a team of high tech cheats with a scheme worthy of Oceans 11.
Well-placed sources told the I-Team that New Jersey gaming agents staged a quiet raid on the Borgata and arrested four people. By one account, they stormed a hotel room and found it packed with electronic equipment. According to one source, gaming control initially believed the suspects had tapped into a live video feed generated by the hole card cameras that allow TV audiences to see a player's down cards in games of Texas Hold 'em, information that presumably could be relayed to a confederate playing in the tournament.
However, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming, which is a partner in Borgata with MGM, told the I-Team "the scheme did target high-end poker players, but off the floor," adding that "the security systems of the Borgata were never compromised, nor was the tournament. Customers were targeted but not the games."
The biggest surprise for gaming agents might have been who was involved. Among those arrested as part of the scheme was Las Vegas gaming consultant Steve Forte, regarded as a world class expert in countering cheaters. Forte's web site says he's been a consultant to MGM, Caesars, Station Casinos, as well as to the U.S. Attorney, FBI, Metro Police and the Clark County district attorney. His books and videos on how to counter gambling cheats are best sellers.
New Jersey authorities would not acknowledge that arrests were been made. However, Nevada Gaming Control told the I-Team they had been informed by New Jersey about the arrests, that four persons had been taken into custody including Steve Forte, and that a sensitive investigation was ongoing.
Back in Las Vegas, Forte has told friends that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, intimating that he was in the room with the alleged cheaters because he wanted to observe their methods and was not part of the scheme. Forte declined the I-Team's interview request but confirmed in an e-mail that he had been arrested. He says he maintains his innocence and will fight the charges at all costs.
The obvious question is could it happen at the much more lucrative World Series of Poker? Tournament commissioner Jeffrey Pollack says he's heard nothing about the New Jersey scandal but that he is confident that cheaters wouldn't stand a chance there.
WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said, "I can't reveal our specific security measures, otherwise they wouldn't be very secure. But needless to say, Harrah's has the ultimate commitment to both responsible gaming and security, and we have a state of the art surveillance system in place at all times here."
Casino sources say they believe the FBI is now involved in the investigation, possibly to find out if the same high tech scheme has been used before.
The I-Team contacted several of the poker players involved in the tournament. None of them saw anything unusual, nor did they see any arrests. That fits with other information the I-Team has about how the scheme was intended to steal from the poker players when they were away from the tables. No one is saying how the plot was supposed to work. Even the arrest information is being kept confidential.
The Channel 8 I-Team will have more information as it becomes available.
And now all the people who badmouthed my book "Dirty Poker" as a gross exagerration of the cheating in major tournament poker can open up their eyes and see the truth!
Here's the news article:
I-Team Exclusive: Poker Cheating Scheme
July 18, 2007 02:05 AM
It sounds like the plot of one of those flashy casino heist movies -- a team of thieves, armed with high tech equipment concocts a scheme to steal vast sums of money from big shot gamblers.
It really did happen, although law enforcement officials are still unwilling to talk about it. Gaming agents in New Jersey arrested four suspects, including a Las Vegas man known internationally as an expert in how to thwart casino thieves.
In late June, the elegant Borgata in Atlantic City launched the largest poker event in the town's history, a $5,000 per-person buy in tournament with 337 players vied for $1.7 million. But someone else was after the money as well; a team of high tech cheats with a scheme worthy of Oceans 11.
Well-placed sources told the I-Team that New Jersey gaming agents staged a quiet raid on the Borgata and arrested four people. By one account, they stormed a hotel room and found it packed with electronic equipment. According to one source, gaming control initially believed the suspects had tapped into a live video feed generated by the hole card cameras that allow TV audiences to see a player's down cards in games of Texas Hold 'em, information that presumably could be relayed to a confederate playing in the tournament.
However, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming, which is a partner in Borgata with MGM, told the I-Team "the scheme did target high-end poker players, but off the floor," adding that "the security systems of the Borgata were never compromised, nor was the tournament. Customers were targeted but not the games."
The biggest surprise for gaming agents might have been who was involved. Among those arrested as part of the scheme was Las Vegas gaming consultant Steve Forte, regarded as a world class expert in countering cheaters. Forte's web site says he's been a consultant to MGM, Caesars, Station Casinos, as well as to the U.S. Attorney, FBI, Metro Police and the Clark County district attorney. His books and videos on how to counter gambling cheats are best sellers.
New Jersey authorities would not acknowledge that arrests were been made. However, Nevada Gaming Control told the I-Team they had been informed by New Jersey about the arrests, that four persons had been taken into custody including Steve Forte, and that a sensitive investigation was ongoing.
Back in Las Vegas, Forte has told friends that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, intimating that he was in the room with the alleged cheaters because he wanted to observe their methods and was not part of the scheme. Forte declined the I-Team's interview request but confirmed in an e-mail that he had been arrested. He says he maintains his innocence and will fight the charges at all costs.
The obvious question is could it happen at the much more lucrative World Series of Poker? Tournament commissioner Jeffrey Pollack says he's heard nothing about the New Jersey scandal but that he is confident that cheaters wouldn't stand a chance there.
WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said, "I can't reveal our specific security measures, otherwise they wouldn't be very secure. But needless to say, Harrah's has the ultimate commitment to both responsible gaming and security, and we have a state of the art surveillance system in place at all times here."
Casino sources say they believe the FBI is now involved in the investigation, possibly to find out if the same high tech scheme has been used before.
The I-Team contacted several of the poker players involved in the tournament. None of them saw anything unusual, nor did they see any arrests. That fits with other information the I-Team has about how the scheme was intended to steal from the poker players when they were away from the tables. No one is saying how the plot was supposed to work. Even the arrest information is being kept confidential.
The Channel 8 I-Team will have more information as it becomes available.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Another Mini-Baccarat Bust!
You would think by now that these Vietnamese casino-cheating gangs would learn to give it a rest, especially after the Tran Organization got busted in that major baccarat scandal involving some two-dozen casinos in the US and Canada last May. Well, you can't teach old dogs new tricks, so yet another Vietnamese group got corralled yesterday in an Iowa casino, this time looking ever so amateurish in their scam. It appears that the dealer (a non-Asian) was actually switching the played cards on the table, making winners out of losing hands for his Asian cohorts. And if that's not rank enough, he was actually paying off their losing hands when not switching the cards, all in plain view of the casino's surveillance cameras! All right, we can assume that casinos in Iowa do not have the most sophisticated surveillance staffs in the world, but come on, gimme a break! This scam is really embarrassing and netted a mere $12,000 before the state's Division of Criminal Investigations broke it up.
My only advice to this latest baccarat clan: Spend some of the time in prison thinking of a better casino scam to do when you get out.
Here's the news article on it:
Dealer, patrons arrested for theft and cheating at Osceola casino
By TOM BARTON
Register Staff Writer
July 13, 2007
Add comment
Five people have been arrested following a week-long investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation into theft and cheating at an Osceola casino.
The arrests came after D.C.I. gaming agents suspected a casino dealer at Terrible's Lakeside Casino in Osceola was working with patrons to cheat the game of Mini Baccarat.
Agents determined 22-year-old Larry Shephard had misplayed hands by switching cards, exposing cards and paying losing hands, paying out more than $12,000 in casino money after reviewing surveillance video.
Shepherd admitted his actions to agents upon questioning. He and four others were subsequently arrested.
Those arrested include:
LARRY SHEPHERD, 22 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 1 st Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
AN NGOC VO, 40 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
PHUOC THANH HO, 33 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
NAM L. DAM, 30 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
OANH OANH NGOC NGUYEN, 36 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 3 rd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
My only advice to this latest baccarat clan: Spend some of the time in prison thinking of a better casino scam to do when you get out.
Here's the news article on it:
Dealer, patrons arrested for theft and cheating at Osceola casino
By TOM BARTON
Register Staff Writer
July 13, 2007
Add comment
Five people have been arrested following a week-long investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation into theft and cheating at an Osceola casino.
The arrests came after D.C.I. gaming agents suspected a casino dealer at Terrible's Lakeside Casino in Osceola was working with patrons to cheat the game of Mini Baccarat.
Agents determined 22-year-old Larry Shephard had misplayed hands by switching cards, exposing cards and paying losing hands, paying out more than $12,000 in casino money after reviewing surveillance video.
Shepherd admitted his actions to agents upon questioning. He and four others were subsequently arrested.
Those arrested include:
LARRY SHEPHERD, 22 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 1 st Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
AN NGOC VO, 40 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
PHUOC THANH HO, 33 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
NAM L. DAM, 30 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
OANH OANH NGOC NGUYEN, 36 yrs. old
Charged with: Theft 3 rd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Interview with Casino Enterprise Management
In the July issue of Casino Enterprise Magazine, one of the leading journals for casino executives, is the following interview I did with Steve Karoul, a longtime casino consultant who writes for numerous gaming magazines.
For those of you who enjoy reading gaming and poker magazines, look for upcoming articles that I have written. In the US, articles of mine should soon be appearing in Pro Player and Bluff, two popular poker magazines. In Europe, look for my articles in Gambling.com and GX Exclusiv magazines, two all-around gambling magazines.
As far as this year's World Series of Poker goes, I haven't heard of any major cheating incidents, though I am sure that the collusion syndicates are working the tournaments and especially the big-action ring games. The current trick that collusion teams use--playing top hand where only one of their members stays in the pot to minimize losses when that hand is beat--has become more the strategy than the usual whipsawing to either get opponents out of pots or sucked in for more money. If anyone hears of specific incidents of soft play, counterfeit chips, or any other hanky-panky at the WSOP, please let me know.
INTERVIEW:
The World’s Greatest Casino Cheat
By Steve Karoul
Richard Marcus is a professional casino cheat. Richard Marcus is the world’s best casino cheat. Richard Marcus can hurt your casino. Richard Marcus can also help your casino.
I recently had the chance to speak with Richard Marcus, the man considered to be the best cheater in the history of legalized gaming, who has since retired and is making a new career on the other side of the fence by consulting to casinos in the area of game protection. I spoke with him about how he was able to cheat casinos and beat their surveillance systems for more than twenty-five years without having ever been caught and how he currently goes about teaching and educating casino staffs to better protect their tables from the very likes of himself. Here are some of the key points of my interview with him.
Q: Simply put, Mr. Marcus, what did it take to become the world’s greatest casino cheater?
A: Well, it was a combination of three things: courage, brains and lack of greed. First and foremost, you have to overcome whatever fear you have of getting caught. Then you have to be intelligent enough to design and carry out creative casino cheating moves that work. Third, and certainly as important as the first two requisites, you have to know when to stop; in other words, don’t be greedy! The old saying about going to the well too many times applies to casino cheating as much as anything else.
Q: I guess it’s hard to find people with all three of those prerequisites.
A: Very. Some guys out there have tremendous courage, some have rocket scientist’s brains, but few have both. And some guys have courage for many things but not for casino cheating when they know that so many different people and the surveillance cameras will be watching every move they make or might make. A funny story occurred back in Atlantic City one night after a big heavyweight fight. I was standing next to a New York wiseguy watching my partner do a blackjack pastpost move, which is switching in higher denomination chips after the bet wins. It so happened that this wiseguy was an acquaintance of my partner. He had nothing to do with our casino cheating operation. However, after witnessing the move and my partner’s coolness under pressure, the wiseguy whispered, “You got guts kid. I’d sooner fight Mike Tyson than try that!” And, believe me; he’d give Mike Tyson a good fight. Guts and courage are only part of what’s required to be a good cheat. Skill is an even more important requisite. Not everyone has both.
Q: How hard is it to know when to stop?
A: That depends on the person. For someone levelheaded enough, as I’ve always considered myself to be, it was just a matter of surveying a casino after I did a cheating move. If the move was absolutely clean with none of the casino personnel having been bothered, then I would go right back and do it again, and again, as long as no one was picking up on what I was doing. But once a little heat started coming down, I would just cash out and go to another casino, even another gambling town if it got hot enough. Some cheaters take the attitude to keep working under adverse conditions, until they’re taking tons of heat. This is imprudent and often leads to getting caught. I always had the attitude that the casinos were always there for the taking, so if conditions were not right, I’d just let them hold on to “my” money until the next time. Schedules vary and staffing varies especially in large casinos, so with a little patience I would wait until I found the weak links and then make my moves. But if I sensed any pressure or heat at shift change I would simply cash out and leave.
Q: What was your specialty in cheating the casinos?
A: I was a chip (check) manipulator. Either I pastposted bets after they won, or did the opposite; greatly decreased the size of my bets when they lost, which is called dragging or pinching.
Q: The first part about pastposting, I understand. But what about decreasing the size of your bets after they lose? How is that possible? Once they lose, doesn’t the dealer take the chips?
A: (Marcus chuckles here) Yes they do. But it’s actually a dragging move that I’m most famous for, or should I say “infamous?” I came up with a roulette move where I bet a $5,000 chip underneath a red $5 chip on outside roulette bets. When the bet won, I collected either five or ten grand, depending whether it was an even-money or 2 to 1 bet. When it lost, I lost only ten bucks. I named the move “Savannah” after a stripper I knew at the time. This move is widely considered by the upper echelon surveillance people as the best casino cheating move ever. I surely agree with them. I demonstrated it at the recent World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) in Las Vegas, and the audience, which consisted of key casino personnel from all over the world, was quite impressed.
Q: But how did you do such a move without getting caught?
A: (Marcus chuckles again, louder) Well, the key was I placed the $5,000 chip underneath the $5 chip in a way that it was hidden from the dealer. In other words, the dealer knew there were two chips there but couldn’t make out the denomination of the bottom chip and therefore assumed it was another $5 chip. So when the bet lost, I raked it off the layout before the dealer could sweep it. If I was caught, I’d just go into a drunken routine and claim in slurred words that I didn’t realize that the ball had dropped. Then I would put back the two $5 chips I’d had palmed in my hand. Since the dealer believed my original bet was just that, two $5 chips, there was never much of a problem.
Q: What happened when the bet won, especially if the dealer didn’t know the $5,000 chip was there?
A: I immediately started ranting and raving with joy, pointing to the bet, screaming, “There’s my $5,000 winning chip!” The beauty of it was that when they went to surveillance to verify that it was a legitimate bet and not pastposted, the cameras backed me up every time! The move sounds ridiculous, right? Well, maybe so, but it made millions and the casinos never figured it out until I wrote about it in my memoirs, “American Roulette.”
Q: So now you’re no longer a casino cheater. Are you actually helping the casinos now?
A: Well, I retired from cheating seven years ago and have since written four books, the first of which, “American Roulette,” is being made into a feature film. I’m not yet ready to completely retire, so what better way for me to stay busy than by consulting to casinos? Gaming is the only thing I know in life, so that’s what I’m doing to keep occupied.
Q: What services do you offer casinos?
A: Complete game protection training for educating their floor staffs and surveillance departments including everyone from dealers to cage employees. I teach dealers how to be less vulnerable to cheaters and what methods they can employ to sharpen up their defenses. I actually give them a mental checklist to perform before each deal of cards, roll of the dice, or spin of the roulette ball. I teach floor people how to spot the scams and how to spot the ones that their very own dealers may be involved in. I teach surveillance observers to recognize things their cameras are showing them that are not always evident.
Q: What do you find to be the casinos’ major weaknesses against cheaters?
A: On the floor, it’s mainly that dealers, floormen and pit bosses are all far too dependent on the “eye in the sky” or the cameras. They figure that since every square inch of casino space is taped 24/7 they don’t have to be on their toes. Not so. I like to say, “Remember, a camera is not going to tap a pit boss on the shoulder and say, ‘The guy on blackjack table number four just made a move.’” It has to work the other way. The people on the floor have to know what they are looking for, as well as looking at. The cameras are just like computers. If you don’t give them proper input, you don’t get proper output. So I teach not only the scams but the subtleties that indicate a scam might be in the works. It is a different type of educational approach that the casino staffs really enjoy.
Q: Are high-level surveillance people comfortable with learning from the world’s greatest casino cheater? I mean, is there ever reluctance on their part?
A: If so, it dissipates quickly once they listen to me. After all, who is better able to teach this stuff than someone who’s spent most of his adult life doing it? Practically all of the so called experts who teach game protection to casinos have never been out in the actual field like I have. They’ve never been cheaters so there is a limit on their knowledge. In fact, at the WGPC (World Gaming Protection Conference) in Las Vegas, two surveillance directors from major Las Vegas casinos told me that they came to the conference only to see my presentation. Both admitted they were enlightened by what I had to say like never before. I certainly appreciated those comments. I really do enjoy teaching casino people the tricks of the trade. And I do guarantee prospective casino clients that my services will save them thousands and thousands of dollars each year.
Q: Do you ever miss it? The thrills of cheating, getting over on the casinos and all their multimillion-dollar surveillance equipment.
A: I guess that’s like asking a retired athlete if he misses the spotlight. You know, sometimes I think about those days and say, “Boy, I had fun, I made good money and I never got caught or arrested,” but as long as I stay busy now, I don’t really miss it. I do, however, love telling war stories about some of my greatest cheating experiences.
Q Would you tell me one?
A: No, Steve, for that you have to read my book!
For those of you who enjoy reading gaming and poker magazines, look for upcoming articles that I have written. In the US, articles of mine should soon be appearing in Pro Player and Bluff, two popular poker magazines. In Europe, look for my articles in Gambling.com and GX Exclusiv magazines, two all-around gambling magazines.
As far as this year's World Series of Poker goes, I haven't heard of any major cheating incidents, though I am sure that the collusion syndicates are working the tournaments and especially the big-action ring games. The current trick that collusion teams use--playing top hand where only one of their members stays in the pot to minimize losses when that hand is beat--has become more the strategy than the usual whipsawing to either get opponents out of pots or sucked in for more money. If anyone hears of specific incidents of soft play, counterfeit chips, or any other hanky-panky at the WSOP, please let me know.
INTERVIEW:
The World’s Greatest Casino Cheat
By Steve Karoul
Richard Marcus is a professional casino cheat. Richard Marcus is the world’s best casino cheat. Richard Marcus can hurt your casino. Richard Marcus can also help your casino.
I recently had the chance to speak with Richard Marcus, the man considered to be the best cheater in the history of legalized gaming, who has since retired and is making a new career on the other side of the fence by consulting to casinos in the area of game protection. I spoke with him about how he was able to cheat casinos and beat their surveillance systems for more than twenty-five years without having ever been caught and how he currently goes about teaching and educating casino staffs to better protect their tables from the very likes of himself. Here are some of the key points of my interview with him.
Q: Simply put, Mr. Marcus, what did it take to become the world’s greatest casino cheater?
A: Well, it was a combination of three things: courage, brains and lack of greed. First and foremost, you have to overcome whatever fear you have of getting caught. Then you have to be intelligent enough to design and carry out creative casino cheating moves that work. Third, and certainly as important as the first two requisites, you have to know when to stop; in other words, don’t be greedy! The old saying about going to the well too many times applies to casino cheating as much as anything else.
Q: I guess it’s hard to find people with all three of those prerequisites.
A: Very. Some guys out there have tremendous courage, some have rocket scientist’s brains, but few have both. And some guys have courage for many things but not for casino cheating when they know that so many different people and the surveillance cameras will be watching every move they make or might make. A funny story occurred back in Atlantic City one night after a big heavyweight fight. I was standing next to a New York wiseguy watching my partner do a blackjack pastpost move, which is switching in higher denomination chips after the bet wins. It so happened that this wiseguy was an acquaintance of my partner. He had nothing to do with our casino cheating operation. However, after witnessing the move and my partner’s coolness under pressure, the wiseguy whispered, “You got guts kid. I’d sooner fight Mike Tyson than try that!” And, believe me; he’d give Mike Tyson a good fight. Guts and courage are only part of what’s required to be a good cheat. Skill is an even more important requisite. Not everyone has both.
Q: How hard is it to know when to stop?
A: That depends on the person. For someone levelheaded enough, as I’ve always considered myself to be, it was just a matter of surveying a casino after I did a cheating move. If the move was absolutely clean with none of the casino personnel having been bothered, then I would go right back and do it again, and again, as long as no one was picking up on what I was doing. But once a little heat started coming down, I would just cash out and go to another casino, even another gambling town if it got hot enough. Some cheaters take the attitude to keep working under adverse conditions, until they’re taking tons of heat. This is imprudent and often leads to getting caught. I always had the attitude that the casinos were always there for the taking, so if conditions were not right, I’d just let them hold on to “my” money until the next time. Schedules vary and staffing varies especially in large casinos, so with a little patience I would wait until I found the weak links and then make my moves. But if I sensed any pressure or heat at shift change I would simply cash out and leave.
Q: What was your specialty in cheating the casinos?
A: I was a chip (check) manipulator. Either I pastposted bets after they won, or did the opposite; greatly decreased the size of my bets when they lost, which is called dragging or pinching.
Q: The first part about pastposting, I understand. But what about decreasing the size of your bets after they lose? How is that possible? Once they lose, doesn’t the dealer take the chips?
A: (Marcus chuckles here) Yes they do. But it’s actually a dragging move that I’m most famous for, or should I say “infamous?” I came up with a roulette move where I bet a $5,000 chip underneath a red $5 chip on outside roulette bets. When the bet won, I collected either five or ten grand, depending whether it was an even-money or 2 to 1 bet. When it lost, I lost only ten bucks. I named the move “Savannah” after a stripper I knew at the time. This move is widely considered by the upper echelon surveillance people as the best casino cheating move ever. I surely agree with them. I demonstrated it at the recent World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) in Las Vegas, and the audience, which consisted of key casino personnel from all over the world, was quite impressed.
Q: But how did you do such a move without getting caught?
A: (Marcus chuckles again, louder) Well, the key was I placed the $5,000 chip underneath the $5 chip in a way that it was hidden from the dealer. In other words, the dealer knew there were two chips there but couldn’t make out the denomination of the bottom chip and therefore assumed it was another $5 chip. So when the bet lost, I raked it off the layout before the dealer could sweep it. If I was caught, I’d just go into a drunken routine and claim in slurred words that I didn’t realize that the ball had dropped. Then I would put back the two $5 chips I’d had palmed in my hand. Since the dealer believed my original bet was just that, two $5 chips, there was never much of a problem.
Q: What happened when the bet won, especially if the dealer didn’t know the $5,000 chip was there?
A: I immediately started ranting and raving with joy, pointing to the bet, screaming, “There’s my $5,000 winning chip!” The beauty of it was that when they went to surveillance to verify that it was a legitimate bet and not pastposted, the cameras backed me up every time! The move sounds ridiculous, right? Well, maybe so, but it made millions and the casinos never figured it out until I wrote about it in my memoirs, “American Roulette.”
Q: So now you’re no longer a casino cheater. Are you actually helping the casinos now?
A: Well, I retired from cheating seven years ago and have since written four books, the first of which, “American Roulette,” is being made into a feature film. I’m not yet ready to completely retire, so what better way for me to stay busy than by consulting to casinos? Gaming is the only thing I know in life, so that’s what I’m doing to keep occupied.
Q: What services do you offer casinos?
A: Complete game protection training for educating their floor staffs and surveillance departments including everyone from dealers to cage employees. I teach dealers how to be less vulnerable to cheaters and what methods they can employ to sharpen up their defenses. I actually give them a mental checklist to perform before each deal of cards, roll of the dice, or spin of the roulette ball. I teach floor people how to spot the scams and how to spot the ones that their very own dealers may be involved in. I teach surveillance observers to recognize things their cameras are showing them that are not always evident.
Q: What do you find to be the casinos’ major weaknesses against cheaters?
A: On the floor, it’s mainly that dealers, floormen and pit bosses are all far too dependent on the “eye in the sky” or the cameras. They figure that since every square inch of casino space is taped 24/7 they don’t have to be on their toes. Not so. I like to say, “Remember, a camera is not going to tap a pit boss on the shoulder and say, ‘The guy on blackjack table number four just made a move.’” It has to work the other way. The people on the floor have to know what they are looking for, as well as looking at. The cameras are just like computers. If you don’t give them proper input, you don’t get proper output. So I teach not only the scams but the subtleties that indicate a scam might be in the works. It is a different type of educational approach that the casino staffs really enjoy.
Q: Are high-level surveillance people comfortable with learning from the world’s greatest casino cheater? I mean, is there ever reluctance on their part?
A: If so, it dissipates quickly once they listen to me. After all, who is better able to teach this stuff than someone who’s spent most of his adult life doing it? Practically all of the so called experts who teach game protection to casinos have never been out in the actual field like I have. They’ve never been cheaters so there is a limit on their knowledge. In fact, at the WGPC (World Gaming Protection Conference) in Las Vegas, two surveillance directors from major Las Vegas casinos told me that they came to the conference only to see my presentation. Both admitted they were enlightened by what I had to say like never before. I certainly appreciated those comments. I really do enjoy teaching casino people the tricks of the trade. And I do guarantee prospective casino clients that my services will save them thousands and thousands of dollars each year.
Q: Do you ever miss it? The thrills of cheating, getting over on the casinos and all their multimillion-dollar surveillance equipment.
A: I guess that’s like asking a retired athlete if he misses the spotlight. You know, sometimes I think about those days and say, “Boy, I had fun, I made good money and I never got caught or arrested,” but as long as I stay busy now, I don’t really miss it. I do, however, love telling war stories about some of my greatest cheating experiences.
Q Would you tell me one?
A: No, Steve, for that you have to read my book!
Friday, June 15, 2007
THE BEST CHEAT MOVE EVER!
Believe it or not, it's not my famed Savannah move. It's actually a move that married identity theft to casino cheating. If you want to read the whole story, it's in my book "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams." But here's a brief description as to how it was pulled off:
THE CASINO IDENTITY THEFT CREDIT SCAM
Why is this the best scam of all time? Well, if casinos just give you millions of dollars and you don’t have to do anything, I’d say that that could never be beat!
Ever dream of walking into a casino, signing a marker for a hundred thousand dollars in credit, getting the chips, cashing them out and never having to worry about paying it back? It’s easy. Just takes a little ingenuity, criminal genius and big balls.
It’s part of today’s biggest scam. Identity theft. The Roselli brothers from Monmouth, New Jersey, pulled off a beauty in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico that began in the mid ’90s and lasted until January 2000. How’d they do it? They hired a computer hacker to break into the nation’s credit data systems, then pilfered the credit histories of certain Americans (and foreigners) having outstanding credit ratings and several accounts. Then after opening new accounts in these people’s names, the Roselli brothers applied to the credit departments of the major casinos in all three gambling capitals. They were told that stable cash balances had to be maintained in bank accounts for a minimum of six months before casinos would establish credit. No problem. The Roselli brothers, already career gangsters with fat bankrolls, had plenty of money to work with. They opened accounts in several names and stuck fifty grand in each of them. Six months later virtually all the major casinos gave them fifty-thousand-dollar credit lines in the name of each fraudulent account they had established with the banks.
The Rosellis alternated their scam between Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico every weekend for more than five years. They were completely comped in style for everything: penthouse suites, gourmet meals, Dom Pérignon, you name it. They signed markers, got their chips, then used “offset” betting procedures to make the pit bosses believe they were losing all their chips while cohorts were winning them on the other side of baccarat and craps tables. Then with the same fidelity an honorable person returns his books to the library on time, the Rosellis promptly paid their outstanding markers. This got their credit lines jacked up, since they showed tons of action and paid their markers within a few days of leaving the casinos, a gesture just loved by casino credit departments. The fifty-thousand-dollar casino credit lines soon became a hundred thousand, then two hundred thousand, then half a million, and even a million in some of the classiest casino megaresorts. And the Rosellis kept on signing, playing, signing and playing, all the while giving the impression of losing big. Naturally their operation became complex and employed dozens of loyal associates from New Jersey, but as long as the casino bosses never caught on to the fact that each Roselli was more than one person, they would never know they were being victimized in the biggest casino credit scam in history.
It was ballsy, at times incredibly hairy, but the brothers pulled it off. New Year’s weekend, 2000, they showed up in Vegas for the last time. They planned on beginning the new millennium with a bang. They made the rounds of casinos in which they had big credit lines in fifty names, carefully working each shift (day, swing and graveyard) as to avoid running into pit bosses who might address them with a name different from the one they were using at that moment to sign markers. Then after spreading their false gambling action all over town, with bets as high as $100,000 per hand, they absconded with the chips never to be seen again.
Total take: $37 million. And the real beauty of it was that neither the casinos, the FBI nor the US Secret Service realized a scam had taken place until six months later. First the casinos sent polite reminders to the addresses (real apartments in upscale neighborhoods) the Rosellis had set up for the scam, asking for payment of the markers. Then when those went unanswered they turned to dunning letters demanding payment or else there would be legal action. Next came phone calls from their credit departments, but they fell upon professional answering services unwittingly picking up the phones for fraudulent businesses. And they called again and again—more letters, too, even certified, but no one ever answered the door for the mailmen. All that took six months before the FBI was finally alerted. By that time the Roselli brothers were lying on a beach somewhere very far from American casinos.
And one last detail: The Roselli brothers didn’t exist either. The real Roselli brothers whose ID they thieved died long before their scam was conceived. So in fact, the FBI and Secret Service have no idea who they’re looking for. But I do. They’re looking for shadows.
THE CASINO IDENTITY THEFT CREDIT SCAM
Why is this the best scam of all time? Well, if casinos just give you millions of dollars and you don’t have to do anything, I’d say that that could never be beat!
Ever dream of walking into a casino, signing a marker for a hundred thousand dollars in credit, getting the chips, cashing them out and never having to worry about paying it back? It’s easy. Just takes a little ingenuity, criminal genius and big balls.
It’s part of today’s biggest scam. Identity theft. The Roselli brothers from Monmouth, New Jersey, pulled off a beauty in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico that began in the mid ’90s and lasted until January 2000. How’d they do it? They hired a computer hacker to break into the nation’s credit data systems, then pilfered the credit histories of certain Americans (and foreigners) having outstanding credit ratings and several accounts. Then after opening new accounts in these people’s names, the Roselli brothers applied to the credit departments of the major casinos in all three gambling capitals. They were told that stable cash balances had to be maintained in bank accounts for a minimum of six months before casinos would establish credit. No problem. The Roselli brothers, already career gangsters with fat bankrolls, had plenty of money to work with. They opened accounts in several names and stuck fifty grand in each of them. Six months later virtually all the major casinos gave them fifty-thousand-dollar credit lines in the name of each fraudulent account they had established with the banks.
The Rosellis alternated their scam between Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico every weekend for more than five years. They were completely comped in style for everything: penthouse suites, gourmet meals, Dom Pérignon, you name it. They signed markers, got their chips, then used “offset” betting procedures to make the pit bosses believe they were losing all their chips while cohorts were winning them on the other side of baccarat and craps tables. Then with the same fidelity an honorable person returns his books to the library on time, the Rosellis promptly paid their outstanding markers. This got their credit lines jacked up, since they showed tons of action and paid their markers within a few days of leaving the casinos, a gesture just loved by casino credit departments. The fifty-thousand-dollar casino credit lines soon became a hundred thousand, then two hundred thousand, then half a million, and even a million in some of the classiest casino megaresorts. And the Rosellis kept on signing, playing, signing and playing, all the while giving the impression of losing big. Naturally their operation became complex and employed dozens of loyal associates from New Jersey, but as long as the casino bosses never caught on to the fact that each Roselli was more than one person, they would never know they were being victimized in the biggest casino credit scam in history.
It was ballsy, at times incredibly hairy, but the brothers pulled it off. New Year’s weekend, 2000, they showed up in Vegas for the last time. They planned on beginning the new millennium with a bang. They made the rounds of casinos in which they had big credit lines in fifty names, carefully working each shift (day, swing and graveyard) as to avoid running into pit bosses who might address them with a name different from the one they were using at that moment to sign markers. Then after spreading their false gambling action all over town, with bets as high as $100,000 per hand, they absconded with the chips never to be seen again.
Total take: $37 million. And the real beauty of it was that neither the casinos, the FBI nor the US Secret Service realized a scam had taken place until six months later. First the casinos sent polite reminders to the addresses (real apartments in upscale neighborhoods) the Rosellis had set up for the scam, asking for payment of the markers. Then when those went unanswered they turned to dunning letters demanding payment or else there would be legal action. Next came phone calls from their credit departments, but they fell upon professional answering services unwittingly picking up the phones for fraudulent businesses. And they called again and again—more letters, too, even certified, but no one ever answered the door for the mailmen. All that took six months before the FBI was finally alerted. By that time the Roselli brothers were lying on a beach somewhere very far from American casinos.
And one last detail: The Roselli brothers didn’t exist either. The real Roselli brothers whose ID they thieved died long before their scam was conceived. So in fact, the FBI and Secret Service have no idea who they’re looking for. But I do. They’re looking for shadows.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Major Baccarat Scam was Invented by Me!
Have you all read or heard about the major Vietnamese baccarat cheating ring that was busted in the US and Canada yesterday? It took casinos in the two countries for between $3 million and $5 million, according to FBI, RCMP and Gaming Control Authority investigations.
Well, if any of you have read my book "American Roulette," you might remember it was I who invented and performed that very same scam back in 1977, the simple false-shuffle move at the mini baccarat table. It was the launch of my legendary casino-cheating career. In fact, it is one of the most entertaining facets of the book. I also wrote about a Chinese version of the same scam that took place in Macao in late 90s and was perpetrated by one of the infamous Triads, the Chinese Mafia. This was known as the Kowloon Baccarat Scam and is one of the chapters in my new book, "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams."
Here's an article about me and this scam that appeared today in the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper. Following that is their article about the scam that got busted yesterday.
Oh, by the way, when I did the same scam I didn't get caught. The reason this Vietnamese gang did get caught was that they were too greedy and involved way too many people. Up to as many as 40 people were involved, at least 35 too many!
EX-CON MAN RECOGNIZES SWINDLE
May 26, 2007 04:30 AM
Robyn Doolittle
staff reporter
Richard Marcus says he knows exactly how $2 million was allegedly scammed from Casino Rama. After all, he came up with the idea in the 1970s.
Marcus was a Las Vegas baccarat dealer when he devised a scheme similar to the one outlined by American investigators following Thursday's arrests of 15 people in Ontario and 16 in the United States. Seven others are still wanted.
Within two weeks of developing the cheat, Marcus, 50, estimates he and his accomplice stole $40,000 (U.S.) from the casino, which was a lot of money back then, he said.
"It's very easy. Just take a deck of cards and shuffle them, (but) protect a certain amount of it. That's called the slug," he said. "It's harder for the eye in the sky – the surveillance cameras – to catch; even on a zoom-in."
An accomplice would be writing down the order in which the cards appeared, which is allowed. That way, when the first few cards of the slug start appearing, players know to start betting big.
"I did it in a way that I wasn't even on the table when it happened. I fixed up the shoe (where the cards are kept) and left the shoe there to be dealt by the dealer who was relieving me," he said.
Cheaters play only one shoe, collect their winnings and bolt so the scam is over by the time casino staff notice the huge hit the table is taking.
Marcus estimates he has scammed $20 million from casinos over 30 years – including ones in Windsor, Niagara Falls and Montreal – but he didn't start out as a con artist.
A lucky score of $20,000 took him to Las Vegas where, armed with fake I.D., he won another $100,000.
For weeks, he lived the life of a high roller, complete with an all-expenses paid room at the Riviera hotel, lost everything on his 20th birthday and later became a baccarat dealer on the strip.
One night Joe Classan, who turned out to be from the same part of New York as Marcus, sat down at his table.
"We started talking and there was just a vibe between us. ... He wanted to know why I had never tried to scam the casino. He told me about the money I could make. He said `come up with something good.'"
Within two weeks of developing the scheme, Marcus had stolen $40,000 from the casino, quit his job, and launched his professional career as a con artist. It wasn't until 1999 when he read the book Catch Me If You Can that he felt inspired to quit the game and write his own story, American Roulette. The book is set to become a movie in 2009, he said.
Today, Marcus teaches casinos how to protect themselves against advanced scam artists.
"If I'd been in (Casino Rama) where they got busted, it would not have gone on as long as it did," he said.
Here's article about the busted scam:
CASINO RAMA SCAM BUSTED
BACCARAT CHEATS NETTED $2 MILLION-PLUS AFTER RECRUITING DEALERS, POLICE ALLEGE
May 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Paul Moloney
staff reporter
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.
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.
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.
Well, if any of you have read my book "American Roulette," you might remember it was I who invented and performed that very same scam back in 1977, the simple false-shuffle move at the mini baccarat table. It was the launch of my legendary casino-cheating career. In fact, it is one of the most entertaining facets of the book. I also wrote about a Chinese version of the same scam that took place in Macao in late 90s and was perpetrated by one of the infamous Triads, the Chinese Mafia. This was known as the Kowloon Baccarat Scam and is one of the chapters in my new book, "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams."
Here's an article about me and this scam that appeared today in the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper. Following that is their article about the scam that got busted yesterday.
Oh, by the way, when I did the same scam I didn't get caught. The reason this Vietnamese gang did get caught was that they were too greedy and involved way too many people. Up to as many as 40 people were involved, at least 35 too many!
EX-CON MAN RECOGNIZES SWINDLE
May 26, 2007 04:30 AM
Robyn Doolittle
staff reporter
Richard Marcus says he knows exactly how $2 million was allegedly scammed from Casino Rama. After all, he came up with the idea in the 1970s.
Marcus was a Las Vegas baccarat dealer when he devised a scheme similar to the one outlined by American investigators following Thursday's arrests of 15 people in Ontario and 16 in the United States. Seven others are still wanted.
Within two weeks of developing the cheat, Marcus, 50, estimates he and his accomplice stole $40,000 (U.S.) from the casino, which was a lot of money back then, he said.
"It's very easy. Just take a deck of cards and shuffle them, (but) protect a certain amount of it. That's called the slug," he said. "It's harder for the eye in the sky – the surveillance cameras – to catch; even on a zoom-in."
An accomplice would be writing down the order in which the cards appeared, which is allowed. That way, when the first few cards of the slug start appearing, players know to start betting big.
"I did it in a way that I wasn't even on the table when it happened. I fixed up the shoe (where the cards are kept) and left the shoe there to be dealt by the dealer who was relieving me," he said.
Cheaters play only one shoe, collect their winnings and bolt so the scam is over by the time casino staff notice the huge hit the table is taking.
Marcus estimates he has scammed $20 million from casinos over 30 years – including ones in Windsor, Niagara Falls and Montreal – but he didn't start out as a con artist.
A lucky score of $20,000 took him to Las Vegas where, armed with fake I.D., he won another $100,000.
For weeks, he lived the life of a high roller, complete with an all-expenses paid room at the Riviera hotel, lost everything on his 20th birthday and later became a baccarat dealer on the strip.
One night Joe Classan, who turned out to be from the same part of New York as Marcus, sat down at his table.
"We started talking and there was just a vibe between us. ... He wanted to know why I had never tried to scam the casino. He told me about the money I could make. He said `come up with something good.'"
Within two weeks of developing the scheme, Marcus had stolen $40,000 from the casino, quit his job, and launched his professional career as a con artist. It wasn't until 1999 when he read the book Catch Me If You Can that he felt inspired to quit the game and write his own story, American Roulette. The book is set to become a movie in 2009, he said.
Today, Marcus teaches casinos how to protect themselves against advanced scam artists.
"If I'd been in (Casino Rama) where they got busted, it would not have gone on as long as it did," he said.
Here's article about the busted scam:
CASINO RAMA SCAM BUSTED
BACCARAT CHEATS NETTED $2 MILLION-PLUS AFTER RECRUITING DEALERS, POLICE ALLEGE
May 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Paul Moloney
staff reporter
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
I just read a great book!
I have never blogged about a book before...well, at least not one that wasn't written by me! But "LATE BET" by DOUGLAS STEWART is the first I've read to deserve my blogging attention. If you, like myself, ever wanted to square things with--or better yet get cold revenge on casinos, especially creepy and crooked ones, read this book. Stewart's main character has just the right idea. And after reading this book, you might really have an appetite to sock it to these heartless casinos.
"Late Bet" is racy and moves across both European and Vegas casinos. Without giving away too much of the story, the main character, Dex, sets out on his obsessive, all-consuming thirst for revenge against a casino partnership that cheated him, mainly refusing to pay a legitimate monster-bet that they ruled as late, hence Stewart's appropriate and fitting title. Ignoring the dangers of taking on casino moguls, Dex plans to destroy Space City, the glitzy mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip as well as its partner, the discreet Dukes Casino in London's Mayfair. He takes on sinister casino bosses while partnering up with fellow gambler Scotty Brannigan, a Las Vegas based Formula-One Grand Prix racing driver, who helps him thrash the casinos. We also run into a Malaysian betting syndicate that corrupts sportsmen, hot babes, whom Dex learns can really fuck up plans for attacking the casinos, even when he finds opportunities through them. He gets involved with both a svelte BBC-TV journalist and an outrageous Australian nurse, quite the amorous cocktail. Add to this a Caribbean hideaway, glitzy Grand Prix circuits including Monaco and Indianapolis, and, of course, murders. All this makes for jaw-dropping shocks, and suspense abounds as Dex's opposing casino creeps fight him dirty to the end.
Stewart's writing is fast-moving and laced with that natural British sarcasm that comes across so effortlessly. It is also obvious (he's written books on the subject)that he has a thorough understanding of gambling, casinos, and most important, the human nature of greed and corruption, so prevalent on both sides of the casino world.
Tough to put this one down, and I suggest you pick up a copy.
I have posted images with hyperlinks on both my home and blog pages to facilitate ordering the book. Trust me, when it comes to casino capers I know a good one!
"Late Bet" is racy and moves across both European and Vegas casinos. Without giving away too much of the story, the main character, Dex, sets out on his obsessive, all-consuming thirst for revenge against a casino partnership that cheated him, mainly refusing to pay a legitimate monster-bet that they ruled as late, hence Stewart's appropriate and fitting title. Ignoring the dangers of taking on casino moguls, Dex plans to destroy Space City, the glitzy mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip as well as its partner, the discreet Dukes Casino in London's Mayfair. He takes on sinister casino bosses while partnering up with fellow gambler Scotty Brannigan, a Las Vegas based Formula-One Grand Prix racing driver, who helps him thrash the casinos. We also run into a Malaysian betting syndicate that corrupts sportsmen, hot babes, whom Dex learns can really fuck up plans for attacking the casinos, even when he finds opportunities through them. He gets involved with both a svelte BBC-TV journalist and an outrageous Australian nurse, quite the amorous cocktail. Add to this a Caribbean hideaway, glitzy Grand Prix circuits including Monaco and Indianapolis, and, of course, murders. All this makes for jaw-dropping shocks, and suspense abounds as Dex's opposing casino creeps fight him dirty to the end.
Stewart's writing is fast-moving and laced with that natural British sarcasm that comes across so effortlessly. It is also obvious (he's written books on the subject)that he has a thorough understanding of gambling, casinos, and most important, the human nature of greed and corruption, so prevalent on both sides of the casino world.
Tough to put this one down, and I suggest you pick up a copy.
I have posted images with hyperlinks on both my home and blog pages to facilitate ordering the book. Trust me, when it comes to casino capers I know a good one!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Online Poker News...Dice Control...My new book is out!
Don't let anyone tell you that online poker in the US is dead yet. Some big-wig politicians, who themselves are online poker players and have written me about my book "Dirty Poker," are supporting the Poker Alliance to preserve online poker and even pushing legislation for credit card use in Internet gambling. An article about one politician on the front lines follows.
And speaking of "Dirty Poker," I am thinking of writing "Dirty Poker 2." This book would name names and give even more concrete evidence of big-time cheating. Please give me your thoughts on this.
April 26, 2007, 5:23 pm
Frank Introduces a Long-Shot Online Gambling Bill
Damian Paletta reports on a gambling bill.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney
Frank introduced a bill today that would allow people
to gamble over the Internet using their credit cards,
a practice Congress banned just last year.
Frank
“The issue is whether adults who work for their money
in the comfort of their home should be allowed to
engage in a form of recreation which is enjoyed and
which has no conceivable negative impact on anybody
else,” Frank said at a press conference.
Frank said many of his colleagues didn’t realize what
they were voting for when they passed the Internet
gambling restrictions last year. There were “a number
of members who basically said to me, ‘I voted for
what?’” he said.
Under Frank’s bill, licenses would be distributed by
the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,
and gamblers would have to be at least 18 years old.
Licensees would be required to pay taxes and have
safeguards to prevent money laundering and compulsive
gambling.
The issue is a matter of personal freedom, Frank said,
adding: “I don’t play cards because every time I start
playing cards I start talking and people say, ‘Will
you shut up, you are distracting me.”
The poker players were encouraged. The Poker Players
Alliance, which took particularly umbrage with last
years bill since it carved out exceptions for online
gambling on horse races, fantasy sports and state
lotteries, called it a “common sense approach.” Former
New York Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, now PPA’s chairman,
said the bill “creates good public policy that
establishes real safeguards that protect minors and
problem gamblers while allowing the majority of adults
to enjoy poker and other games online.”
The bill faces long odds. Frank conceded he had some
work to do in order to attract more support, and said
he hadn’t yet discussed the bill with Democratic
leadership but figured they would be “against it.”
Good luck, Barney!
DICE CONTROL
Along with e-mails about roulette computers and online poker bots, I have been getting numerous queries concerning dice control. For those of you who have never heard of this, dice control is a skill (or purported skill) with which a crafty craps shooter can control the dice to a certain degree that would give him an edge over the house. In doing this he would have to roll the dice in a legitimate fashion or at least give the appearance that his roll is legitimate, mainly that each die hit the back wall of the craps table and tumble, and that no obvious "skid" be employed to move either die across the table to the back wall.
Well, people want to know if there is any truth to this method of beating casinos and does it constitute cheating. Dice control has made it to big-time TV, as an episode on both the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas" series and the UK Challenge TV's "World's Greatest Gambling Scams." There have also been books written about this, mainly by Frank Scoblete who actually gives seminars teaching would-be winning gamblers his methods of dice control.
Do I, as the world's greatest casino cheater, buy any of this?
Afraid not. I would sooner subscribe to the theory of a roulette dealer controlling the ball's landing than I would a dice-shooter's controlling that of the dice. It's just too difficult given the distance the dice travel and their crashing against the wall. I'm not saying that craps tables cannot at all be manipulated by skilled dice hustlers, but they cannot do this with regulation rolls of the dice. Lackadaisical casino craps crews can be taken advantage of in some situations. Sometimes they let it go when only one die hits the wall, in accompaniment to a heed of "please hit the wall with both dice, sir." Other times they might let several rolls like that go by. Only in these instances can dice manipulators gain any edge against the casino, and even so it is not a big one.
Is it cheating? Yes and no. Yes meaning that it is technically cheating, no meaning that it would be difficult to prove and easily stopped on the spot by boxmen calling out "no roll" whenever a die fails to hit the back wall.
So in conclusion, if you're reading up on this while thinking it might be your way to casino profits, you'd do better by playing poker, counting cards or hustling pool.
My new book "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams" is now in stores, and as you can imagine none of the scams I've written about is dice control.
And speaking of "Dirty Poker," I am thinking of writing "Dirty Poker 2." This book would name names and give even more concrete evidence of big-time cheating. Please give me your thoughts on this.
April 26, 2007, 5:23 pm
Frank Introduces a Long-Shot Online Gambling Bill
Damian Paletta reports on a gambling bill.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney
Frank introduced a bill today that would allow people
to gamble over the Internet using their credit cards,
a practice Congress banned just last year.
Frank
“The issue is whether adults who work for their money
in the comfort of their home should be allowed to
engage in a form of recreation which is enjoyed and
which has no conceivable negative impact on anybody
else,” Frank said at a press conference.
Frank said many of his colleagues didn’t realize what
they were voting for when they passed the Internet
gambling restrictions last year. There were “a number
of members who basically said to me, ‘I voted for
what?’” he said.
Under Frank’s bill, licenses would be distributed by
the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,
and gamblers would have to be at least 18 years old.
Licensees would be required to pay taxes and have
safeguards to prevent money laundering and compulsive
gambling.
The issue is a matter of personal freedom, Frank said,
adding: “I don’t play cards because every time I start
playing cards I start talking and people say, ‘Will
you shut up, you are distracting me.”
The poker players were encouraged. The Poker Players
Alliance, which took particularly umbrage with last
years bill since it carved out exceptions for online
gambling on horse races, fantasy sports and state
lotteries, called it a “common sense approach.” Former
New York Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, now PPA’s chairman,
said the bill “creates good public policy that
establishes real safeguards that protect minors and
problem gamblers while allowing the majority of adults
to enjoy poker and other games online.”
The bill faces long odds. Frank conceded he had some
work to do in order to attract more support, and said
he hadn’t yet discussed the bill with Democratic
leadership but figured they would be “against it.”
Good luck, Barney!
DICE CONTROL
Along with e-mails about roulette computers and online poker bots, I have been getting numerous queries concerning dice control. For those of you who have never heard of this, dice control is a skill (or purported skill) with which a crafty craps shooter can control the dice to a certain degree that would give him an edge over the house. In doing this he would have to roll the dice in a legitimate fashion or at least give the appearance that his roll is legitimate, mainly that each die hit the back wall of the craps table and tumble, and that no obvious "skid" be employed to move either die across the table to the back wall.
Well, people want to know if there is any truth to this method of beating casinos and does it constitute cheating. Dice control has made it to big-time TV, as an episode on both the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas" series and the UK Challenge TV's "World's Greatest Gambling Scams." There have also been books written about this, mainly by Frank Scoblete who actually gives seminars teaching would-be winning gamblers his methods of dice control.
Do I, as the world's greatest casino cheater, buy any of this?
Afraid not. I would sooner subscribe to the theory of a roulette dealer controlling the ball's landing than I would a dice-shooter's controlling that of the dice. It's just too difficult given the distance the dice travel and their crashing against the wall. I'm not saying that craps tables cannot at all be manipulated by skilled dice hustlers, but they cannot do this with regulation rolls of the dice. Lackadaisical casino craps crews can be taken advantage of in some situations. Sometimes they let it go when only one die hits the wall, in accompaniment to a heed of "please hit the wall with both dice, sir." Other times they might let several rolls like that go by. Only in these instances can dice manipulators gain any edge against the casino, and even so it is not a big one.
Is it cheating? Yes and no. Yes meaning that it is technically cheating, no meaning that it would be difficult to prove and easily stopped on the spot by boxmen calling out "no roll" whenever a die fails to hit the back wall.
So in conclusion, if you're reading up on this while thinking it might be your way to casino profits, you'd do better by playing poker, counting cards or hustling pool.
My new book "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams" is now in stores, and as you can imagine none of the scams I've written about is dice control.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Making a hit in Asia!
I just returned from lecturing on casino surveillance in Asia and am happy to say that audiences were very impressed, and even captivated. I performed demonstrations of many different casino moves and also recounted some great stories from my career that are found in my books. When I boarded the plane in Singapore and was given a newspaper by the flight attendant, I was both shocked and thrilled to see that I was the headline!
Here's the article, which also contained my photo on the front page.
ONCE A GAMBLING CHEAT, NOW A MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER CONSULTANT
By Jasmine Yin, TODAY | Posted: 17 April 2007 1028 hrs
He amassed a whopping US$20 million ($30.3 million) from casinos all over the world, simply by deftly switching his chips right under the dealer's nose after the game had been played. And not once in 20 years was he ever caught.
Professional gambling cheat Richard Marcus played this trick time and again at casinos across the world, from Las Vegas to Europe and Macau, but he was so good that surveillance eagles never figured out what he had done. In the end, they even resorted to putting up posters of the American to warn their staff to be on the lookout for him.
"It's so simple," said Mr Marcus, who retired after New Year's Eve in 1999, speaking exclusively to TODAY on the sidelines of a three-day Asian Casinos Executive Summit 2007 that began on Monday.
He now does consultancy work for casinos and will share with industry players today how casino cheats operate even under the watchful eyes of modern-day surveillance.
"If I played Baccarat and the player hand won, after the dealer paid out the correct amount to me, I would change the bet amount by replacing the low-value chips, and tell the dealer: 'Hey, you made a mistake, I'm betting $5,000 chips instead of $15'. And I'd get paid for that."
Unseen by all, the low-value chips would deftly disappear into his jacket, leaving only the big-value chips on the table — making the dealer believe he or she had indeed made a mistake.
To increase his odds of pulling off the scam, he later incorporated into his technique a gentle tap of rebuke on the dealer's hand — contact with the dealer is a no-no — to further throw him or her off balance.
Indeed, he was "so convincing" in his act that they "very rarely" got suspicious enough to check the surveillance footage. And when the game got too easy for him, he reversed his ploy. He would bet high every time at the roulette table, changing the chips with smaller ones during a losing bet instead.
His partner in crime, who would stand next to the dealer, would watch the spinning ball intently, discerning where it fell a split second quicker than the dealer did and signalling Mr Marcus. He calls his signature "Savannah" technique — named after a topless dancer in Las Vegas — "the best cheating move of all time" that had the best brains in the casino surveillance world stumped.
"It's so stupid, that's why it worked," said Mr Marcus. For should the casino's pit boss get suspicious of his string of wins and play back the surveillance videos, the footage would show his winning bets to be precisely what they were — legitimate — since he only cheated on the losing bets.
A former Blackjack and Baccarat dealer himself, Mr Marcus laughed when asked what kept him at his cheating spree for two decades. Holding mock gaming chips to his face, he quipped: "Money, honey. And ego."
The millionaire who, as a teenager used to sleep under a highway underpass, today makes his home in France — where, he jokes, his money cannot be touched by the United States taxman, since it is stashed away in an underground vault.
"My ex-wife got a lot of it too," he quipped.
Since retiring, Mr Marcus has published four books on his exploits — he cannot be prosecuted for his past misdeeds, thanks to the US Statute of Limitations — and is waiting to hear from Hollywood about a movie to be based on his first book, American Roulette.
Incidentally, his foray into writing was inspired by the Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can. "I thought that my story was way better than that," he said.
Just like the Leonard DiCaprio character, Mr Marcus is now being courted by the very people who used to be after him.
Without any pretence at modesty, he said: "I am the most successful cheat in the history of the world. I never had any equipment (when cheating), except my hands, my brains and my balls.
"Most people who cheat stay in one place and keep winning. My thing was, one move and I was done, and off I went to another table or casino."
So would he make a target of Singapore's upcoming casinos at the two integrated resorts?
"Even if I'm not retired, I will never do this in Singapore because I don't want to get caned. They cane people here," he said. - TODAY/fa
Here's the article, which also contained my photo on the front page.
ONCE A GAMBLING CHEAT, NOW A MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER CONSULTANT
By Jasmine Yin, TODAY | Posted: 17 April 2007 1028 hrs
He amassed a whopping US$20 million ($30.3 million) from casinos all over the world, simply by deftly switching his chips right under the dealer's nose after the game had been played. And not once in 20 years was he ever caught.
Professional gambling cheat Richard Marcus played this trick time and again at casinos across the world, from Las Vegas to Europe and Macau, but he was so good that surveillance eagles never figured out what he had done. In the end, they even resorted to putting up posters of the American to warn their staff to be on the lookout for him.
"It's so simple," said Mr Marcus, who retired after New Year's Eve in 1999, speaking exclusively to TODAY on the sidelines of a three-day Asian Casinos Executive Summit 2007 that began on Monday.
He now does consultancy work for casinos and will share with industry players today how casino cheats operate even under the watchful eyes of modern-day surveillance.
"If I played Baccarat and the player hand won, after the dealer paid out the correct amount to me, I would change the bet amount by replacing the low-value chips, and tell the dealer: 'Hey, you made a mistake, I'm betting $5,000 chips instead of $15'. And I'd get paid for that."
Unseen by all, the low-value chips would deftly disappear into his jacket, leaving only the big-value chips on the table — making the dealer believe he or she had indeed made a mistake.
To increase his odds of pulling off the scam, he later incorporated into his technique a gentle tap of rebuke on the dealer's hand — contact with the dealer is a no-no — to further throw him or her off balance.
Indeed, he was "so convincing" in his act that they "very rarely" got suspicious enough to check the surveillance footage. And when the game got too easy for him, he reversed his ploy. He would bet high every time at the roulette table, changing the chips with smaller ones during a losing bet instead.
His partner in crime, who would stand next to the dealer, would watch the spinning ball intently, discerning where it fell a split second quicker than the dealer did and signalling Mr Marcus. He calls his signature "Savannah" technique — named after a topless dancer in Las Vegas — "the best cheating move of all time" that had the best brains in the casino surveillance world stumped.
"It's so stupid, that's why it worked," said Mr Marcus. For should the casino's pit boss get suspicious of his string of wins and play back the surveillance videos, the footage would show his winning bets to be precisely what they were — legitimate — since he only cheated on the losing bets.
A former Blackjack and Baccarat dealer himself, Mr Marcus laughed when asked what kept him at his cheating spree for two decades. Holding mock gaming chips to his face, he quipped: "Money, honey. And ego."
The millionaire who, as a teenager used to sleep under a highway underpass, today makes his home in France — where, he jokes, his money cannot be touched by the United States taxman, since it is stashed away in an underground vault.
"My ex-wife got a lot of it too," he quipped.
Since retiring, Mr Marcus has published four books on his exploits — he cannot be prosecuted for his past misdeeds, thanks to the US Statute of Limitations — and is waiting to hear from Hollywood about a movie to be based on his first book, American Roulette.
Incidentally, his foray into writing was inspired by the Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can. "I thought that my story was way better than that," he said.
Just like the Leonard DiCaprio character, Mr Marcus is now being courted by the very people who used to be after him.
Without any pretence at modesty, he said: "I am the most successful cheat in the history of the world. I never had any equipment (when cheating), except my hands, my brains and my balls.
"Most people who cheat stay in one place and keep winning. My thing was, one move and I was done, and off I went to another table or casino."
So would he make a target of Singapore's upcoming casinos at the two integrated resorts?
"Even if I'm not retired, I will never do this in Singapore because I don't want to get caned. They cane people here," he said. - TODAY/fa
Sunday, April 08, 2007
FBI Enters Virtual Gambling Craze!
And they were invited!
It's all about gambling online at "Second Life" with "Linden dollars," you know, the kind of economy that reminds me of Club Med, where you vacationed at beachfront facilities and conducted all your affairs in Club Med currency, and got to leave broke in real $. What I really find amusing about this story is that the creators of Second Life, Linden Labs, actually convinced the FBI to check out their online virtual gambling gig! What is this world coming to?
The FBI was once interested in me, but that was at least for good cause, or what they thought was good cause, because they accused me of running an interstate casino-cheating ring, and then in cahoots with Interpol accused me of being in control of an international cheating ring. Now, we all know that none of that could ever be proved, so maybe the FBI now figures it will have better luck chasing Second Lifers and giving them "life" in a real non-virtual prison in a real non-virtual world. We shall see. The story as it was written follows:
FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Internet
casinos at the invitation of the virtual world's
creator Linden Lab, but the U.S. government has not
decided on the legality of virtual gambling.
"We have invited the FBI several times to take a look
around in Second Life and raise any concerns they
would like, and we know of at least one instance that
federal agents did look around in a virtual casino,"
said Ginsu Yoon, until recently Linden Lab's general
counsel and currently vice president for business
affairs.
Second Life is a popular online virtual world with
millions of registered users and its own economy and
currency, known as the Linden dollar, which can be
exchanged for U.S. dollars.
Yoon said the company was seeking guidance on virtual
gaming activity in Second Life but had not yet
received clear rules from U.S. authorities.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern
California declined to comment.
Hundreds of casinos offering poker, slot machines and
blackjack can easily be found in Second Life. While it
is difficult to estimate the total size of the
gambling economy in Second Life, the three largest
poker casinos are earning profits of a modest $1,500
each per month, according to casino owners and people
familiar with the industry.
The surge in Second Life gambling coincides with a
crackdown in the real world by the U.S. government,
which has arrested executives from offshore gambling
Web sites.
Most lawyers agree that placing bets with Linden
dollars likely violates U.S. antigambling statutes,
which cover circumstances in which "something of
value" is wagered. But the degree of Linden Lab's
responsibility, and the likelihood of a crackdown, is
uncertain.
"That's the risk; we have a set of unknowns, and we
don't know how they're going to play out," said Brent
Britton, an attorney specializing in emergent
technology at the law firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey in
Tampa, Fla.
Britton said Linden Lab could face criminal charges
under the 1970 Illegal Gambling Business Act or the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The latter
law, passed last year, takes aim at credit card
companies and other electronic funds transfers that
enable Internet gambling.
"What they did was go after the processors, and made
it a crime to process payments that relate to online
gambling sites. Linden could potentially be held as
the same sort of processor," said Sean Kane, a lawyer
at New York's Drakeford & Kane who has studied the
legal issues of virtual worlds.
"If you're buying money on the Lindex (a virtual
currency exchange) and utilizing it for gambling
purposes, Linden could have a much higher level of
responsibility," he added. "If they would be found in
violation, that's difficult to say, but I can see a
much stronger case being made."
Linden Lab's rules prohibit illegal activity.
"It's not always clear to us whether a 3D simulation
of a casino is the same thing as a casino, legally
speaking, and it's not clear to the law enforcement
authorities we have asked," Yoon said.
Even if the law were clear, he said the company would
have no way to monitor or prevent gambling in Second
Life.
It's all about gambling online at "Second Life" with "Linden dollars," you know, the kind of economy that reminds me of Club Med, where you vacationed at beachfront facilities and conducted all your affairs in Club Med currency, and got to leave broke in real $. What I really find amusing about this story is that the creators of Second Life, Linden Labs, actually convinced the FBI to check out their online virtual gambling gig! What is this world coming to?
The FBI was once interested in me, but that was at least for good cause, or what they thought was good cause, because they accused me of running an interstate casino-cheating ring, and then in cahoots with Interpol accused me of being in control of an international cheating ring. Now, we all know that none of that could ever be proved, so maybe the FBI now figures it will have better luck chasing Second Lifers and giving them "life" in a real non-virtual prison in a real non-virtual world. We shall see. The story as it was written follows:
FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Internet
casinos at the invitation of the virtual world's
creator Linden Lab, but the U.S. government has not
decided on the legality of virtual gambling.
"We have invited the FBI several times to take a look
around in Second Life and raise any concerns they
would like, and we know of at least one instance that
federal agents did look around in a virtual casino,"
said Ginsu Yoon, until recently Linden Lab's general
counsel and currently vice president for business
affairs.
Second Life is a popular online virtual world with
millions of registered users and its own economy and
currency, known as the Linden dollar, which can be
exchanged for U.S. dollars.
Yoon said the company was seeking guidance on virtual
gaming activity in Second Life but had not yet
received clear rules from U.S. authorities.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern
California declined to comment.
Hundreds of casinos offering poker, slot machines and
blackjack can easily be found in Second Life. While it
is difficult to estimate the total size of the
gambling economy in Second Life, the three largest
poker casinos are earning profits of a modest $1,500
each per month, according to casino owners and people
familiar with the industry.
The surge in Second Life gambling coincides with a
crackdown in the real world by the U.S. government,
which has arrested executives from offshore gambling
Web sites.
Most lawyers agree that placing bets with Linden
dollars likely violates U.S. antigambling statutes,
which cover circumstances in which "something of
value" is wagered. But the degree of Linden Lab's
responsibility, and the likelihood of a crackdown, is
uncertain.
"That's the risk; we have a set of unknowns, and we
don't know how they're going to play out," said Brent
Britton, an attorney specializing in emergent
technology at the law firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey in
Tampa, Fla.
Britton said Linden Lab could face criminal charges
under the 1970 Illegal Gambling Business Act or the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The latter
law, passed last year, takes aim at credit card
companies and other electronic funds transfers that
enable Internet gambling.
"What they did was go after the processors, and made
it a crime to process payments that relate to online
gambling sites. Linden could potentially be held as
the same sort of processor," said Sean Kane, a lawyer
at New York's Drakeford & Kane who has studied the
legal issues of virtual worlds.
"If you're buying money on the Lindex (a virtual
currency exchange) and utilizing it for gambling
purposes, Linden could have a much higher level of
responsibility," he added. "If they would be found in
violation, that's difficult to say, but I can see a
much stronger case being made."
Linden Lab's rules prohibit illegal activity.
"It's not always clear to us whether a 3D simulation
of a casino is the same thing as a casino, legally
speaking, and it's not clear to the law enforcement
authorities we have asked," Yoon said.
Even if the law were clear, he said the company would
have no way to monitor or prevent gambling in Second
Life.
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