The gambling world can sometimes produce really off-the-wall stories. Every month there are plenty of cases of individuals going to extreme lengths to pay back debts, or of simply bizarre behavior at casino properties around the globe. It can be entertaining and sometimes sad.
September was no exception, as there was plenty that happened in the casino world.
Here’s a look at some of the most colorful and noteworthy from the month that was.
Suspect In Casino Carjacking Had $100,000-A-Year Job
A Michigan man tried to solve his financial problems by letting it all ride at the MotorCity Casino, police said. After he “lost everything,” his desperation reached a fever pitch when the U.S. Steel employee with no criminal record allegedly carjacked two women at gunpoint in the casino garage and demanded they hand over whatever was in their purses. He got $31 in total from the two victims. The man earned more than $100,000 a year at U.S. Steel.
Man Says Casino Stole His Blackjack Winnings Over Card Counting
A New Jersey man is suing a Las Vegas casino claiming its employees stole about $3,600 in chips after he was admittedly counting cards at a blackjack table. Thom-Matthew Kho filed the lawsuit after the Hard Rock Hotel allegedly failed to contact the Nevada Gaming Board following the incident. Kho was handcuffed on the casino floor and held against his will after refusing to provide identification, the suit alleged.
Bellagio Craps Dealers, Two friends Accused Of Stealing Over $1M
For nearly two years, a pair of Bellagio craps dealers and two friends stole more than $1 million off the tables, prosecutors allege. The dealers, Mark M. Branco and James R. Cooper Jr., along with Jeffrey D. Martin and Anthony G. Granito, were indicted on dozens of counts of cheating at gambling and theft. Cooper, who cooperated with authorities and testified before a grand jury, was given $1,000 bail, while the judge ordered a no-bail warrant for the others pending arraignment.
Police Seize Luxury Cars In Underground Poker Bust
Police in Naperville, Illinois seized $25,000 along with three luxury cars as part of a raid on an alleged poker game operating out of a former pain clinic located in a strip mall. The cars seized were a 2011 Porsche Panamera, a 2014 Mercedes E63 AMG and a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan. Thirteen people have been charged, but the investigation is still ongoing and more charges are likely. Authorities first began looking at the alleged illegal gambling operation this spring.
Archie Karas Gets Lifetime Ban From Nevada
One-time high-stakes poker player Anargyros Karabourniotis, better known as Archie Karas, has been placed on Nevada’s list of persons barred from entering any casino in the state. Karas was famous for turning $50 into $40 million in the 1990s, but eventually lost it all. Karas had been convicted of cheating in casinos numerous times over the past 20 years.
High-Stakes Poker Organizer, ‘Professional Mistress’ Sentenced To Five Years In Prison
Chinese Internet celebrity and “professional mistress” Guo Meimei has been jailed for five years for running an illegal gambling business in Beijing. The 24-year-old was convicted of running a series of illegal casinos out of flats she rented in the nation’s capital city. One of her gambling operations was an underground high-stakes poker game, which began after she befriended an unidentified foreign professional poker player during one of her trips to Macau. Guo’s game took a 3-5 percent rake.
Poker Player Takes Chips From Opponent’s Stack As A ‘Prank,’ Gets DQ From Final Table
An apparent “prank” during the late stages of a poker tournament cost one poker pro. Italy’s Gaetano Preite was deep in the People’s Poker Tour main event in Malta when he decided to play a joke on his friend by hiding some of his chips. Preite left the table to go talk to some friends and let them in on the prank he had just pulled, but when he got back to the table Abrusci had already bagged his chips without noticing any were missing. Preite was kicked out of the tournament with no money.
NM Secretary Of State Accused Of Blowing Campaign Money At Casinos
New Mexico’s Secretary of State has been accused of a slew of crimes including fraud, embezzlement and money laundering, with hundreds of thousands of dollars from her personal bank accounts being withdrawn, and then lost, at casinos since 2013. Republican Dianna Duran, who has been in office since 2010 and has made $85,000 a year, allegedly electronically withdrew $147,641 in cash at seven casinos in 2013, and $282,806.96 from eight casinos in 2014
Korean Basketball Players Accused Of Match-Fixing
South Korean police are investigating 11 professional basketball players on suspicion of illegal gambling and match fixing in the top-tier Korean Basketball League. Park Min-soon, head of the cybercrimes division at Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, said it is believed at least one of the players missed shots intentionally during a game that he placed a bet on his team losing. Park said that the player attempted several shots that didn’t touch the rim during a February game when he bet 1 million Korean won ($830) on his team losing.
