Image by dgim-studio on Freepik
Large sums of money are exchanged in poker rooms and casinos, and wherever there is money, there is always someone looking to take it.
Casinos all over the world devote a lot of time, resources, and security effort and, generally speaking, are successful in keeping things safe and secure. However, occasionally, events occur that neither the casino security staff nor anybody else could have foreseen.
1. False chips at the Winter Open at Borgata
Lusardi allegedly used fraudulent chips to boost his stack in the festival’s opening event, which had a $372,000 prize pool.
He led the tournament’s second day in chips, as expected.
Lusardi’s deception was short-lived. The tournament administrators investigated a chip surplus during the event.
Lusardi panicked and flushed the fakes. Naturally, Lusardi’s room clogged the pipes.
Investigators found $2.7 million in chips in pipes.
The event ended due to fraudulent 5,000-denomination chips.
Lusardi then acknowledged using $800,000 in fake chips in the game at another nearby hotel.
Lusardi was accused of a different crime and sentenced to five years in prison, making it unlikely that he will be tried for the Borgata incident.
2. A Bellagio Inside scam That Cost It Over $1 Million
Bellagio attracts low- and high-rollers.
In 2016, a sophisticated fraud hit the venue despite these safeguards and some of the best security in the market.
Craps dealer Marc William Branco and two associates committed an inside job.
Scammers were obvious. Branco’s pals would announce high-value (hop) wagers on roll combinations at his table.
They did so in a way that obscured their wager. They would mumble hop bets.
If they publicly wagered, Branco would pay them after the roll.
For over two years.
The casino caught on after the couple scammed it out of over a million dollars by properly estimating 76 times. 452 billion to one odds triggered warning alarms.
The three were subsequently sentenced to four years in prison and made to pay the casino hundreds of thousands of dollars in reparations.
They might have escaped if they had known how to leave beforehand.
3. Casinos Lost hundreds of thousands due to a video poker bug.
Most security vulnerabilities aren’t site-specific. Electronic games are sometimes their identity.
US Game King video poker machines had a catastrophic malfunction.
John Kane and his friend Andre Nestor studied this problem in 2009. Over $500,000.
Kane accidentally found the bug.
Kane lost money playing video poker for hours.
He found a game-changer.
Kane knew he could alter the game’s credit denomination and win in that denomination after a great win.
After a good win, he may play a $1 royal flush before moving to $10 or $20.
Even though it sounded simple, switching game kinds required turning on the system’s double-up capability.
Everything was solved and enhanced.
Casinos learned.
Kane was arrested at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas and Nestor at home in Pennsylvania.
The inquiry revealed their activities, but the prosecution’s case was weak.
They didn’t use machines or tools. They said they pressed video poker buttons.
The defendants were acquitted. These two got away with it since most casinos’ damages were unrecoverable.
Since most Game King cabinets have this security problem, we can assume some gamblers took advantage of it.
4. Poker cheating scandal involving Mike Postle
In 2018 and 2019, the Stones Gambling Hall experienced one of the worst security crises to rock the poker world, raising concerns about the use of RFID cards and live streaming.
The main perpetrator of this fraud was Mike Postle, who kept winning game after game, amassing big pots, and making amazing plays that baffled other players and observers.
Games from Stones Gambling Hall were broadcast live on YouTube and other media platforms, allowing viewers to see the action as it transpired.
To recognize players’ hole cards and show them to the viewers, the organizers employed RFID-enabled cards throughout the live broadcast of the games.
With varying results, as is customary in poker, the Stones Gambling Hall housed a large number of players over time, some of whom were regulars and others who were guests.
5. Expert Casino Security Code for Cheated Slot Machines
Casinos, game developers, and other regulating authorities take extraordinary measures to guarantee that all games on casino floors are secure and impenetrable to cheating.
But what occurs if one of the individuals in charge of maintaining security turns rogue?
This might provide a major headache for casinos, as you might think.
Ronald Dale Harris was a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which oversees gambling in the state.
He worked as a computer expert developing anti-cheating software for slot machines in the early 1990s.
Harris appears to be a skilled programmer because he was able to change the slot machines’ source codes covertly.
