Four suspects were scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday for alleged “dice sliding” while playing craps at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas men won $226,948 over six days at the casino between November and December 2021 after taking part in the scheme, officials said in a statement released on Thursday.
The cheating also may have taken place at about the same time in Resorts World Las Vegas, Las Vegas TV station KLAS reported.
Dice Sliding Explained
In the illicit activity, players will throw real dice but not roll them, the DailyMail.com reported. Instead, a player will slide one or two dice across a gaming table.
The dice will be in the same position as they started, allowing the shooter to control the outcome of the game,” documents from investigators added.
In The Cosmopolitan incidents, before one player slid the dice on the craps table, he signaled another player “by placing single wagers in a circle motion around the main screen [wagers],” investigators claimed.
The Roll to Win electronic craps gaming tables used in the scheme were made by Azure Gaming. They have a touchscreen surface and work semi-automatically, the company explained in material cited in the news report.
The tables do not have a felt surface. That is the covering material found on more traditional craps tables. Sliding dice on felt is more difficult to accomplish, the DailyMail.com explained in the report.
Several Charges
The defendants were identified as Antcharaporn Kamonlert, Hau Duc Ngo, Max Edward Rappoport, and Oscar Ovidio Rodriguez Alvarado.
Besides cheating, they were charged with unlawful acts regarding computers and conspiracy, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). The defendants were released on personal recognizance bonds.
The Cosmopolitan self-reported the incidents to state officials. The casino apparently lost $180,000 due to the activity, according to the NGCB.
The incidents were investigated by NGCB agents before being turned over to prosecutors. Key in their case is video taken by casino surveillance cameras and the tracking of player accounts, according to the NGCB.
“The [NGCB] … appreciates licensees reporting suspicious activities and potential gaming crimes,” Kristi Torgerson, chief of the NGCB’s Enforcement Division, said in Thursday’s statement.
“The Enforcement Division will continue to be aggressive in its investigations and covert operations to ensure that the gaming industry is free from criminal elements in its unending effort to safeguard the integrity of regulated gaming in Nevada.”
Baseless Allegations
But Mitchell S. Bisson, a Las Vegas-based criminal defense attorney who represents Ngo, denies his client took part in such a scheme. The prosecutors’ case is made up of “baseless allegations,” Bisson told the DailyMail.com.
“Mr. Ngo vehemently denies any allegation that he was involved in cheating at a gambling establishment in any way, shape, or form,” Bisson added.
I am confident that a thorough investigation will vindicate Mr. Ngo and expose these allegations as nothing more than a losing hand, so to speak.”
Attorneys representing the other defendants could not be reached for immediate comment, the news organization reported.
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