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Las Vegas, Nevada is famous for its anything goes attitude, but last week things got out of line for the city. One of the main concerns of opponents of gambing is that since soon it may be legalized, that will inevitably bring more crime and corruption to cities that promote it. Though there is no concrete evidence to prove that, it is a reasonable argument that if more casinos are allowed, then more crime will be coming to the areas. In Las Vegas, there was a criminal act.  Entertainment and gambling is one thing but such draws can often attract the wrong kind of attention. Like every major city crime is just as much an issue in Las Vegas as anywhere and this past week the police have been put through their paces by gun wielding thugs. Police are now searching for a group of assailants who were seen driving away from the scene at high speed in a dark colored Chrysler 300 Sedan. The vehicle had a distinct set of chrome wheels as well as tinted windows. The victim of the shooting was a 58 year old woman who was taken to the local hospital for treatment on a gunshot wound to the leg.

Since the incident occurred so quickly the witness’s recollections of the attack are scant but it is believed the shooters were a male and female partnership. Police are carrying out thorough investigations of the crime scene as well as checking CCTV and other leads. The Texas Station casino and hotel has been remained open despite the incident and are doing everything in their power to help with the police enquiries. This is bad news for the casino because now all casinos in Las Vegas are suffering greatly. they were casualties of the recession and have not yet had the ability to recover since the economic downturn. If crime starts bringing bad press to the city, it could slow down recovery and make it even more difficult for the city to bring much-needed money back into its coffers. The biggest problem is how to keep the crime rate down and avoid negative press and revive the market.

Opponents of gambling cite the rise in illegal activities as their main reason why they believe that legalizing gambling would be a bad move. They believe that it would inevitably bring a rise in crime, corruption and money laundering– not to mention a rise in gambling addictions. Protecting the people involved, especially those most vulnerable, is what many of the opponents of gambling are focused on. PokerStars, the most popular online poker room for US players has been experiencing problems over the past couple of weeks. The European Poker Tour in Berlin, Germany was robbed by masked gunmen recently and PokerStars was the principle sponsor of the event. The EPT has gotten alot of exposure since the event, but it hasn’t been the most positive exposure for the brand or it’s poker sponsors. Now, the online poker room has canceled its Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) event that was scheduled to being in Vina del Mar, Chile on March 19th. This has been a continuing debate over the years for many legislators. They are worried about legalizing gambling but then openign the door for other criminal activities. In order for it to work, legislators are going to have to build safeguards and watch dog systems into the mix prior to introducing gambling as a legalized activity.

After Chile was devastated by a series of earthquakes and a tsunami that killed many people, PokerStars decided to cancel the event. Players that were registed to participate in the event will receive a refund, but its uncertain what will happen to the players that won a seat in the LAPT by participating in a satellite. The LAPT could have been rescheduled and setup in a neighboring country, but PokerStars has decided to cancel the event in order to give the country time to heal its wounds and rebuild its cities. It will take time and holding the event is the last thing that it needs right now. The country has to get itself together and then use gambling as a means of bringing money into the country. It will take time for recovery, but hopefully Chile will be able to rebound.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team held off a man suspected of robbing the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino. The many allegedly entered the casino last month with a gun and took thousands of dollars from a cashier near the casino’s poker room. It was January 29^th when the crime allegedly occurred in the early morning hours.  A spokesman for the Seminole Tribe said that surveillance video of the suspect was released to the Broward Crime Stoppers unit. The suspect was wearing a Hawaiian shirt under a black knit top.  The description was specific due to an intricate system of videotaping the casino has on its floor.

This was just one of the concerns casinos have these days. With the growing number of gamblers and places to gamble, inevitably there will be a rise in crime. Officials who are opposed to gambling are citing the potential growth in crime as a main concern when it comes to legalizing and regulating gambling—both in land-based casinos and online. It’s one of the main concerns of legislators. They believe that the rise in crime and corruption will bring problems to unsuspecting neighborhoods and without some safeguards to fight them, communities will be helpless to fight against the issues. It could move in on communities and bring move people into illegal activities. Legislators against gambling cite the young and the elderly as the main targets and the most vulnerable and need to be protected through legislation.

Along with the FBI and the US Secret Service, the Seminole police located the suspect’s house in the 5600 block of Northeast Second Terrace on Monday. The BSO Swat team surrounded the house and everyone was instructed to go outside the house. There were gunshots inside the home and the neighborhood was evacuated. The SWAT team used tear gas and various other tools to get the man to surrender. They included loudspeakers, and electronic devices. At 9:30pm, SWAT members confirmed that the man was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation is still going to be reviewed but for most it is a complete issue because of the man’s admission of the crime.

Opponents of gambling cite the rise in crime, corruption and addiction as the primary reasons why they are fighting against legalization and regulation of the hobby. They believe that if gambling is brought into pubs and local bars in neighborhood areas, inevitably it will bring crime with it. Recently there was an incident that confirmed their fears. At the Paris Las Vegas casino a man was accused of counting cards. Now, the man is banned from the casino but is taking officials to court to fight the ban.

In the lawsuit filed this week in Clark County District Court, Steven Silverstein claims Nevada law prevents Harrah’s from denying him access to the company’s casinos. The suit claims he was banned from Harrah’s western region casinos in September. On Sept. 6, 2009, four uniformed men approached Silverstein at the blackjack table where he was playing at Paris Las Vegas, according to the lawsuit. The men demanded Silverstein leave the blackjack table and follow them to the cashier’s cage, where he was told to cash in his gambling chips. Silverstein then was approached by the Paris casino manager, who told him “We don’t want you coming to our hotel or, for that matter, any of our hotels,” the lawsuit claims.

The casino manager then told Silverstein he would be arrested if he entered any Harrah’s-owned or -operated properties, and was physically escorted out of the casino, according to the suit. In a five-page letter to Harrah’s Chief Executive Gary Loveman on Sept. 22, 2009, Silverstein detailed his version of the incident and claims that it was a classic case of “mistaken identity.” Harrah’s Vice President for Legal Affairs Mark Dunn responded to the letter and informed Silverstein that he was indefinitely banned from 16 of Harrah’s western region casinos.

Now Silverstein is claiming discrimination and cites another group that was accused of counting cards, but still “has the right to go in and out of casinos as he pleases.” It is a difficult time and the man has a hefty battle in front of him if he is expecting to mak ethe move and defend himself from further problems.

A casino in Pittsburgh, PA, Rivers Casino, has been fined by the state gaming regulated because two teenagers managed to gamble there for a few minutes each last year.The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board imposed a $16,000 fine on Rivers Casino through a consent agreement between the board and Holdings Acquisition Company, the franchise which owns the casino. The casino was accused of allowing a fifteen year old girl gamble for approximately 17 minutes on October 14, 2009.  Also, they are accused of allowing a fourteen year old boy to play slots for about four minutes on December 13, 2009 before he was apprehended.  No one under the age of eighteen is allowed to be on the casino floor, and no one under the age of 21 is permitted to play slot machines according to state law.

Rivers Casino’s director of business development and community issued the following statement regarding the fines and the casino’s underage gamblers. “Rivers Casino takes this incident very seriously…that’s why we monitor our floors twenty-four, seven and immediately report any occurrence, such as these, to the state.  We’d like to remind parents and guardians that bringing minors onto the gaming floor is strictly prohibited.” Though the casino is trying to clean up the incident with various public relations releases, it may take some time before the community and neighboring states have the confidence restored into the casino. Unfortunately, there is no casino that can bear the brunt of bad publicity now and the unfortunate incident with underage gambling is a big one. Casinos around the nation have the basic rule of no underage gambling and an infringement of that rule can mean a bad reputation for the casino. With the amount of competition among casinos today that means that the Pittsburg Rivers Casino has some catch-up to do in terms of building up its reputation for success. Neighboring casinos are jumping on the problem and advertising their own virtues. It will be difficult for Rivers Casino to rebuild its own reputation for fair gaming and strict rules. It may take a few months for the casino’s promoters to create promotions and advertisements that bring in new customers and help return revenues to what they were pre-incident.

It was like something out of a movie when robbers moved in on Malta recently. Five masked, armed robbers help up a casino in Malta last night.  The men stole all the contents of the safe and then fled in a speedboat docked on the coast to safety.  No arrests have been made as of yet, and no suspects have been named.  The robbery occurred earlier this week at Casino di Venezia at 7:34 in the evening.  The casino manager, cited as being named VGL, stated that staff members were ordered to lay on the floor and not move a muscle.  Four men entered the casino while a fifth accomplice waited outside in a getaway car.  The five men then travelled to a nearby wharf and escaped in a waiting speedboat. Approximately 500,000 Euros, or $687,000 were stolen in the casino heist.

Unfortunatley it wasn’t a movie, however and workers were shaken. The media surrounded the area and spoke with many of the workers for their first-hand accounts of the heist. Police are investigating and trying to find the crooks. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first crime of its kind in the country. A few short months ago the same type of crime happened and those thieves have yet to be found. There is no insight as to whether or not the two incidents are connected. It’s bad news for Malta’s casino though because now that two succesive crimes have gone off without a hitch, it may mean more burglaries for the casino. Casino officials have already said that they are upping security– including man power and video cameras throughout the casino floor and back areas. It’s difficult to say if that is going to stop future crimes, but the casino’s officials said it was their “duty to ensure the safety of our customers and employees” and the casino would do “whatever it takes” to rebuild their security. It is too early to say whether or not the incident will considerably hamper revenues for the casino. If it does, that is bad news because numbers are already down for its fiscal year. It may take some substantial revamping of security and advertising plans to reinvigorate the market.

Shoumin Chai and three others were added recently to Pennsylvania’s state exclusion list.  This list permanently bars Chai, 56, of New York City, from all Pennsylvania casinos.  Unlike the state’s self-exclusion list, this list is designed to allow the state to ban people who are long term offenders, “career or professional offenders”, those who have allegedly committed crimes in Pennsylvania casinos.  Chai has been accused of tricking patrons and casino goers at the Sands Casino Resort, in Bethlehem, PA into lettering her fain access to their ATM accounts.  The three other new additions to the state’s exclusion list, conducted a similar scam in a Pittsburgh-area casino.

Richard McGarvey, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says, ”Their photos will be distributed at every casino.  If any of them is caught entering a casino, they will be arrested.” Allegedly over a period of thirteen hours, Shoumin Chai stole approximately $10,000 from patrons at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem.  She would trick the patrons into allowing her access into their ATM accounts.  After a patron later noticed a discrepancy in his bank account, Sands casino officials were able to bring up images of Chai on surveillance cameras and a Sands employee recognized her as someone barred from New Jersey casinos for similar scams. 

Chai initially pled guilty to three ATM scams at Sands, but withdrew her guilty plea two weeks ago after Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli requested that she be sentenced to 53 years in prison due to her extensive criminal record.  She is currently awaiting trial under a $200,000 bail. Also added to the exclusion list were Kerry Laverde, Patrick Loushil, and Andre Nestor, who in October 2009 were charged with exploiting a software glitch in software machines where they were able to make the machine “pay out at their will”.  This occurred at Meadows Casino, outside of Pittsburgh, PA.  The three were able to collect in two months more than $400,000 in winnings that should not have come from the machines. Each new addition to the state exclusion list was given a chance to appeal the ban but none responded to the state’s petition.  As such, they were immediately added to the ban. If Morganelli, the Northampton County District Attorney, gets his way, Chai’s ban will be irrelevant. Morganelli states that Chai, a native of China who arrived in the U.S. in 1989, should have been deported several years ago because she has at least 13 felony convictions in New Jersey. Morganelli states, ”She should be deported, but not until she spends a long, long time in prison.”

Former public defender, Charles Bradford, is accused of forging $1 million in phony payroll checks.  The money gained from the forgeries was used to gamble in casinos nationwide.  Bossier Parish, in Louisiana, is currently housing Charles Bradford in the parish jail, according to spokesman for the parish, Ed Baswell.  Charles Bradford is being held with a bail set at $90,500. Baswell says Bradford, 47, would go to a town or city that had a casino in it, create counterfeit payroll checks from local businesses, and recruit people to cash them for him. Deputies from Louisiana have arrested thirteen northwest Louisiana residents in the scheme and expect at least four more arrests stemming from this. After Charles Bradford’s arrest, investigators learned that he was wanted for similar scams in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kansas, and Ohio. After Bradford’s arrest, investigators learned he was wanted for similar schemes in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kansas and Ohio.   It was Bradford himself that gave investigators this information. Bradford, originally from New Jersey, has moved frequently since being released from prison in 2006.

The problem with the arrest is that it gives much fuel to the opponents of gambling. Their belief has long been that legalizing gambling will create a myriad of problems for communities—problems communities are not ready to handle. They believe that gambling will inevitably bring crime, corruption and money laundering. Though there is no proof to the claim, opponents of gambling are holding firm to their advertisement of legalization as a bad move for communities. They also cite a potential growth in addictions to run rampant. If that happens, states are not funded with the money to increase Gambling Anonymous and other addiction services—especially in today’s economy. Many public programs have already had to be cut due to the huge deficits working in every state. Only time will tell what happens with the debate over gambling and the case against Bradford. It will be fuel for the fire used by opponents to gambling and most likely they will use it to further their own cause. As more crime comes into the frey, most likely the lines will be drawn against each other that much stronger.

Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is in trouble. Walker is a gambler and frequented casinos in Las Vegas, finding them to be his favorites. Recently he was cited for bad check charges from three casinos: Caesar’s Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort. The case began from a $1 million charge in casino markers, or IOUs, he charged up between July of 2008 and January of 2009.  In the state of Nevada unpaid markers are treated the same way bad checks are. They are considered a felony and warrant full legal action.

Walker discussed the issue with his council and decided to avoid trial and pay the charges. He has agreed to pay $13,000 per month for the next five years to settle the complaint. The basketball noted in court that he is sorry for the misunderstanding but insists that it was never an intentional ignorance of the rules each casino had. Walker has agreed to make restitution on schedule and clear his name of any wrongdoing. Though he did admit to having a misunderstanding, he still maintains that it was never his intent. The judge didn’t buy it, but did reasonably agree to his repayment schedule. The casinos all agreed also. In the end, they are going to recoup their monies due to the length of time he is ordered to make payments. Overall he will be repaying $780,000 of his $1 million debt.

Walker, though more notable, is not alone. There are many more incidents of crime within the gambling world. Most of it is attributed to the growth in popularity of gaming.  There was a time when gambling was a pastime of crime bosses and celebrities. Each one was pining for a table in the high-end casinos of Las Vegas. Nowadays, that has changed. There are casinos in almost every major city, or at least a casino within driving distance.  States are looking to increase the number of their casinos and gambling outlets in general to capitalize on the billions of dollars the industry takes in every year. They are hoping to use the funds to overcome their huge deficits that came as a result of the struggling economy post-recession.

Ten years ago the Brantford Casino opened its doors to a hefty promotional and advertisement blitz.  Soon after the casino saw its numbers increase quickly and moved from a part time operation to 24 hours a day/7 days a week of operating time.  So far the casino has contributed over $38 million to the community through payments to the city. That money has been used to boost the post-secondary education, revitalize the downtown and help the health-care system. It also has contributed to creating local jobs. Despite the good, there are more negative repercussions of the facility.

Thus far the casino has drawn an unknown amount of money from the community through costs associated with problem gambling, extra policing and additional infrastructure. The casino also has been the site of protests by natives and by casino employees who went on strike last year. Prior to the Brantford Casino opening many analysts believed that the casino could take the community one of two ways: disaster or salvation. Studies are showing that a decade later, neither extreme has been achieved.

One person who was adamant against the casino was 1999 mayor Chris Friel. Friel was very vocal about his disapproval of the facility. He stated, “There’s been some good done and it’s been nice to have the money, but we knew it was going to mean an increase in crime.”  His words were true. The community requested additional funding from the government to shore up their police force. Crime did rise and the negative aspect of gambling came to the community just as many critics predicted. Although the Brantford Casino has earned over $16.4 million in casino dollars, the repercussions have been notable. As Friel predicted, the price paid for the added revenue was hefty.

No one knows where the Brantford Casino will take the community in the future, but they are aware that it is necessary to keep a close watch on the negative aspect of gambling. Crime, underage gambling and other negative effects of the hobby are prevalent in the area. Without the proper police force and funding to manage it, it could spell sheer disaster for the community.