Posted on: April 29, 2024, 01:29h.
Last updated on: April 29, 2024, 10:37h.
Two Wexford, Penn. men have been charged in relation to a roulette cheating scheme at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh that involved collusion between a dealer, a floor supervisor, and players.
Chen Huan Lin, 67, and Joe Jeng Chiou Lin, 65, benefitted from the scam that involved a dealer employing a shady spin that would then be verified by a crooked supervisor, according to a new criminal complaint.
The dealer, Robin Schnepp, supervisor Anthony Laush, and another player, Jack Daniel Mars III, were arrested and charged last month.
Different Ball Game
In mid-January 2024, Rivers received an anonymous handwritten letter in the mail alleging that Schnepp and Laush were involved in a plan to bilk Interblock Roulette machines at the casino.
These are electronic roulette machines that allow players to place bets and side-bets using touchscreens, which are settled electronically. But they can also employ a live dealer.
Following the tip off, casino security focused surveillance on Schnepp’s roulette games. They found that Schepp would deliberately spin the ball in the wrong direction around the wheel when she wanted co-conspirators to benefit, according to the complaint.
Normally, the ball should be spun against the run of the wheel. At this point, the Interblock system informs the players that no more bets can be placed. If the ball is spun in the same direction as the wheel, the system’s cameras and sensors do not identify that a spin has occurred. This means players can continue to place bets during the spin once the ball has landed on a number.
Bilked for Thousands
If this occurs, it’s correct procedure for a table games supervisor to be called over to void the spin and cancel all bets.
But instead of voiding the spin for all players, Laush would use his supervisor fob to verify the spin. This meant wins would be paid out to those players who knew that they could continue to bet when the ball had traveled in the wrong direction.
In total, across the three incidents, Joe Lin and Chen Lin won more than $14K according to the complaint. Mars and a female accomplice, who appears not to have been charged, cashed out more than $10K in wins they were not entitled to, per court docs.
All are facing a slew of charges including cheating, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property.
