On May 25, 2007, a man from Mississauga was among the 34 suspects charged with being involved in an international cheating organization in which casino dealers in Baccarat, Blackjack and other card games in Canada and the United States were tasked to fix games to favor certain people and organizations.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) made the 15 arrests that day, following the conclusion of their 44-month investigation. In addition, in the United States, the FBI, with the help of the police departments from Michigan, Indiana, California, Washington, Nevada, Mississippi, Louisiana and Connecticut made 19 arrests.
The police officers said that the betting ring began in March 2002. The Police Department is searching for 7 more suspects, some of them living in Ontario in connection with the casino cheating ring.
Several of those charged by the Ontario Provincial Police are the casino dealers at the Casino Rama in Orillia. Casino Facilities in California, Washington and Indiana were investigated as well, according to the FBI.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Bob Patterson commented that the financial losses to the province because of the scheme are over $2 million. Patterson called the betting scheme an "international casino cheat team".
The Ontario Provincial Police under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) started the complicated investigation after receiving a tip from the California Department of Justice that the dealers working at Casino Rama were being recruited to influence the outcome of the games.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the cheating ring allegedly utilizes "false shuffle" during the card games. The members of the cheating ring allegedly instruct the dealer to do a false shuffle and then wager on the known order of the cards.
Investigators commented that the cheating ring also uses hidden transmitters in order to predict the result of the games. Among the 15 suspects that the OPP arrested was Hong Hanh Truong, a 36 year old resident of Mississauga. Truong was charged with conspiracy to conduct prohibited casino gambling, cheat over $5,000 and cheat at the actual game play. The Casino Rama, which opened back in 1996, is Ontario's first and only commercial casino facility.
06/17/2007 21:49 PM
Davis Coulter