Craps Cheats Take Vegas Casino for $225,000

Four craps players have been named for allegedly cheating at craps in two Las Vegas casinos, winning $225,000 by sliding the dice, a big no-no in the game of craps.

Oscar Ovidio Rodriguez Alvarado, Max Edward Rappoport, Hau Duc Ngo, and Antcharaporn Kamonlert are alleged to have carried out the cheating scam at The Cosmopolitan.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), the quartet targeted the ‘Azure Roll to Win Electronic Craps’ machine, described by its makers as “a player-initiated CRAPS game”, which “recreates all the betting zones of the traditional table game.”

However, the four men had allegedly found a way to cheat the game, using “dice sliding” to manipulate the dice, rather than the traditional “roll” of the dice.

The NGCB report' claims that this “sliding” method means “The dice will be in the same position as they started, allowing the shooter to control the outcome of the game.”

“Before illegally sliding the dice [one of the four] would signal the other by placing single wagers in a circle motion around the main screen,” the NGCB documents allege.

Of the four, Kamonlert and Alavrado are charged with;

• six felony counts of “committing a fraudulent act in gaming establishment as a first offense”, and “six felony counts of cheating at a gambling game as a first offense.”
  

Rappoport faces four counts of the same charges, and Ngo faces three counts of each offense.

They are also believed to have repeated the sting at Resorts World, according to the NGCB.

Mitchell S. Bisson, representing Mr Ngo described the charges as “a losing hand” for the state, explaining:

“Mr. Ngo vehemently denies any allegation that he was involved in cheating at a gambling establishment in any way, shape, or form. Mr. Ngo maintains his innocence and firmly believes the allegations to be completely unfounded. Mr. Ngo is a person of integrity and has an impeccable record both personally and professionally. 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."

His statement to the English ‘newspaper’ The Daily Mail concluded:

“I urge the media and public to avoid rushing to judgment and instead allow the legal process to run its course while Mr. Ngo clears his name of these baseless allegations.”