NJ Casino Cheater Slammed with 17 Year Prison Sentence
While it looks slick in the movies, cheaters never win at gaming casinos. Derek Bethea, a 57-year-old New Jersey resident, is headed to state prison for 17 years, because he tried to cheat at casino gambling in Atlantic City during the summer of 2013.
His casino crime was a simple scheme: place a late bet and try to collect the winnings. While gambling at Borgata Hotel & Casino, Bethea is accused of placing a $1,100 bet at a craps table, after the dice had already been thrown. After collecting his winnings, he was arrested the next day. Just two weeks later, he tried the same scheme at Revel Casino and Resorts Hotel & Casino. He had previously been convicted in 2005 and 2001 for trying a similar scheme with roulette.
Bethea learned an important lesson about trying to hustle a casino; it’s nearly impossible. Casinos use state-of-the-art face recognition technology; there are cameras everywhere and security guards are scattered throughout. Anything that happens in a casino will be caught on camera.
In addition, trying to cheat at craps, roulette, a slot machine or any game is a federal crime and you will be charged. You may face hefty fines, jail time and lifetime bans from casinos. These are some common casino crimes:
- Counting cards
- Manufacturing or selling cards, dice, chips or any device intended to cheat the casino
- Placing a bet after receiving some knowledge which was unavailable to the other gamblers, which gives you an advantage.
- Using counterfeit money, chips or tokens.
It’s best to just stick to the rules and your luck when you’re in a casino. However, if you happen to get caught cheating, you will need to arm yourself with an experienced criminal defense attorney.
John W. Tumelty has over 35 years of experience defending the rights of NJ residents facing criminal charges. If you or someone you love has gotten into legal trouble, contact the Law Offices of John W. Tumelty today.
