A judge ordered a pair of men who cheated at the craps table at Cleveland's JACK Casino to return tens of thousands of dollars in illicit winnings, a judge has ruled.
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Prosecutor explains dice-sliding scheme at Cleveland casino
Print Email Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com By Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com
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on January 30, 2017 at 4:36 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A judge ordered a pair of men who cheated at the craps table at Cleveland's JACK Casino to return tens of thousands of dollars in illicit winnings, a judge has ruled.
Lonnie Bridges, Kenneth Young and a third man who has not been identified, used a scheme known as "dice sliding" to walk away from the casino on July 25, 2015 with more than $39,200, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor Jonathan J. Block said.
Judge Kelly Gallagher on Monday ordered the men return their spoils and serve five years probation after a jury convicted them in December of felony gambling charges.
Here's how prosecutors say the scheme worked:
The men took turns as the shooter. As one prepared to throw the dice, the other two would throw down last-minute, complex bets on a specific number that distracted the dealer.
As the dealers focused on the bets, the thrower, who had positioned the dice in his hand with specific numbers facing upward, would slid the dice across the table, instead of rolling them.
The dice would come to a rest with the predetermined numbers still facing upward, and the throwers collected the winnings.
The pair threw more than 22 times over several hours, and collected $18,000 on the final throw, Block said.
A worker started to tip off the casino's security. Bridges, Young and the third man collected their winnings and walked out the casino leaving their chips on the table, Block said.
"By sliding the dice and fixing the outcome, Lonnie Bridges and Kenneth Young took the fair and honest gameplay from everyone at the craps table that night," Block said in a written statement.
The Ohio Casino Commission and Cuyahoga County prosecutors took the case to a grand jury, which charged the men in October 2015.
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