Live Casino Cheater to Face the Music

On Friday, a notorious racketeering enterprise was exposed in San Diego as 47-year-old Tai Khiem Tran admitted to cheating in multiple casinos in California and Canada. Investigators report that Tran and 13 accomplices cheated at the games of blackjack and baccarat between 2002 and 2005. In total, the group is believed to have stolen well over $1 million dollars over the course of these three years.

After admitting his guilt, Tran explained the con to police. He claims the team used card counting devices and paid off casino employees to perform ‘false’ shuffles. These false shuffles couldn’t be easily detected by casino security, but resulted in decks with ‘slugs’ or series of un-shuffled cards. The card counting devices were hidden transmitters that utilized customized software to help predict what the next cards would be.

Over the course of their scam, the team claims to have stolen thousands of dollars at a time from at least five different casinos in California, and one casino in Canada. These casinos were:

- Cache Creek Casino Resort

- Agua Caliente Casino and Spa Resort

- Barona Valley Ranch Resort

- Sycuan Casino

- Pechanga Resort and Casino

- Casino Rama in Orilla, Ontario

Of all of the people connected with the fraud, it is reported that 24 different casinos fell victim to the scam. Tram reports that one particularly lucrative occasion, he effectively walked away with $868,000! While this technology was used in the games baccarat and blackjack, similar devices could be used to con roulette or just some of the best casinos online in particular.

This scam has been compared by many to the well-known events that were carried out by the students from MIT. These students did not have the access to the sophisticated equipment used by Tran and his accomplices, but that did not stop them from reaching the same levels of success. To learn more about the principals behind these strategies, check out our blackjack guide.

Including Tai Khiem Tran, 26 people connected to the case have plead guilty. This includes his immediate team, as well as casino employees. Tran is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy and has already agreed to repay $823,612 is cash, and is going to be relinquishing assets such as his home, jewelry, and a Mercedes Benz. In Canada, he faces separate charges for his crimes committed against Casino Rama. The U.S. attorney’s office said they did not know if Tran is currently represented by a lawyer.