Five Famous Casino Controversies, Fact Checked
What really happened in five of the best known casino scandals
Five Famous Casino Controversies, Fact Checked
Casinos have always attracted strong stories. Some involve cheats and glitches. Others involve crime on a scale that still shocks people.
We rechecked five of the best known cases for this page. Court records, government releases and the FBI’s own history pages were our sources where possible. When a detail could not be confirmed, we say so.
Players want to avoid this sort of drama when they gamble online. A good first step is to check out a reputable casino like Dunder. Meanwhile, read on for the five stories.
The Five Controversies at a Glance
| Case | Year | Type | Main source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Affleck blackjack ban | 2014 | Card counting | Press reports |
| Phil Ivey and Crockfords | 2012 to 2017 | Edge sorting | UK Supreme Court judgment |
| Katrina Bookman slot display | 2016 | Glitch | AP report and Gaming Commission comment |
| Russian slot hacking case | 2014 | Slot fraud | US Attorney’s Office release |
| Harvey’s casino bomb | 1980 | Extortion | FBI history page |
5) Ben Affleck and the Blackjack Ban
Card counting is not a crime. It means tracking which cards have left the deck so you can judge when the odds favour you. Casinos still dislike it. A casino is private property, so it can ask a counter to stop playing.
In May 2014, CNN reported that Ben Affleck was banned from blackjack at the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas. A source close to the actor said security told him he was too good at the game.
The same source said Affleck was not thrown out of the casino. He could still play other games there. The Hard Rock did not comment when CNN asked.
Our earlier version said Affleck spoke publicly about the incident. We could not confirm that from the reports we checked, so we have left it out.
The lesson for players is simple. Counting is legal, but a casino can refuse to deal to you. Read our history of card counting for the background. If you want to learn the game first, try these beginner blackjack strategies.
Some players also want to learn how it works. You can read a how-to guide on how to count cards. Remember that casinos can bar anyone who does it well.
4) Phil Ivey and the Edge Sorting Case
Our earlier version of this page described a roulette theft gang in Ohio. We could not verify that story from a reliable source. We replaced it with a case that has a full court record.
In August 2012, professional gambler Phil Ivey played Punto Banco baccarat at Crockfords, a London casino owned by Genting. He played over two days with a partner. They won about £7.7 million.
They used a method called edge sorting. Some cards had a tiny flaw in the pattern on the back. A pattern that was slightly off centre let a player tell which way a card faced.
The pair asked the croupier to turn certain cards in a set way. She did not know why. This let Ivey tell when high cards were likely to come next.
Crockfords refused to pay. Ivey sued, and the case reached the UK Supreme Court. In a judgment given on 25 October 2017, the Court agreed with the lower courts that his conduct was cheating. His appeal failed.
The ruling also changed the legal test for dishonesty in England and Wales. It removed the second limb of an older test known as the Ghosh test.
This case shows how far the word cheating can stretch. Ivey used no device, yet the Court still found that the casino did not have to pay.
If you enjoy baccarat, see our guide on how to play baccarat.
3) The $42.9 Million Slot That Was Not Real
Slot machines run on software, so glitches do happen. In 2016, a player named Katrina Bookman sat at a machine at Resorts World Casino in New York. The screen showed a cash ticket for about $42.9 million.
The casino said the machine had malfunctioned. It said she was owed only her real balance of $2.25. The machine’s maximum payout was $6,500.
Resorts World also said state rules void all plays on a machine that malfunctions. This meant it could not pay even the smaller amount.
The New York State Gaming Commission looked into it. It called the display clearly a malfunction. The machine was repaired and returned to service a day later.
Bookman’s lawyer, Alan Ripka, asked what a broken machine meant for any winner. She took the casino to court. We could not confirm the outcome of the lawsuit from the sources we checked.
Our earlier version said the casino offered a free steak dinner. We could not confirm that detail, so we do not repeat it as fact.
Casinos set out a malfunction rule in their terms, and online casinos do the same. See our page on the technology behind modern slots for how the software works.
2) The Slot Hacking Case
A slot machine picks results with a random number generator, or RNG. In theory, no one can predict the next spin. The case below tested that idea.
On 10 December 2014, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced an indictment. A grand jury charged four men: Murat Bliev, Yevgeniy Nazarov, Igor Lavrenov and Ivan Gudalov.
Prosecutors said the men travelled from Russia to US casinos. They allegedly used electronic devices that talked to a server abroad. The aim was to predict how Aristocrat Mark VI slot machines would behave.
The release named at least 10 casinos in Missouri, California and Illinois. It listed locations in St. Louis, Temecula and East St. Louis.
The charge was conspiracy to travel across state and national lines in support of the scheme. Each count carried up to five years in prison. These were accusations, and the defendants were presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Our earlier version described phone videos and vibrations on a phone. The Justice Department release does not give those details. We also could not confirm the final outcome of the case.
Players can take one practical point from this story. Licensed operators must test their games and fix flaws. Read our guide on the measures casinos use to protect players to see what to look for.
1) The Harvey’s Casino Bomb
The oldest case is also the most dramatic. On 26 August 1980, men posing as delivery workers rolled a large box into Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino. The casino is in Stateline, Nevada. The FBI says they claimed it was a copy machine.
Inside the box was a bomb. A note demanded $3 million in used $100 bills, delivered by helicopter.
The FBI says the device had at least eight triggering mechanisms and nearly 1,000 pounds of dynamite. The note warned that any movement would set it off.
Investigators spent more than 30 hours on the problem. They chose a shaped charge to cut the device apart and cut off the detonator wiring. It failed.
The bomb went off on 27 August 1980. It left a crater five storeys deep in the hotel. The FBI says no one was killed or hurt, because the casino and nearby casinos had been cleared.
The man behind it was John Birges. Birges was a heavy gambler who had lost money at Harvey’s. The ransom never reached him. Police caught and convicted him, and he died in jail in 1996. His sons received suspended sentences because they cooperated.
Our earlier version gave a specific loss figure and a tale of how Birges was caught. The FBI page does not confirm those details, so we leave them out. We also removed the training claim for the same reason.
What These Cases Teach Players
| Case | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Affleck | Card counting is legal, but a casino can refuse to deal to you |
| Ivey | Advantage play can still be treated as cheating by a court |
| Bookman | A casino can void a glitch payout under its terms |
| Slot hacking | Software flaws are a real risk, so choose licensed sites |
| Harvey’s | Security failures can have extreme results |
Most players never face a controversy of this scale. Still, the same basics apply. Choose licensed casinos, read the terms and keep your records.
- Check the licence: see our page on casino safety for what to look for.
- Read malfunction rules: they decide what happens when a game glitches.
- Save screenshots: keep proof of any odd result.
- Use the complaints route: our page on casino complaints explains your options.
- Set a budget: never chase a result that looks too good.
Casino Controversies FAQs
Is card counting illegal?
No. A casino can still ask a counter to stop playing.
Was Ben Affleck banned from the Hard Rock?
CNN reported in May 2014 that he was banned from blackjack there, based on a source close to him.
What is edge sorting?
It is a method that uses tiny flaws in card backs to tell which cards are coming.
Did Phil Ivey win his case?
No. The UK Supreme Court ruled against him on 25 October 2017.
How much did Ivey win at Crockfords?
About £7.7 million. The casino refused to pay.
Did Katrina Bookman get paid?
The casino said the machine malfunctioned and offered only her $2.25 balance.
Can a casino void a slot win?
Yes, when a game malfunctions and its rules say so.
What did the Missouri slot case allege?
Prosecutors alleged that four men used devices to predict Aristocrat Mark VI slot machines.
What happened at Harvey’s in 1980?
A bomb went off in the casino. No one was hurt, because the building had been evacuated.
How can I avoid problems online?
Play at licensed casinos and read the terms before you deposit.
Please gamble responsibly. Only play with money you can afford to lose, and use deposit limits if you need them.
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