This week’s casino news starts off with one man who tried to scam a casino and ends with one man who got very lucky at one. Here’s a look at this week’s casino news:
Slot Machine Scam Uncovered At Tiverton Casino
As long as there has been casino gaming, there have always been miscreants trying to find ways to bend the rules. The latest episode comes to us from Tiverton Casino where a slot machine scam uncovered has rocked the gaming scene in the state of Rhode Island.
Rhode Island state police have charged Joseph C. Clement of Merrimac, Massachusetts with selling and bartering counterfeit mailers to at least 25 people who then used them to play $450, $500 or $600 worth of slot machine time. Not only was he making money selling them, the counterfeits were so good that the casino actually accepted them for a period of time. It wasn’t until someone noticed that the casino’s mailers are postcard-size and glossy, while the counterfeit ones were not and were different sizes.
Clement, who has a long criminal record, faces charges in Newport Superior Court as the mastermind of the counterfeit scheme that was run at the Plainridge Park Casino.
Competition Driving Down Earnings At Atlantic City Casino
The addition of more casinos in the Atlantic City area has provided consumers with more options for all of their betting needs. While that’s good for the patrons, more casinos means more competition and less profits in Atlantic City.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released figures that showed nine casinos saw their gross operating profits decline by nearly 30% in the first quarter of the 2019 calendar year compared to the same period in 2018. These gross operating profits reflect earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and other charges. However, it’s still worth mentioning that the casinos collectively reported an $87 million profit in the first three months of the year.
There’s no need to shed a tear as generally speaking, revenues overall are about where they were last year.
Michigan Man Takes Home Two Big Prizes On Same Day In Bizarre Situation
Good things apparently do come in threes. That was the case for a Michigan man that made headlines with a gambling story for the ages.
The 48-year-old Jackson County man told Michigan lottery officials that he and his wife decided to celebrate a $300 bonus he received from work by going to the casino. On his way there, he ended up buying a couple of scratch tickets. After winning $300 at the casino, the man realized that he had won $300,000 on the scratch tickets that he bought.
A lucky day that began with a $300 work bonus turned into a $300,300 pay day via scratch tickets and a trip to the casino.
The man said he planned to use his winnings to pay off his house and buy a new car. If there is a lesson to be learned, it’s that anything can happen any time you try your luck out playing at the casino.