Over the summer, a man from North Carolina was accused of trying to scam a Las Vegas casino by using a fake check to get $865,000 in chips, which he quickly lost while gambling.
Dharma Nadendla went to the Aria Resort & Casino's cashier's counter and handed over a check that he claimed was worth $380,000 from a credit union. The casino staff gave him $865,000 in chips based on this check.
Nadendla gambled away $500,000 and $365,000 on table games, according to Las Vegas Police. Despite these massive losses, he attempted to get more chips by calling the cashier’s cage from his hotel room.
Casino Employee Helps Police Nab Suspect
An observant employee at the Aria became suspicious and took a closer look at the check. They noticed some inconsistencies in the check numbers and decided to call the credit union in North Carolina.
The credit union confirmed the check was a fake and actually worth only $174.80. To catch Nadendla, the employee asked him to come back to the casino floor to get more chips. As he approached the hotel elevator, Las Vegas police officers, who had been informed by the casino staff, arrested him.
Nadendla is facing theft and burglary charges. His case is still working its way through the court system, but it’s just one example of the lengths people will go to try to fool casino employees.
Casinos See Lots of Attempted Scams
Unfortunately, attempted scams like this in casinos happen more frequently than you might think.
Here are some of the most recent examples of people attempting to scam a casino:
- Two Eastern European men were charged with organized fraud after police arrested them at the Enghien-les-Bains casino in Paris. Authorities accused them of visiting European casinos and winning tens of thousands of euros using a cheating system invisible to the naked eye. They were caught when authorities received a tip and set up surveillance to catch them. At the poker table, one of the men wore a tiny earpiece that was so small it could only be removed with a magnet. His partner, who sat in a car outside, watched the game through a camera hidden in the side of the player’s phone on the poker table and gave him instructions.
- Last month, Spirit Mountain Casino's CEO, Camille Mercier, announced that ads promoting online betting through a downloadable app are scams. She urged customers not to download any app claiming to be from Spirit Mountain Casino and to report these fraudulent ads. The ads misuse the casino’s logo and images but are not affiliated with Spirit Mountain. Mercier noted some of these ads seem to come from overseas.
- A dealer and a player were found guilty of cheating at the Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett, Massachusetts and sentenced in October. The baccarat dealer, Jianming Li, memorized card sequences and shared them with player Jun Na Zhang. Over two nights, Zhang won $15,000 illegally using this method, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.
- Gratis Woolen Jr. faces multiple charges in Las Vegas for allegedly using fake casino chips worth several thousand dollars. He was arrested last April when an employee at The Cosmopolitan noticed that some of the chips had a Golden Gate sticker on them.
Vigilant employees always seem to be the first line of defense when someone is attempting to scam a casino, but there is an entire organization dedicated to casino surveillance and protecting the games people play.
World Game Protection Helps Casinos
In 2005, casino veteran Willy Allison started World Game Protection, Inc. to create the gaming industry's first conference and expo focused solely on casino surveillance and game protection. The first annual World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) took place in 2006.
As the casino industry changed, the WGPC expanded its educational content to address awareness and protection strategies for overall casino operational risk. The conference program focuses on three key areas that shape a casino's risk management strategy: game protection, asset protection, and people protection. At the WGPC Expo, the latest technology from top manufacturers of casino game protection, surveillance, and security products is showcased.
The 2025 World Game Protection Conference and Expo will take place in Las Vegas from March 11-13 at the Rio Las Vegas.
Combined Efforts Needed to Thwart Casino Scams
Casinos often face scams and fraud attempts, but alert employees and law enforcement work hard to stop them. Organizations like World Game Protection, Inc. play a crucial role by offering training and showcasing new surveillance technologies to help detect and prevent cheating.
These combined efforts help keep casinos safe and maintain trust with their customers, showing just how important it is for everyone to stay watchful and work together.
