I'd like to repost an article originally posted today by Micropicker on the Spintek Gaming thread. It does not pertain to BNGO, but does mention International Games Technologies [IGT] who was selected as the company to provide the computer system for SC real-time monitoring of vgms. It's quite an interesting read.
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To: Micropicker (85 )
From: Micropicker Friday, Jun 12 1998 2:07PM ET
Reply # of 86
From www.lvrj.com.
Slot cheat one for the book.
A man found guilty in a gaming plot
should have been nominated for the
Black Book, officials say.
By Carri Geer
Review-Journal
Despite his 1986 conviction for participating in a $10 million slot machine cheating scheme, Dennis Nikrasch never was nominated for inclusion in Nevada's infamous Black Book.
"We did consider him, and in retrospect, we should have gone forward with it, but we didn't," said Keith Copher, chief of enforcement for the state Gaming Control Board. Nikrasch, now 56, received a 15-year prison term for his crimes but was released on parole in January 1991. The Las Vegas man was arrested Tuesday on new charges alleging he participated in a $6 million slot machine cheating scheme.
Copher said gaming agents considered Nikrasch for Black Book inclusion after his release from prison, but the chief had no explanation for the decision not to pursue the nomination.
The Black Book now has 31 names of people who have been prohibited from entering the state's casinos. A federal judge described Nikrasch in 1986 as the "mastermind of the plot" that was carried out at Las Vegas casinos between 1976 and 1979. He also called the defendant a "professional criminal" who showed no remorse for his actions and had little chance of being rehabilitated.
Copher said the two cases involving Nikrasch are believed to be among the biggest slot machine cheating scams in Nevada history. In another large but unrelated case, John Vaccaro and seven others, including his wife, were convicted in 1985 of bilking Nevada casinos out of about $1.6 million in phony jackpots. Copher said authorities believe the actual loss in that case was much greater than that amount. Vaccaro, described as the leader of the cheating ring, was entered into the Black Book in 1986. His wife, Sandra, was entered a few months later.
In Nevada's latest slot cheating case, a federal complaint charges Nikrasch and three other suspects with conspiracy, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and interstate transportation of stolen property.
The complaint also names Eugene Bulgarino, 65, and Joan Bulgarino, 66, both of Las Vegas, and Ronnie McElveen, 59, of Modesto, Calif. Authorities claim the defendants have won more than $6 million in illegal slot jackpots since September 1996 at Nevada casinos, including the Rio and the Luxor. Nikrasch has retained attorney Oscar Goodman to represent him in the case. Goodman said Nikrasch has stayed out of trouble since his release from prison and is no longer on parole, but the attorney declined to make any further comment pending his client's detention hearing, which is scheduled for Monday. According to the criminal complaint, a cooperating witness has been working with FBI agents since November and has admitted participating in the scheme.
Copher said Gaming Control Board agents also have been working with FBI agents on the investigation since November. The informant, identified only as "CS-1" in the complaint, described Nikrasch as a computer expert and the leader of the slot cheating ring. According to the document, the informant reported that Nikrasch had a slot machine and a safe in his garage and that he "practices his tampering techniques on the slot machine in the garage."
Copher said the ring uses sophisticated methods to cheat casinos, but he declined to discuss those methods. The complaint claims the defendants possessed a key to open slot machines and a device to rig them. According to the complaint, participants in the conspiracy carried out their scheme in the following manner:
Nikrasch would work on the slot machine while others in the group obscured the view of witnesses by "blocking." A nominee winner -- or person used by the group to win the jackpot -- would sit at the machine next to Nikrasch's machine until Nikrasch completed his manipulation, which generally took less than one minute. Nikrasch then would leave the machine and the winner would slide over to the seat in front of the fixed machine.
The informant reported that two of the three wheels of the machine would be left in the winning position. McElveen, using a string and some type of tool, then would stoop below the winner and do one final manipulation, which caused the lights to shut off for about 10 seconds. After the power to the machine returned, the winning light on top of the machine would be activated and the nominee winner would collect the jackpot.
The informant reported that Nikrasch received most of the money from the jackpots. "This opinion is based upon observations on those occasions when CS-1 was present when the jackpot was divided among the participants," the complaint states. " (Eugene) Bulgarino provided the nominee winner and CS-1 with their percentage of the winnings.
Upon the distribution of the funds, Bulgarino left his residence, and CS-1 believed that Bulgarino was traveling to meet with and provide Nikrasch with Nikrasch's percentage of the winnings."
In November 1997, the FBI confirmed through the informant that Eugene Bulgarino and McElveen traveled to an International Game Technology facility in Las Vegas to obtain some sort of computer chip. The two men were not able to obtain the device, but Eugene Bulgarino later returned and obtained it, according to the document. The complaint claims Bulgarino indicated the device would help Nikrasch cheat slot machines.
According to the document, the informant claimed to be the person who recruited Louie Melendez of Phoenix to be the nominee winner for a BMW automobile at the Rio, for which Melendez accepted $30,000, in May 1997. Melendez has not been charged in the case. Authorities said the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.
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