Blackjack Dealer Busted Twice, Accused of Cheating with Players
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Alleged cheating scandals in poker, chess, and fishing have made headlines as of late, so it should surprise no one that casino blackjack can be added to the list.
Casino bosses at the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino studying videotapes of blackjack action last August noticed that one of their dealers, Emily Torres, was helping players at her table to win thousands of dollars by showing them cards while hands were in progress. Torres was promptly arrested upon reporting for work the next day.
Also eventually busted along with Torres were Mark Watson and Rahat Hossain, blackjack players at her table who benefited from seeing the cards. Watson recorded a winning session of roughly $5,300, while Hossain racked up $2,100 in profits.
The dealer and players were each charged with felony gaming fraud. Hossain, 34, and Watson, 28, have since paid back all of their alleged ill-gotten gains.
The story doesn't end there as casino security took a look at video footage from previous days that Torres was dealing "21" and found that the 21-year-old was at it again. A blackjack player identified as Jordan Mack, 44, was shown cards by Torres a total of 62 times, resulting in a win of more than $5,700.
Torres, from Lackawanna, N.Y., was found and arrested again in September. Mack was apprehended a couple weeks later.
Reports out of New York indicate that gaming fraud is a somewhat rare charge in the state, with only four individuals being arrested in the last five years - until Torres and her cohorts doubled down on that total.
What certainly isn't rare is cheating. Whenever and wherever money is involved, someone will invariably attempt to cheat.
