Man tries 'jackpot switch' to avoid casino slot prize going to unpaid child support, Northwest Indiana police say
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MICHIGAN CITY — If a person at the casino offers to give you part of his or her slot machine jackpot if you'll do the paperwork required to claim it, it's not only a bad idea to say yes, it's also a crime.
Billy Butler, of Mishawaka, is poised to learn that lesson the hard way.
Butler is accused in LaPorte County of allegedly engaging in "jackpot switching" as a way to avoid having his casino winnings seized to cover unpaid child support obligations, according to court records.
If convicted of gaming crimes, a level 6 felony, Butler could spend six to 30 months behind bars and be fined up to $10,000.
According to court records, Butler was playing a slot machine at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City on the evening of April 20 when he allegedly won a jackpot prize of $1,340.
Under federal law, a slot prize of $1,200 or more must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Indiana law also requires jackpot winners be checked against the state's unpaid child support database and any winnings seized to pay pending obligations.
Court records suggest Butler was well aware of those legal requirements because earlier that day at Blue Chip he won a $5,000+ table game payout that was intercepted by the casino as required by law and applied to his child support arrears, reducing his unpaid obligations to $42,338.32 — but getting him nothing.
So later, when Butler hit the big slot machine prize, he allegedly started looking around the Blue Chip slots area to see if anyone else in the casino might be willing to step over and claim it on his behalf, according to court records.
Records show Butler made no headway with either of the first two men he approached. A Portage woman, however, allegedly agreed to claim Butler's jackpot by posing as the real winner in exchange for Butler giving her $200.
But the scheme quickly fell apart as the casino's review of its surveillance footage showed Butler was the actual jackpot winner, not the woman, according to court records.
Records show the woman told police she'd never met Butler until he allegedly offered her $200 to stand in his place and collect the jackpot. She also said she did not know what she was doing was a crime.
When he was confronted by police, Butler allegedly admitted he asked the woman to participate in a jackpot switch to prevent his winnings from again being intercepted for unpaid child support, according to court records.
Records show Butler ultimately was evicted from the casino, his slot machine winnings seized by police in connection with the jackpot switch investigation, and a warrant issued for his arrest. The woman has not been charged with any crimes.
Separately, Butler was arrested by Mishawaka Police May 10 for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and possession of cocaine, according to court records.
His initial court hearing on those charges is scheduled for May 31.
