UK Casino Dealer Caught Cheating

A Plymouth croupier has been ordered to pay £45 in court costs and given 80 hours community service after rigging a game of three card poker at the Stanley Grand Casino. Anthony Lomas attempted to beat the casino’s surveillance and security systems by deliberately not shuffling the deck and putting dead cards back into the pack.

Player Netted Over £1000

The dealer's actions are believed to have helped an unwitting woman to win more hands, possibly collecting up to £1,000. With there being no case for collusion, it is believed that the female player will be able to keep her winnings. Plymouth Magistrates Court heard how the woman was picked at random and was completely unaware of the scam and thought she had hit a lucky streak. The court was told how Lomas' decision to swindle the casino was fuelled just 'for the excitement' and spurred on by bosses who had told him during training it was 'impossible to beat the system'. Prosecuting barrister Patrick Dunne told the court, "His sole reason was to see if he could beat the system or not. There was no reason for choosing her and he made no personal benefit. We are not able to say how many times he did this – just the times they caught him."

Lomas was caught following a complaint and casino bosses watched him and then called him in to interview him about it. A court heard how he accepted that he had been cheating and he was dismissed and then arrested. District Judge David Purcell said "Organisations like this cannot operate unless they can rely on their staff."