2 Pittsburgh casino employees accused of rigging video roulette table games
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Two Rivers Casino employees are accused of rigging games, and authorities said at least two players were allegedly in on the conspiracy.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the scheme between the dealers and the players racked up more than $10,000 taken from the casino.
Over the weekend, state police charged Rivers Casino employees Robin Schnepp and Anthony Laush and player Jack Daniel Mars III with several charges related to rigging table games.
Investigators said Schnepp worked at the video roulette table. She allegedly would spin the ball in a way that it wouldn't set off the sensors and allow players to continue betting even after a number hit. Her supervisor, Laush, would allegedly override the error.
"Instead of just voiding all plays, which should have happened, he as a supervisor was able to use his electronic fob on the machine and verify the number that was hit," state trooper Rocco Gagliardi said.
Troopers said Mars III and Gabriella Marie Bianco were part of the scheme and made off with almost $11,000 through this rigging. State Police charged Bianco with theft by deception, knowing to manipulate a win and conspiracy with her involvement in the incident.
"That really deep investigational effort showcased that these two players knew what they were doing there in the errored state, and they were part of the plan," Trooper Gagliardi said.
Investigators learned of this through an anonymous letter earlier this year. They found multiple occasions of this happening since December.
"They would tell their counterparts to come in and bet when the sensors are not hitting," Trooper Gagliardi said.
With Laush and Schnepp having been at the casino for almost 15 years, they are doing a deeper dive now.
"This could continue on if we find out there are more players who knew how to manipulate that errored state of the roulette table," Trooper Gagliardi said.
Police are still looking for Mars III. The casino said it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
"You're going to see a complete overhaul of how that machine works at the Rivers Casino. That has already been in place since the charges were filed over the weekend," Trooper Gagliardi said.
The two employees are out on bail and have preliminary hearings on April 2.