Casino Regina is among the gaming hotspots of Saskatchewan but it has also been the arena of fraudulent activity. A blackjack dealer teamed up with a player in a way to defraud the casino of a substantial amount of gaming revenue. The amount the team succeeded in bagging this way reached nearly CA$30,000 at the beginning of this year.
The fraudulent activity in question occurred in January 2020, as it was recently confirmed by the provincial quarterly report on losses of public money. According to the report in question, a dealer working at the popular casino venue teamed up with a casino patron frequenting Casino Regina at the beginning of this year.
Fraudulent Activity
The reports have shown that the regular blackjack activity taking place on the premises of the brick-and-mortar casino venue was enhanced by unusual behavior by the dealer and the player. The former paid out losing blackjack hands, an illegal practice going against the very rules of the table game. This practice was later on confirmed by the CCTV following the movements of every casino employee and patron.
SaskGaming had the chance to review the footage and confirm that the casino staff member is deploying fraudulent tactics to benefit the patron and subsequently themselves, bagging some CA$29,435. The gaming leader made it clear that the casino staff member in question had been employed at Casino Regina over the past two years and they had not been involved in any illegal activities prior to the beginning of this year.
The employee and the casino patrons were acquaintances before this practice was implemented. The footage proving that the fraudulent activity had taken place was dated January 14. SaskGaming made it clear that the employee had their contract of employment terminated on January 22. The situation was aggravated by the subsequent investigation launched that unearthed more details surrounding the two individuals.
Blackjack Dealer Fired
SaskGaming looked into its risk and compliance department and found more evidence that the two individuals have conspired to bag a substantial amount of cash in a fraudulent manner. As a result of that, the provincial gaming leader issued a ban prohibiting their entrance into the casino venue over the upcoming five years. This measure is expected to prevent further illicit actions from taking place.
Regina Police Service received the file at the end of January and the two individuals were criminally charged. It could be recalled that the end of March saw Casino Regina and Casino Moose Jaw make it clear that layoffs would be mandatory in these trying times. Some 497 unionized casino employees along with 52 managers working at both gambling venues would have to go through a temporary layoff while the casino venues are closed for business.
Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, representing individuals of both venues, expressed an opinion that the layoffs are harmful to the people affected. They would no longer be eligible for a wage, which would affect their quality of life. However, people are going to be eligible for health benefits and vacation time.
