A table games dealer at Mohegan Pennsylvania and a patron there have been arrested for allegedly colluding to cheat the casino out of more than $21,000 in two recent incidents involving electronic craps.
Pennsylvania State Police charged the dealer, Jason Richard Kutney, 52, and the customer with whom he was acquainted, Louis Attilo Grasso, 66, of Pine Bush, New York, with criminal conspiracy, theft, and other offenses. They were arraigned Friday and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
The Thoroughbred Daily News reported that Grasso is a veterinarian who last year was sentenced to 50 months imprisonment for his role in a racehorse doping conspiracy and was scheduled to report to federal prison Jan. 24.
Numbers were shared prematurely
As an electronic craps dealer, Kutney’s job is to push a button ending the 30-second window in which patrons have a chance to place bets. Police said the casino’s surveillance cameras showed Kutney pushed the button early and enabled Grasso to see the roll’s numbers before placing bets.
The alleged scheme enabled Grasso to win $17,521 on Dec. 30 and another $4,125 last Thursday, according to police. An affidavit stated that Kutney told police he had been trying to help Grasso through a difficult time.
The Thoroughbred Daily News report stated that Grasso entered a guilty plea in May 2022 in the racehorse doping conspiracy case, which was initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. It also said he had previous convictions for illegal conduct as a racehorse veterinarian.
In such cases of casino cheating, it is typical for both the employee and patron to end up on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s involuntary exclusion list, preventing them from ever entering a casino in the state again — although it typically takes many months of review before the board takes action.
Employees are also typically terminated immediately by the casino, although Mohegan Pennsylvania declined to respond to Penn Bets with specific details.
“We’re unable to comment on the investigation, though Mohegan Pennsylvania has been working with Pennsylvania State Police on this matter and we fully appreciate their hard work,” casino President and General Manager Anthony Carlucci said in an email.
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