Former Casino Dealer Charged With Theft

A former dealer at East Chicago’s Ameristar Casino is accused of bilking the casino out of an estimated $26,000.

Li Rong Gao, 45, of Chicago was charged Friday with felony theft and cheating and gambling.

Lake County court records show an Ameristar surveillance manager alerted the Indiana Gaming Commission in November about possible cheating involving a dominoes betting game called Pai Gow Tiles.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported video showed Gao allegedly dealing herself low hands several times last fall when playing the game with three patrons she knew.

Records show Gao’s self-dealing of low hands caused those players to win, costing the casino an estimated $26,000. She was later fired.

Court records say Gao denied cheating and told police she was “just making a lot of mistakes.”