Dealer Faces Up to 5 Years in Prison for Cheating Casino Out of $1 Million
- Dealer allowed players to photograph some of the cards as part of the fraud
- Bettors can predict outcome of baccarat hands if they know the order of cards in deck
- Poker Pro Phil Ivey was recently ordered to pay back another casino $9.6 million for taking advantage of defective cards in a Baccarat deck
- Complaint does not identify casino though MGM National confirmed the dealer worked there during period the scam took place
Ming Zhang, a Baccarat dealer from Alexandria, Virginia, is facing up to 5 years for his role in scamming a Maryland casino out of $1 million.
Zhang is accused of allowing players to photograph some of the cards at the MGM National Harbor Casino.
More specifically Zhang exposed part of a baccarat deck to a player who photographed the unshuffled cards before that player and other “conspirators” placed large bets on hands back in September 2017, according to a court filing says.
Bettors can predict the outcome of baccarat hands “with near-perfect accuracy” if they know the order of cards in a deck, said Assistant US Attorney Erin Pulice.
Big name poker pro Phil Ivey was recently ordered to pay back the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City $9.6 million after allegedly cheating them out of $9.6 million at the baccarat table by taking advantage of defective cards.
The complaint against Zhang does not specifically mention the casino in question, however, it was confirmed by MGM National Harbor that he had worked there during the period in question.
“Ming Zhang is no longer employed by MGM National Harbor. We have provided our full cooperation with authorities throughout this investigation,” the casino spokesman, Malik Husser, said in a statement.
It has since emerged that another Maryland casino was also a target of the scheme. Six casinos operate in the state.
US District Judge Paul Grimm is scheduled to sentence Zhang on Jan. 31.
Zhang was also having his dealer license revoked.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
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