You're a WINNER! ....and then it's stolen by the casino!

Now this goes in the "That's just *WRONG*' drawer of the filing cabinet. Where else can it go? It's just...so...wrong!

FRESNO, Calif. (CN) - A casino manager and security guards beat up a man and stole back the $18,000 he won fair and square playing cards, the man claims in court.
Armando Rios sued Clovis 500 Club, its manager Louis G. Sarrantos, Code 3 Corp. Security and its employees Andrew Kinkaid and Robert Musso, in Superior Court.

Now this guy is sitting there having a real moment of quality time with Lady Luck and we know he didn't do anything provably wrong because at the end of the story, this had to be admitted to the Clovis Police who came and initially arrested Mr Rios. He just won very large at cards and someone decided they didn't like that, it would seem. The manager, in this case. What happens next is a scene out of a bad movie.

"At that time, Kincaid and Musso, along with Sarrantos, approached a table where Rios was playing cards. Chip trays containing Rios's winnings were on the playing table, in front of Rios," the complaint states.

It continues: "Sarrantos grabbed the chip trays from Rios's proximity. Rios held on to the trays and prevented Sarrantos from taking the trays from him.

He lost what he couldn't grab outright and before realizing what was being done to him, as I sure would have as well. I mean, I'd be on top of the world to be sitting with $18,000 in winnings on the table. That's not a real common thing, even in Vegas where it's not rare to see many thousands dropped on a single hand. Apparently, this Casino manager didn't care for a winner though. Mr Rios then rose with his remaining chips to make for the cash cage, apparently still not fully understanding the gravity of his position.

"At that time Kincaid and Musso assaulted Rios by hitting him and the chip trays, causing the chips to scatter on the casino floor.

"Rios was never compensated for the value of the chips.

Source

I wonder how much of that lost money was HIS which he walked in with? I doubt he started with $100 to end up there.

It goes on to state that when police questioned security who did the physical damage to this man, they admitted they had seen nothing done wrong. They did everything on the orders of the Casino manager and his word alone.

I'm wondering why this is only in civil court and the sorry excuse for a manager didn't end up in criminal court on a number of low class felony charges? $18k is high level charges by dollar amount alone. It ought to be an interesting one to see play out and I hope the source updates as it winds up. I'll bring that back if I can catch it.

* For clarification, this is a community just north of Fresno, not Clovis, New Mexico for those who may know both places and make the wrong mental connection, as I started to when I saw the headline.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


This is why it is called gambling.
It seems this guy lost big, sometimes casinos screw people over and call it an equipment malfunction.
House always wins, this is just one reason why I do not gamble my fiats away.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

The house always wins when it comes to casinos. The odds are stacked in favor of the house, and if you attempt to level the playing field, that's "cheating."

I never really understood those signs that say "Malfunction voids winnings" or something like that. Like..a software error could give you the jackpot, but they'd take it away from you. I just think it's kind of humorous that they're advertising that the only way you could win would be due to a software error in the slot machine

(Wrabbit, just wanted to say you're a prime example of decent thread-presenting and writing Keep up the top-quality threads!)

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I wonder if he was counting cards??? Rare, it does happen. That really is wrong... By the time the lawsuit is over he'll get his money back. If not, I'll just loose that much more respect for America. It's not a senseless lawsuit and he did earn the winnings.

Is turn around fair play?

Can I grab my chips back and beat them up when I lose?

reply to post by AshleyD


Somehow, I'm thinking they wouldn't find that half as funny as I would. lol.... I'd sure love to see it tried just for the entertainment factor of what comes after. I'll tell ya, I walked right into a little robbery in progress at the Imperial Palace in Vegas last year when I was there for a family business issue. Nothing dramatic, but the kid ripped some chips off a table I believe. I had NO idea a casino had THAT many security! I caught the whole thing as it came out the driveway doors and out onto Las Vegas Blvd and they were pouring our doors I wouldn't have even recognized as being doors if a security guy hadn't been coming out at a full charge. They didn't catch him either. He just blended into the mass of people on the Strip since they all came back a few minutes later looking like someone shot their dog or something.

@ Thread

I'm thinking card counting is the only basis they can claim and that would be stretching it beyond what I think will fly if it wasn't said at the time. Anything else for cheating would have seen Rios in a jail cell and headed to prison. I've watched that movie "21" a couple times, based on the true story of a University based card counting ring some years back and it's amazing...what that takes. The best of the best for dealing with numbers as a natural thing. Count me out... lol

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Being a shoe computer designer sort of guy, I've often wondered how they exactly define cheating. They want you to put the little guide on your cell phone - well, that's a computer if I use it to game the system a different way, is that cheating? You said I could use it for a reference guide, what if I use it to calculate odds at a game "on the fly" as it were? Where is that line drawn?

Because I guarantee you I can get enough info off a cell phone to beat a few casino games, no other additions. If I wander up to one of those game tables, point my cell at the thing and it says "plunk your money here" and I win repeatedly, how long before my head gets knocked with a pr24?

reply to post by Bedlam


I don't know how a California gaming place handles it but a Vegas or Reno casino will ask firmly but politely for you to step away from the table if you take out a cell phone of any kind, for anything. If you don't put it away or do as they ask, they get downright 'assertive' ...and then, outright rude. I never saw someone take it past the 3rd stage to see if they got physically lifted from the chair and set down a few feet away. Cell phones are a Super-No No for exactly the reason you say.

They are decent about it.. I mean, you don't have to change out or leave the table/seat. Just remove yourself from the game while the phone is out. Sounds reasonable to me too, considering card games are often playing against each other as much as the house.