Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, 2003
Harrah's fined $15,000 for action involving card counter
Pit boss erred, casino chief says
By RICK ALM
The Kansas City Star
The treatment of a blackjack card counter has drawn a $15,000 fine for Harrah's North Kansas City Casino & Hotel.
The Missouri Gaming Commission levied the penalty Friday. Harrah's has 30 days to pay it or appeal and defend itself at a public hearing.
Harrah's general manager Ted Bogich said Friday that an appeal decision had not been made. He acknowledged that casino employees were in the wrong.
�In that incident our supervisor acted in a way not consistent with our procedures,� said Bogich. �This was a deviation from our established procedures and was not something that the management of this property condones.�
The decision was the commission's third ruling in recent months in favor of card counters.
The commission formally declared in 2000 that card counters' talent for mentally keeping track of cards played was not cheating.
It adopted rules to ensure that counters would not be cheated by casinos, which contend card counters have an unfair advantage. There have only been a handful of player complaints to date, but most have come this year.
In the Harrah's incident, G.P. Bauer of Johnson County was in the midst of being dealt his 18th hand at a blackjack table last January when a pit boss halted play. Bauer had been dealt one card but was instructed to take back his $250 bet.
Another player at the same table who already had been dealt a two-card hand of 21 was paid his winnings.
Bauer said the casino had often limited his maximum bet to $50, but said this was the first time he had filed a formal complaint.
Counters typically vary the size of their bets depending on the state of the count, which tracks how many high-value cards remain to be dealt.
Commission rules permit casinos to employ measures against card counters, including frequent card shuffles and changing table betting limits.
But officials said those measures must apply equally to all players. Counters cannot be singled out for special treatment.
Commission rules also prohibit players or the house from withdrawing a bet after the first card has been dealt.
Investigators said a review of casino surveillance tapes substantiated Bauer's account of the incident.
�At no time,� the commission found, �was the patron engaged in unlawful or disruptive conduct.�
Bauer said Friday he was pleased with the decision. �I'm happy the commission appears to be objective and represents both the players and the casino.
�How can using one's brain be cheating?�
� The commission Friday also proposed a $120,000 fine for Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City for failing to immediately report a suspected purse snatching Sept. 14. Commission rules require any suspected law violation to be �promptly� reported to a commission agent.
The victim reported the crime at 5:10 a.m., but a report wasn't made until 11 p.m. A casino official said Friday that no appeal decision has been made.
