A Rivers Casino employee has been charged with dealing nearly 200 fraudulent hands of blackjack between Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Jamie L. Smith, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood, was seen on video surveillance by police and gaming enforcement agents overpaying patrons on winning and losing bets, not collecting money from lost bets or removing chips from the “float,” or rack of chips, during several series of hands, according to a sworn affidavit.
Police say the incidents occurred Oct. 26, 28 and 30 and Nov. 2. Surveillance showed Smith dealing a total of 192 fraudulent hands for a total loss of $21,869, according to court records.
Police said the number of fraudulent hands steadily increased, from seven hands on Oct. 26 to 71 hands on Nov. 2.
Smith is charged with theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy and knowingly manipulating a game of chance.
She was released on an unsecured bond. A Nov. 20 preliminary hearing is set in Pittsburgh Municipal Court.
An attorney for Smith was not listed in court records.
