Two players who dented cards to cheat $12,000 out of a casino poker table in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have avoided a long incarceration.
Bahri Sahpolat, 47, of California, and Serdar Ozmen, 44, of Maryland, were playing Mississippi Stud poker at Live! Casino Pittsburgh (pictured) in the suburb of Hempfield in late August.
However, before they could cash out their $12,000 in winnings, casino security determined through surveillance that the pair were cheating by marking cards.
The winnings were confiscated and police were informed. The pair received one-year probationary sentences this week and were told to pay back $1,047 to the casino. The two were also released from county jail, where they had been held without bail since the night of their arrest.
The Cheating
Sahpolat and Ozmen played poker at Live! Casino Pittsburgh, owned by The Cordish Companies, on Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30.
Over Friday night and into Saturday afternoon, the pair won $12,000 at the tables. However, casino staff became suspicious, and monitored their play through surveillance cameras.
It was when they looked back at the previous night’s play that they found the pair had been using one of the oldest casino scams in the book – marking cards.
Unbeknownst to the cheaters, casino management let them continue playing while they called law enforcement. State troopers pulled Sahpolat and Ozmen off the gaming floor at 4 p.m. on August 30.
“Through sophisticated security measures, Live! Casino officials were able to detect the illegal activity of the individuals. We immediately contacted the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, and have been working with them throughout the duration of this investigation,” said casino spokesperson Tom Meinert, speaking to local news outlet TribLive.
The Consequences
The pair handed over $12,000 in winnings following their arrest, but did not admit to any crime. Nevertheless, they were charged with felony counts of using a cheating device, criminal trespassing, and theft. The Cordish Companies also banned the pair from all of its casinos for life.
This week, they were convicted of all counts except the trespass charge, which was dropped on condition they permanently stay away from casinos in Pennsylvania. They were also ordered to pay $1,047 to Live! Casino Pittsburgh.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger then sentenced them to one-year’s probation. He also ordered their release from the county jail, where they had been held since their August 30 arrest at the casino.
A third person associated with Sahpolat and Ozmen was also detained at Live! Casino Pittsburgh, but was later released without charges.
In a slightly more hi-tech and modern case of casino cheating, a pair of suspects were arrested in France on similar cheating charges. Police said the pair used a hidden camera and earpiece to communicate dealers’ cards and cheat blackjack games across Europe.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
