Slot machine cheat considered for Nevada’s Black Book

A Black Book, a State Gaming Control Board list of people excluded from Nevada casinos, is displayed at the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. At right is a page on former mobster Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, who was removed from the book only after his death.

A convicted slot machine cheat has been nominated to by the state Gaming Control Board to the state’s Excluded Person List — the so-called Black Book of people not allowed to step foot in a casino.

The three-member board today nominated Roderick William Dee II to the list.

His inclusion on the list will be considered by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which will conduct a hearing for Dee and determine whether he becomes the 34th person to be added.

It will be the first Black Book hearing since 2009.

On Aug. 20 of that year, the commission added Michael James McNeive, 72, whose last known address was in Hollywood, Fla.

Deputy Attorney General Edward Magaw said Dee has four felony convictions, including three in Nevada. Two involve incidents in Nevada casinos and the third occurred in a Las Vegas convenience store with slot machines.

Magaw told the board Dee pleaded guilty to each incident after he was found using a “kickstand” — a device used to trick a slot machine into producing a jackpot or adding play credits. Burnett said Dee is believed to have illegally received tens of thousands of dollars using the device.

Dee also is a known associate of McNeive and already has been placed on Missouri’s list of excluded persons, officials said.

The Control Board voted unanimously to nominate Dee for the list.

The nomination now will go to the five-member Gaming Commission, which must contact Dee or widely publicize the accusation.

The commission is expected to conduct a hearing in 60 days. Dee will be allowed to fight inclusion on the list or have a lawyer represent him before the commission.

The commission established the Black Book with the passage of Regulation 28 in 1972. It includes the names of individuals who are considered a detriment to the state through their “unsavory and notorious reputation,” according to the regulation, and includes individuals identified as long ago as 1960.

Louis Tom Dragna, the reputed leader of a Los Angeles organized crime family, was identified for the list on June 13, 1960. The Control Board says Dragna lives in Covina, Calif., and is 92.

Over the years, regulators have placed names on the list, with most added in the 1990s. Since 2001, only six people have been added. There are 32 men and one woman on the list.

Regulations allow listed persons to petition to be removed, but most are on the list for life, Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett said.

Regulations require licensees to prevent people on the Black Book from entering a casino. Licensees are required to notify law enforcement officers and the Control Board if a listed person attempts to enter a casino. They can be fined if they fail to keep them out.

Tags: Business
Gaming

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