Card Cheater Admits Ripping Off Canadian, U.S. Casinos

After a lengthy investigation by Canadian and United States authorities, a know gambler and member of a card-cheating cartel pled guilty to charges of swindling casinos in Canada and California.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said Tai Khiem Tran, 47, is accused of “participating in a racketeering enterprise based in San Diego, California.” The charges include accepting $1 million in bribes from card dealers and using card-counting devices while playing blackjack and mini-baccarat from 2002 through 2005. According to the Associated Press, the scheme included a "false shuffle" whereby the cheaters would bribe card dealers and supervisors to perform false shuffles during card games, thereby creating "slugs" or groups, of unshuffled cards. Tran’s part in the scheme targeted six California casinos and one in Canada, the Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. Tran also faces other charges in Canada. In the broader scheme of things, Tran is among 26 others who have also pled guilty to charges of scamming a total of 24 gambling establishments. He faces 20 years in prison, repaying $823,612 in forfeited assets, including a 2006 Mercedes-Benz and a home in the San Diego area.