Slot cheat suspect nominated to Nevada gaming ‘Black Book’

David Strow

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001 | 11:20 a.m.

A Las Vegas resident with numerous convictions for slot machine cheating faces possible inclusion in the state's "Black Book."

The state Gaming Control Board will consider Thursday whether Ramon David Pereira, 54, should be nominated to the Nevada Gaming Commission for exclusion from all Nevada casinos for his "notorious and unsavory reputation." Pereira is now under house arrest in Las Vegas, awaiting federal trial for his role in an alleged slot cheating ring.

Pereira was arrested in July 1999 after a joint investigation by Metro, control board and FBI officials. Pereira, along with five other local residents, was indicted on charges of running a massive interstate slot cheating ring that authorities believe cost casinos across the country more than $5 million. He faces trial in March on federal charges of interstate travel in aid of racketeering, interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering.

Prior to this arrest, Pereira was convicted twice in Las Vegas and twice in Reno between 1984 and 1990 on felony charges related to cheating at gambling, said James Taylor, special agent in the control board's enforcement division.

"As soon as he got out (of prison) in 1998, he immediately went back into enterprise," Taylor said.

According to police, members of the ring had a makeshift lab in a Las Vegas home for designing, testing and manufacturing cheating devices, some of which could be triggered remotely. During searches of 12 Las Vegas homes, police say they found schematic drawings of cheating devices and slots believed to be used for testing the devices.

The FBI says the ring was developing a device that could "defeat various slot machines without apparent tampering, possibly by remote control."

"These devices would cause serious financial losses to casinos in Nevada and the United States and could jeopardize the entire casino industry in the United States," an FBI report stated.

"These guys were developing devices that could be very harmful to the industry, and we don't need them in the casinos at all," said Keith Copher, chief of the control board's enforcement division.

Also allegedly involved in the cheating ring was Michael Joseph Balsamo, who was placed in the Black Book in November 1999. Prior to his arrest, Balsamo had been convicted six times on charges related to slot cheating.

Taylor said Pereira is being considered for nomination because of his numerous felony convictions, his "notorious and unsavory reputation" and his association with people involved with illegal gaming activities, including Balsamo. Any one of these conditions may be used by the commission as grounds for adding someone to the list of persons excluded from all Nevada casinos.

If the board votes to nominate Pereira to the list, Pereira would have to be served with the nomination within 30 days. Pereira could then contest the nomination in a hearing before the gaming commission, which would have the final say on whether Pereira would be included on the list. There are currently 35 names in the Black Book.