LV casino hit with Gaming Board complaint

Thursday, March 15, 2001 | 10:46 a.m.

The state Gaming Control Board filed a complaint against Bally's Las Vegas, accusing the Strip casino of violating regulations aimed at stopping money laundering.

The one-count complaint is a result of an undercover operation by two state auditors who visited the casino in December. Senior Auditor James Misback made a $5,000 deposit at the casino cage consisting of $4,000 in $20 bills and the other $1,000 in $100 bills.

According to the complaint, the cashier properly recorded the transaction and informed Misback that when he returned for the money, the $20 bills would have to be returned.

Three days later Misback returned to the credit window at the main casino cage to withdraw the front money deposit. The cashier followed casino procedure in notifying her superior and in verifying the amount. But then she returned the $5,000, all in $100 bills.

The regulation states that if any customer delivers more than $3,000 in cash to a casino cage the club "must return to the patron only cash of the same denominations and no more than the same number of bills of each denomination of the cash as was delivered."

The complaint asks that Bally's, owned by Park Place Entertainment Corp. of Las Vegas, be fined a minimum of $25,000.

Bally's has 20 days to answer the complaint, deny or admit the allegations and ask for a hearing to present a defense. In most cases, the club and the state attorneys negotiate a settlement that is presented to the state Gaming Commission for approval.