Live! Casino Maryland VIP Host Pleads Guilty to Casino Fraud Scheme
Live! Casino Maryland VIP Host Pleads Guilty to Casino Fraud Scheme
A former VIP host at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland has pleaded guilty to theft, an act connected to casino fraud.
The host loaded free promo play on phony rewards cards and gave them to accomplices
A former VIP host at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland, located near Baltimore’s BWI Airport, has admitted to participating in a comp scheme that cost the casino over $20,000 in promotional credits.
In May, reports indicated that authorities charged Sonejah Richards, 27, of Forestville, and Allen Hill, 26, of Washington, DC, with felony and misdemeanor theft along with identity fraud. They allegedly created over 30 phony My Live! Rewards accounts to load bogus cards with more than $20,000 worth of free slot play.
Richards recently pleaded guilty to two counts of theft involving amounts between $100 and $1,500. He received a deal where he will forgo prison time in exchange for two years of supervised probation and must repay the casino $9,848 by October 7, 2027.
The Scheme’s Financial Impact
While it remains unknown whether Hill is collaborating with prosecutors to address his corresponding charges, the two unnamed accomplices who used the stolen credits have not faced charges.
Casinos routinely provide loyal patrons with complimentary credits. In Maryland, casinos like Live! can deduct the promotional amounts offered against their gross revenue. Recently, the Maryland State Lottery Commission proposed regulatory amendments to permit video lottery casinos to deduct a maximum of 20% of the promotional play they recoup from players.
The proposed changes, noted in the Maryland Register last December, indicate a potential increase in taxes if the promotional credit deduction is removed, suggesting that the gaming operators will still dispense similar amounts of promotional play even without tax benefits.
The Commission expressed that Video Lottery Facility Licenses will likely continue to offer promotional play to attract and retain customers. Changes to promotional play spending are anticipated, but operators will still aim to maintain their current promotional levels.
The state’s gaming agency gathered feedback from operators and the public on this matter, but no final decisions have been reached. This adjustment would also extend to online sportsbooks.
Slot Revenue Taxation
At Live! Casino Hotel Maryland, slot revenue is taxed at an impressive rate of 51%. The allocations from this taxation include:
- 36% goes to the Education Trust Fund.
- 6% is earmarked for horse racing.
- 5.5% finances local impact grants in Anne Arundel County.
- 1.5% supports small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
- Both a racetrack fund and the state lottery receive 1% each.
Live! Casino retains the remaining 49% of its gross gaming revenue from slots.
Summary
The guilty plea from the VIP host at Live! Casino Maryland demonstrates the ongoing challenges faced by casino operators in preventing fraud. With significant financial implications involved, regulatory bodies are re-evaluating the policies that govern promotional play to safeguard the gaming industry’s integrity and fiscal health.
