Counterfeit gaming chips circulated at Las Vegas casinos, leading to arrest
A 54-year-old man was recently arrested by police on approximately 14 charges related to the use of fraudulent gambling chips at at least three Las Vegas casinos.
Gratis Woolen Jr. was arrested earlier this month in Las Vegas on charges of burglary, possession of illegal tools and more, KLAS TV reported.
Woolen was allegedly involved in an unrelated incident on April 10 at a motel on the Las Vegas Strip. He was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) for the riot, according to KLAS.
During a background check, police said they discovered he had a warrant related to illegal chips.
He appeared in local court and was released on $1,000 bail. Clark County Judge Melissa Stratton ordered that he be placed on electronic monitoring. He is due back in court on Thursday.
Casino finds counterfeit chips
The investigation began in January 2023 when an employee of Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino made a report to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). A player used a counterfeit chip at the gaming venue.
Meanwhile, an employee at the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan also alerted the NGCB that counterfeit $100 chips were being used at the casino. The suspect turned out to be Woolen, KLAS reported.
He allegedly exchanged the fraudulent chips for money at the casino cash register.
Stickers peel off
While inspecting the chip, an NGCB employee noticed a Golden Gate Gaming ownership tag on the chip.
"Some of the Golden Gate Bridge decals ... were peeled off, revealing a solid black face beneath the decals," an NGCB official explained in a report.
These chips are easily identifiable as fakes because the real chip is a solid piece of ceramic without external decorations like stickers and paint. "
KLAS reported in the committee's investigation that further investigation revealed that "the insert of the counterfeit chip was torn off...and had an unusual 'dent' underneath."
Additionally, in a separate incident, a cashier at the Linq Hotel + Experience checked a chip presented by the unnamed woman at the Las Vegas gaming venue.
The cashier told NGCB investigators, "It didn't look like a good chip." She handed it to the casino manager. He looked at it and then told her to tell the person who gave it to take it back to the Golden Gate.
It's unclear whether Woolen made the chips or if he obtained them from another source, KLAS reported.
The accused woman has not yet been charged, according to preliminary news reports. Police did not release her name.
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Source: www.casino.org
