Dealers, Gamblers Cheating Suspects

Four blackjack dealers and five gamblers have been arrested for investigation of cheating at the Emerald Queen riverboat-style casino, just eight months after it opened on Blair Waterway.

Puyallup tribal investigators believe as many as 15 dealers may be involved along with 30 to 35 gamblers and two floor supervisors, who looked the other way, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported Thursday, citing an unidentified source.

The suspects allegedly had worked out a system in which the dealers would use vocal signals to tip their hands to the players, the state Gambling Commission said in a news release Wednesday.

The Puyallup Tribal Gaming Commission had noticed the apparent cheating, and asked the state Gambling Commission for help with an investigation in which undercover tribal agents played at the dealers’ tables.

The arrests were made Sunday night. The suspects, who were not identified, were released from the Pierce County Jail pending formal charges of cheating and conspiracy to cheat, the news release said.

The tribal gaming commission fired the dealers and revoked their gambling licenses.

Losses to the casino over the last three months have been estimated at $50,000, but The News Tribune’s source said the figure may be closer to $1 million.