July 23, 2002

Detroit. Detectives from the Michigan State Police Gaming Section, working in cooperation with United States Customs Service personnel, have identified and arrested two subjects at the Ambassador Bridge (United States/Canada international border point of entry) for conspiring to engage in a casino-cheating scheme.

The United States Customs Service contacted the Michigan State Police, Gaming Section following the discovery of a "bench grinder" and a large amount of casino slot tokens during an inspection of a vehicle entering the United States. An MSP Gaming Section investigation revealed that the two occupants of the detained vehicle were utilizing the bench grinder to "shave" casino slot tokens for illegal slot machine play.

"Shaving" – to cut or grind the outside of edge of a slot token to reduce the diameter of said slot token for the purpose of defrauding an electronic slot machine. Specifically, the reduced sized slot token when deposited into the slot machine for play would be recognized by the slot machine’s optic mechanism as a valid credit, however, the slot machine’s coin comparitor mechanism would physically reject the slot token; thus affording the slot cheat an opportunity to continue to repeatedly deposit the same slot token(s) into the slot machine for the purpose of accumulating illegal slot credits for play.

According to investigators, one subject confessed that the other subject had been mentoring him in the technique of "shaving" slot tokens for illegal slot play for approximately one year. Both subjects were utilizing this cheating technique to defraud numerous casino venues throughout the United States. The subjects intentionally entered into the United States at the Detroit-based border for the purpose of patronizing different casino venues throughout the State of Michigan with the objective of utilizing this cheating technique to obtain monies from illegal slot play.

An inventory of the confiscated slot tokens located in the suspect vehicle determined that the two subjects were in possession in excess of eight-hundred individual casino slot tokens with approximately seven-hundred of these casino slot tokens determined to have been altered ("shaved") for illegal slot play. In addition, an assessment of the individual casino slot tokens determined that the casino slot tokens are affiliated with thirty separate casino entities located in fifteen different states including one casino located in Ontario, Canada.

Arrested: MICHAEL ANTHONY NICHOLS, 04/12/55

of Carter Lake, Iowa

BOBBY DEE LUMAN, 08/06/52

of Kansas City, Missouri

Both Nichols and Luman were arrested and arraigned on multiple felony charges including Possession of a Device to Alter the Outcome of a Gambling Game, and Conspiracy to Alter the Outcome of a Gambling Game (maximum 10 years and/or $100,000 on each count).

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