Summary:
- Hearne stole thousands of casino chips from 15 different venues.
- He is the 37th person added to the Black Book. .
- The vote to add the name to the list was unanimously approved. .
The Nevada Gaming Commission held a meeting yesterday, and among the matters discussed were the incidents of chip theft from local casinos.
A North Vegas Man was found guilty of taking thousands in chips from gaming tables at not one or two casinos but 15 in total. He is now the 37th person to be placed on the Nevada List of Excluded Persons.
The Black Book
Also known as the Black Book, the list excludes people from ever setting foot inside a casino due to certain actions. For Neal Ahmed Hearne, he was banned forever after stealing thousands in game chips from 15 different Nevada casinos.
Hearne was invited to attend the meeting with the Commission, but he declined. The individual met the criteria for the list because he had a prior felony conviction, which is one of the factors that can lead to a casino ban.
Commissioners discussed briefly the state’s policy regarding Hearne’s actions before making their decision. The Black Book consists of cheaters, fraudsters, and mobsters, so they were trying to decide if Hearne should be added alongside such individuals.
Commission members wanted to be sure that any action they took would set a solid precedent and that it should be policy moving forward. According to the Commission, there are at least two other occasions when a chip thief was added to the list.
What is the Excluded Person’s List?
The Excluded Person’s list was first created in 1960 to ban anyone involved in casino cheating from visiting local casinos. Those banned had felony convictions or had committed some crime that involved ‘moral turpitude’. They may have violated gaming laws in other states, evaded taxes, or had a bad reputation.
Gaming industry leaders can recommend individuals to regulators that should be placed on the list. The attorney general’s office in Nevada reviews the recommendation, and an investigation involves the person’s record. A detailed report is created to help in the decision-making process.
The report shows the individuals’ transgressions and states where a person should be placed on the list after a review by the Gaming Control Board. After an individual is nominated for the list, such as with Hearne, they are notified and can request a hearing with the Commission to oppose the decision. The individual can use legal counsel to try to counter the allegations.
As for Hearne, he decided to avoid the hearing altogether and accept the placement on the list.
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