Pittsburgh Casino Dealer Arrested for Influencing Fraudulent Blackjack Hands

A dealer at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania is facing felony charges for allegedly dealing nearly 200 fraudulent hands of blackjack in one week.

Pittsburgh resident Jamie Smith, 32, is said to have overpaid winning hands and failed to collect money from losing players. Smith allegedly committed the infractions from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2024, according to state police.

The fraudulent losses resulted in more than $21,000 in unearned losses for the casino.

More details to come

According to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, a casino spokesman had “no additional information to provide” following initial reports.

"We cooperated fully with the Pennsylvania State Police in this investigation," casino spokesman Jack Horner said in a statement.

Police reported that video surveillance footage inside the casino showed Smith committing the infractions of casino and legal policy over 31 hours of work during the aforementioned week. The losses reached $21,869.

Smith was arrested upon reporting for work on Friday, Nov. 8. She was then taken to the Allegheny County Jail, where she was released on bond. 

It is unknown if the dealer was aided in her manipulation of the blackjack hands.

Smith is due to appear at a preliminary court hearing on Nov. 20.

The Pennsylvania casino scene

Pittsburgh Rivers Casino opened on August 9, 2009. It is located next to the Kamin Science Center. It is near the Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park, the home stadiums of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The property is owned by Holdings Acquisition CO. L.P., a joint venture by Walton Street Capital LLC and High Pitt Gaming LP. 

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s revenue report, table games reached $5.5 million in total revenue during the month of September, resulting in $766,998 in taxes for the state. Those figures were just 83.6 percent of the totals reported during August, which had the highest figures of the fiscal year.

Slot machine revenue hit $236.1 million during September following back-to-back months of $268 million in revenue. The September pot generated $7.1 million in state taxes, 93.9 percent of the $7.5 million that was produced in August. 

Total casino gaming in Pennsylvania during September reached $505.9 million, which was up 6.17 percent compared to the same time a year ago.

However, slot machine revenue only reached $197 million, a 1.48 percent year-over-year decline.