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Four things to know about Nevada’s infamous ‘Black Book’

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With the recent addition of Gary Frederick Young to Nevada’s “Black Book” for gambling-related fraud and cheating, here are a few things you should know about the list, courtesy of Karl Bennison, chief of enforcement for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

How do you get listed in the book? You have to work at it pretty hard. “We arrest people for felony gaming crimes on a daily basis, so if we put everyone in the Black Book, there would be thousands and thousands instead of the 32 that are in there,” Bennison says. It’s based mostly on a pattern of bad activity, from cheating to manufacturing cheating devices to ties to organized crime—sometimes all three.

Once you’re in the book, how do you get your name removed? Good luck with that. While there’s an appeals process, Bennison says no one’s been successful since it was instituted in 1967. Basically, your name is in there until you die.

What happens if you enter a casino once your name is in the book? It’s a gross misdemeanor, which could carry a year in prison. In addition, any casino that does not take action is subject to penalties and fines.

Is there a physical Black Book? Not anymore. Actually, it’s never really been a “book.” It started as a letter in 1960, then became a black-covered pamphlet in a binder. By the ’90s, it was silver-covered, and by the end of that decade it went exclusively online.

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Ken Miller

Ken Miller is the editor of Las Vegas Magazine, having previously served as associate editor at Las Vegas Weekly, assistant ...

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