In a significant turn of events in the ongoing legal battle between Joseph Shiraef, a skilled card counter from Georgia, and Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, a judge recently dismissed a motion to reconsider Shiraef’s case. The lawsuit, filed in August, alleges that Shiraef was unlawfully detained by the casino staff and subsequently confronted by the Colorado Gaming Commission for his legal card-counting activities.

The dismissal of the reconsideration motion occurred on October 4, marking a crucial development in the case. Legal experts speculate that this decision might indicate a challenging road ahead for the defendants, particularly Ameristar Casino and former Colorado Gaming Commission agent, Joseph Nguyen.

At the heart of the matter is a cell phone video recorded by Shiraef during the incident, providing a firsthand account of the events that transpired on that fateful day, reported Fox affiliate KDVR. In the video, Nguyen can be heard wrongly asserting that card counting, a legal practice in Colorado, was a criminal offense. This video evidence has become a focal point in the case, underscoring Shiraef’s claims of unjust treatment and legal harassment.

A representative from the Department of Revenue has indeed confirmed that card counting in Colorado is permissible as long as players rely on their own mental skills and do not use external aids or devices.

Shiraef’s lawsuit seeks approximately $3 million in damages, reflecting the financial and emotional toll the incident took on him. Legal experts opine that the dismissal of the reconsideration motion might embolden Shiraef’s legal team, potentially strengthening their case against Ameristar Casino and Nguyen.

Shiraef’s Card Counting Dispute Challenges Casino’s Actions

The incident occurred in October 2021 when Joseph Shiraef was unable to cash out his winnings due to accusations of card counting. As there are no laws against card counting in Colorado, Shiraef claimed his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. 

In the legal action, Joseph Shiraef named Ameristar Casino Black Hawk, its parent company Gaming and Leisure Properties, Joseph Nguyen, the City of Black Hawk, and Whitman as defendants for his alleged unlawful detainment. 

However, a federal judge recently granted motions to dismiss claims against Ameristar’s parent company, the city, and Whitman. The judge allowed certain claims to proceed against the casino and Nguyen, who is no longer associated with the Department of Revenue.

Shiraef’s attorney subsequently submitted a motion requesting the judge to review the dismissals and reinstate claims against all the initial parties involved but that was also dismissed.

At the same time, Daniel Carr, a Department of Revenue spokesman, stated in an email that the gaming officer diligently investigated the incident to ensure Colorado Rules were not violated after the patron left hurriedly, refusing to comply with ID requirements and displaying suspicious behavior.

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Ameristar Casino East Chicago officially concluded the expansion of its pavilion gaming area last Friday.

At the event, the gaming venue’s officials cut the ribbons on the project, which added over 90 new slot machines to the casino. These new gambling machines are the most up-to-date in gaming technology and feature several popular themes.

The new slot machines, which include a new Jackpot Carnival version, were first played by VIP Ameristar punters on Friday. The Jackpot Carnival game is notably only available at the East Chicago casino in Northwest Indiana through mid-March.

Ameristar Casino opened its new gaming area to players aged 21 and more by 5pm on Friday. The new machine features games from the popular Buffalo series, Lightning Link, Timber Wolf, Lock It Link, Dancing Drums, and Power of 88, as well as several panda-themed games and other titles. Drawn by the flashing LED lights, sharp graphics, bright gaming displays, and realistic sound effects of the new slot machines, players trooped in to try their hand.

The Vice President and general manager of Ameristar East Chicago, Ryan Coppola, revealed that he was excited about the new additions and commended his team for going a great job putting it together.

Prior to the expansion, Ameristar’s buffet restaurant serving line and dining room occupied the area for the new slots. To give guests the best experience, Ameristar has remodeled many of its pavilion areas into gaming spaces for the past two years. As such, around 40% of the current gaming inventory is based in the previously near-empty pavilion. The pavilion was also primarily used to connect the casino’s parking garage and hotel to Amerister’s permanently moored riverboat located on Lake Michigan.

READ: Top US online casinos in 2023

Coppola revealed that the changes were mostly done to broaden the casino’s unique offerings as well as facilitate convenience and access for customers.

“There’s a lot of different ways we can think about using space differently and being smart about it. This is really about how do we continue to think about unique offerings, access, convenience, bringing things closer to the front door,” he said.

“(Guests) love the access, they love the convenience, and they’re telling us with their foot traffic. Foot traffic is up, time on device is up, the gaming revenue is up, so they seem to like it pretty well.”

“Every time we’ve launched a new offering, the return on investment has been so strong we just start working on the next idea.”

Customers are certainly enjoying the convenience and access that the repurposing affords as the free connected parking garage is merely a few steps from gaming activities like playing a table game, using a brand new slot machine, placing bets at the Barstool Sportsbook or eating at one of the many restaurants.

The Ameristar Vice President revealed that the casino might be considering using the available space and facilities at the 777 Aldis Ave. property for an entirely land-based gaming venue. The casino has updated its exterior signage already and placed a huge video display atop its porte-cochère.

Coppola continued, “The boat has a lot of great product on it as well. But we’re going to keep moving inland as much as we can. And we’ll see long-term how that plays out for having the boat, or if we can get fully land-based.”

Besides the new gaming space, players can now use contactless and cashless technology when playing on the new slot machines. Coppola revealed that Ameristar guests need only to download the casino’s MyChoice app on their phones, after which funds transferred to the app from their bank will attract no extra fees. To “insert” money into the game, players will have to input a few instructions and hold their mobile devices to the machines.

The casino operations technical manager of Ameristar, Daniel Kuipers, stated that after the machine is funded, it plays like it normally would if an actual dollar bill or ticket was inserted.

“It plays like normal. Once it’s funded into there it’s cash in the game. It’s just like you put a dollar bill in there or a ticket in there,” Kuipers said

Players have the option of receiving their winnings via their app or a traditional cash-out ticket. The new slot machines also have wireless charging stations, so they need not worry about their mobile devices dying.

According to Coppola, the tool has grown in popularity faster than expected among Ameristar customers. Ameristar is currently one of the top five gaming venues on Penn Entertainment’s list of casinos with significant use of the new technology. Penn Entertainment is the casino’s parent company.

The Ameristar East Chicago said, “Once they see it, it’s kind of like a no-brainer. It works fantastic. Your app is your loyalty card.”

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