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SB 43 Defines Cheating in Deadwood

Here’s what South Dakota really needs: a definition of cheating!

Senate Bill 43, requested by the Department of Revenue, would write a definition of cheating into our Deadwood gambling statutes:

(3A) “Cheating,” any attempt to alter the elements of chance, method of selection, or criteria that determines the:

  1. Result of a game;
  2. Amount or frequency of payment in a game;
  3. Value of a wagering instrument; or
  4. Value of a wagering credit;

(3B) “Cheating device,” any computerized, electronic, electrical, or mechanical device, or any software or hardware, or any combination thereof, that is designed, constructed, altered, or programmed to obtain an advantage at playing any game in a licensed gaming establishment or any game that is offered by a licensee including a device that:

  1. Projects the outcome of the game;
  2. Keeps track of cards played or cards prepared for play in the game;
  3. Tracks play and analyzes the probability of the occurrence of an event relating to the game; or
  4. Tracks play and analyzes the strategy for playing or betting to be used in the game except as may be made available as part of an approved game or otherwise permitted by the commission; [2018 SB 43, Section 1, 2018.01.04]

So sitting at the blackjack table and having your robot girlfriend whisper the card count in your ear—that’s cheating under SB 43. But what if I go to the casino with a human friend with a better memory than mine, I draw 16, I glance over at my friend, and he quietly nods, to signal that, by his card count, I’ve got pretty good odds of drawing a 5 or lower? Is that cheating?

Also added by SB 43 are definitions of fraudulent scheme and fraudulent technique:

(5B) “Fraudulent scheme,” a dishonest or deceptive plan or arrangement used or intended to be used to play a game or slot machine that gives any person an advantage when playing a game or slot machine;

(5C) “Fraudulent technique,” a dishonest or deceptive procedure or method of playing a game or slot machine that gives any person an advantage when playing a game or slot machine; [2018 SB 43, Section 1, 2018.01.04]

SB 43 defines terms used in SDCL 42-7B-42, which makes cheating, fraudulent schemes, and fraudulent techniques at the Deadwood casinos a Class 5 felony. Dang—fire a gun off in town, and that’s only a misdemeanor. Try beating the house in Deadwood, and the state could whack you for $10K and five years in the pen!

And use your elected position to rig the zoning and regulation game to result in more CAFO business and profits for yourself, and there’s no penalty at all. Ante up!

10 Comments

  1. Loren 2018-01-08 11:23

    So the “cheating” only refers to Deadwood and NOT to things like EB-5 and Smilin’ Mike, or the Platte education $$$ snafu, or out of state funding/petitioners, or… Typical!

  2. jerry 2018-01-08 11:44

    Loren, you left out the cheat of child healthcare that seems to be an acceptable form of cheating here in South Dakota. That card up the sleeve is due on the table, will the legislature sluff it off?

  3. Roger Cornelius 2018-01-08 18:46

    SB 43 is attempting to do what many casino house rules already do or what Deadwood should have done long ago.

  4. Madman 2018-01-09 10:17

    Wouldn’t 3A just cover everything…..of course though by my bringing in my lucky rabbit’s foot and sacrificing the chicken prior to the dealer dealing, could cause me to be accused of cheating as well as a Deadwood casino could claim that altered the cards dealt to me. Seems like a real issue that needs to be addressed pronto (please reread with a sarcastic tone).

  5. jim kopecky 2018-01-09 20:49

    Yup we that are smart enough to just say no to those games with no chance to win. Fairness starts with word no consent meaning simply we have a choice not to be the lottery . We are shackled with strong arm duress forced to turn over our honest earned credits. The ayers and nayers play those private closed door human trafficking trade games, and then when they get smacked down and the stolen credits are frozen they complain about how it not a fair game.

  6. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2018-01-10 07:16

    Jim, help us out—what “honest earned credits” are we forced to turn over in Deadwood? What “ayers and nayers” are engaged in human trafficking?

  7. mike from iowa 2018-01-10 08:59

    C’mon gang, in these times of wingnut autocratic control, isn’t surviving Drumpf and goons enough of a gamble?

  8. o 2018-01-10 09:30

    If I have paid my tithe to the prosperity gospel, does that mean that my rewards at the gambling table are criminal?

  9. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2018-01-10 14:11

    I don’t know if can parse that legal hair, but I will support the contention that anything you get from the prosperity gospel is wrong.

  10. Brady Roche 2018-02-27 01:14

    Caddilac jacks rollette table the vibrating or magnetic ball or slot method to restrict the ball from the pockets with the most wagered amounts . key fob with a radio frequency to vibrate the ball out of pockets bet on it is rigged and needs to be investigated.

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