Joshua Stipes, 25, of Kokomo, Indiana, recently was caught manipulating an electronic roulette game at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. He’s being held without bond on four counts of theft, gaming offense and failure to appear in court, all class D felonies.
According to court records, Stipes allegedly revealed that he has collected more than $100,000 from manipulating electronic roulette games, but the casino indicated losses of more than $300,000 in the electronic roulette area.
The Indiana Gaming Commission began investigating Stipes in July 2011 when a manager at the casino discovered revenues on an electronic roulette game were significantly down for the previous month. Surveillance video showed Stipes playing and winning excessively on one of the game. In court filings, IGC investigator John Westmoreland said, ”He seemed to be moving his hand in a fast and erratic manner over the touchscreen.’
When questioned, Stipes allegedly said someone told him how to manipulate the machine. He said he would place a wager, then repeatedly push on the touchscreen and hit the double bet button twice. Due to a software glitch that was found later, the wager was converted into a higher amount. As a result, when Stipes would bet $250, for example, his winnings would be double, triple or quadruple the amount of the higher bet that was showing on the screen.
Stipes allegedly manipulated the game between April 16 and July 12, and collected more than $69,000 of his total winnings during a five-day period in July, court documents revealed.
He was picked up on one of several outstanding bench warrants that have been issued for his arrest since 2012; each time, he failed to show up for a court hearing. He’s scheduled to appear in LaPorte Superior Court on November 14.
