Las Vegas Casino In Trouble With Regulators Over Botched Detention

A Downtown Las Vegas casino is in hot water with gaming regulators after staff at the casino detained a woman for 90 minutes, despite video evidence that proved she was innocent of what she was accused of.

Last November, security guards at Boyd Gaming’s Fremont Casino detained a woman who was gambling on slot machines and claimed that she had stolen funds from another player who was on a nearby machine.

The guards handcuffed her and took her into a separate holding area where she was questioned about her “actions,” while waiting for police to arrive. After reviewing video footage, managers from the casino eventually realized that she was innocent and she was released, but last week, regulators took action.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a four-count complaint against the property for the way the incident was handled, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In a description of the incident, the filing said that one woman cashed out her winnings from a slot machine and went to redeem her ticket.

She came back and found the eventual detained woman playing on the same machine. The previous gambler claimed there was still $20 in credit on the machine and accused her of playing through the rest of her money. She told the security guards on staff and action was taken.

“The manner in which the security officers handled the arrest of [the patron] was unreasonable given the circumstances,” read the filing. “Under the circumstances, there was no need to detain the patron or subject her to the treatment given to her and the threats to try and force a confession out of her. The matter could have been resolved without even speaking to her, let alone detaining her for 90 minutes.”

Casino staff reported the incident to regulators the following day and an investigation ensued. Nearly a year later, regulators are finally filing a formal complaint.

Under the law, the commission has the power to revoke the property’s gaming license. A fine is much more likely, however.

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