Illicit Counterfeit Chip Activities Rock High-Roller Circles in Las Vegas
Las Sin City's Counterfeit Chip Shocker:
The City of Sin City's high-octane gambling scene has been shaken by a phony chip fiasco, with a seasoned vet, Gratis Woolen, Jr., finding himself in deep trouble, according to 8NewsNow. This crafty IQ-tester is suspected of passing off bogus gaming chips at various casinos in the town, leaving law enforcement scratching their heads.
Gratis Woolen Jr.: The Sin City Chip Mastermind
The cat's out of the bag after diligent workers at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and The Cosmopolitan reported shady moves to the Nevada Gaming Control Board in January 2023.
A peek into the documents uncovered by the sleuths reveals that good ol' Woolen Jr. was nabbed in the act at The Cosmopolitan. He allegedly swapped several counterfeit $100 chips for cash at the cashier cage. But eagle-eyed investigators quickly spotted the chips' phony nature.
A nosey investigator arranged the chips side by side, snickering at how some sported "Golden Gate" peeling stickers, revealing a jet-black face beneath. Legit chips, he huffed, usually boast a solid plastic design.
A deeper dive into the shams revealed quirks in the chip inserts; a mysterious hump lurking beneath, indicating their bogus origin. As it turns out, this wasn't Woolen Jr.'s first rodeo with such guff, as records surface of similar mishaps stretching back to 2014 and 2018.
Vegas Vacay Gone South: Woolen Jr.'s Arrest
The heist met its match when Woolen Jr. found himself embroiled in a Las Vegas motel brawl on April 10. This escalated the attention of local lassez-faire officers, who discovered previous warrants for his cuffs linked to his alleged counterfeit chip escapades.
Sidewalk justice served him right as Woolen Jr. was nabbed and held on $1,000 surety bond under the watchful eye of an electronic monitor. His judicial verbal lashing took place on April 12, with a court hearing set for April 25 to address the charges against him.
While Woolen Jr. toes the legal hot coals, the genesis of the counterfeit chips remains elusive. Investigators are tight-lipped about whether it was an inside job or sourced from an outside supplier.
The lady in the scandal has yet to see the inside of a courtroom, with papers nowhere to be found linking her to the case, though whispers suggest she's getting ready to appear sooner rather than later.
As the gaming capital of the world, Las Vegas continues to grapple with keeping its casino industry squeaky clean, with incidents like this serving as a constant reminder of the constant vigilance required to combat dishonest players looking for an easy buck.
Gambling at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and The Cosmopolitan in Sin City was disrupted in January 2023, as it was revealed that Gratis Woolen Jr., a seasoned gambler, had allegedly used counterfeit $100 casino chips, leading to the discovery of phony chip incidents dating back to 2014 and 2018.
Gratis Woolen Jr.'s alleged counterfeit casino-games escapades escalated on April 10, when he was involved in a motel brawl in Las Vegas, leading to his arrest and holding on a $1,000 surety bond, awaiting court hearing on April 25. The origin of the counterfeit chips, either an inside job or sourced from an outside supplier, remains unclear in the casino-and-gambling scene of Las Vegas.
