SPRINGFIELD — A Holyoke man has been indicted in connection with what authorities described as “an elaborate cheating scheme” that resulted in $30,000 in illegal poker winnings at MGM Springfield, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
The AG’s office alleges that Daniel Ruiz, 38, repeatedly used a strategy of distracting dealers so he could discreetly add to his wages once he learned he had a winning hand while playing four-card poker in January and February last year. Authorities allege Ruiz pocketed about $30,025 through the alleged scheme.
A Hampden County grand jury indicted Ruiz on Friday on one count of larceny by single scheme and one count of cheating and swindling. He will be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court at a later date.
The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit at MGM Springfield and Massachusetts State Police Gaming Enforcement Detective Unit. The AG’s Gaming Enforcement Division has a dedicated group of prosecutors and investigators who enforce the state’s Expanded Gaming Act of 2011 and investigate and prosecute illegal activity, such as gaming-related financial crime, organized crime, corruption and money laundering, including the majority of criminal activity occurring at the state’s casinos.