Casinos reluctant to gamble on consultants

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The arrest in Atlantic City, N.J., of a casino security consultant has called the entire field of casino security consultancy into question, it was reported.

Giant gaming companies are thinking twice about working with men like Steve Forte -- a former cheat who made big money helping casinos thwart swindlers until he was arrested June 7 for allegedly conspiring to scam poker games -- The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday.

Forte was considered the top consultant in the field. His first book, “Casino Game Protection,” is widely used in the industry, and employees of large gaming companies like Harrah’s are often sent to his seminars.

The charges against Forte, who was allegedly caught with high-tech cheating equipment, have confirmed what many in the casino industry have said all along -- that working with former cheaters to prevent future cheating is not worth the risk, the Review-Journal said.

Though Forte’s friends say he is innocent, he -- and anyone else with a similar biography -- will have difficulty finding the same kind of work again, the newspaper said.