LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man banned from entering Nevada casinos was arrested on Monday after he was spotted at the Paris Las Vegas, the Nevada Gaming Control Board says.
Tasia McDonald Musa was given a lifetime casino ban and placed on Nevada's List of Excluded Persons, sometimes called the "Black Book," in January of 2015. Gaming control officials said the ban resulted from "various crimes of moral turpitude."
NEVADA'S BLACK BOOK: A list of people who tried to game the system and lost
But at approximately midnight on Monday, security at the Paris Las Vegas recognized Musa as an individual from the List of Excluded Persons. When they tried to apprehend him, he fled on foot, gaming control officials said.
Patrol officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department soon spotted Musa crossing the street and, after a brief foot chase, he was arrested in front of the Bellagio fountains, officials said.
He was booked into jail for unlawful entry by a person who has been placed on the List of Excluded Persons, which is a gross misdemeanor in Nevada.
“The Board recognizes the security staff of the Paris Hotel & Casino and thanks the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their diligence in this matter, and for its continued partnership with the Board to ensure the safety of Nevada’s residents and its guests,” said James Taylor, chief of the board’s Enforcement Division. “The Board will continue to work with all of its security and law enforcement partners throughout the state to ensure the integrity and strict regulation of licensed gaming.”
Nevada's so-called "Black Book" was created in 1967 after the Nevada Legislature deemed it necessary to exclude certain people from licensed casinos in order to "effectively maintain the strict regulation of licensed gaming in Nevada," officials said.
Those who get caught trying to cheat the house can face serious penalties. It's considered a class B felony in Nevada. Conviction can come with a one- to six-year prison sentence and fines of up to $10,000.
The Gaming Control Board also publishes a most wanted list of those who are suspected of cheating at gambling.
