The Casino Control Commission has officially barred the first person from the Divi Carina Bay Casino for allegedly trying to manipulate a slot machine with a powerful magnet.
After taking into consideration testimony given by Mark Bodio and Division of Gaming Enforcement personnel at their Dec. 1 meeting, casino control commissioners have voted to bar Bodio from entering St. Croix’s lone casino again.
On Aug. 5, casino employees noticed Bodio moving a metal object up and down the side of an electronic slot machine. Upon closer investigation, casino manager Anton Kuipers said the object was a magnet.
Bodio, however, said he used the magnet as a money clip. He said that as he was pulling it out of his pocket, the powerful magnet jumped out of his hand and stuck to the machine.
Apparently, Casino Control commissioners didn’t buy the story. CCC chairwoman Eileen Petersen said Monday that they voted to exclude Bodio from the casino.
Petersen said that while Bodio, a St. Croix resident, is the first to be barred from the casino, he isn’t the first to run afoul of the rules. She said other gamblers who have been confronted simply agreed not to return to the casino. Bodio, however, challenged the accusations and appeared before the commission on Dec. 1 to plead his case, albeit unsuccessfully.
There was some worry prior to the opening of St. Croix’s first casino in March that cheats would descend on the newly opened venue to take advantage of green personnel. But Petersen said that for the most part things have gone smoothly, mostly because the word is out that the casino and the CCC run a "tight ship."
"There were some alleged card counters that came in," she said. "But we haven’t had any major incidents. I think we have done very well in that regard."
