There is speculation that up to US$1 million may have gone missing from the slots operation at the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The resort casino, located at the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, provides 110,000 sq ft of gaming floor with gaming tables, including high stakes, and over 1,700 slot machines and video poker games. It also features the largest poker room in the state and the only live bingo in New Mexico.

It is now believed that the gaming machines have been particularly lucrative for two employees over the past year. An ongoing investigation points to the conclusion that at least US$500,000 was illegally taken by a slots attendant and her supervisor. The scam, whereby fraudulent winning jackpot paperwork submitted by the slots attendant was signed off by the supervisor, had apparently been running for around one year, which says little for the procedures system in place or oversight at the operation. The ill-gotten gains were then split by the two employees.

Search warrants, initially indicating that US$20,000 had been stolen, were filed in the district court. Sandia police are now investigating all the jackpot payouts where the two employees were involved. Management at the Sandia Casino has yet to comment on the investigation and the two employees have yet to be charged with a crime. However, both apparently admit stealing about US$500,000.
(E-10.25.06)

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