Seven facing casino charges

Five arrests were announced Saturday by Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm. As she spoke, state police arrested two dice players inside the casino.

The dice players were accused of adding chips to successful bets after seeing what numbers they rolled, The Detroit News reported Sunday. They face charges of casino cheating, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Two of the those Granholm announced face the same charges. She identified them as Lelis Durand Power, 36, of Detroit, and Anthony Shanin, 25, of Don Mills, Ontario.

Gerald S. Gill, 17, of Amherst, N.H., Demetrius Dwayne McCloud, 20, of Westland, and William Valentine Williams, 17, of Jenkintown, Pa., are charged with one count each of underage gambling.

The casino opened July 29. Granholm said finding violators so soon wasn't a surprise.

Inspector Dewayne Brantley of the Michigan State Police said casino security will be heightened in the wake of these charges.

The three underage gamblers were caught Aug. 4 when they were asked for identification after they were already in the casino, Granholm said. She said at least one may have gotten inside the facility with false identification.

If convicted, the underage gamblers face up to one year in jail.

MGM Grand could face fines if they are found to have been negligent in these cases, said Nelson Westrin, executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

"We will be talking with them to analyze what broke down and to make sure that there are ways to tighten it," he said.

Casino spokesman Robert Berg said the casino viewed the prosecutions as "the message everyone wants to send."

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