Part IV: Financial Fraud · Chip, Cash & Ticket Fraud

Dealer Tray Snatch (Reach-Over Theft)

How it works

A thief positions themselves at or near a gaming table, creates a distraction, then quickly reaches over the table rail and grabs a stack of chips directly from the dealer’s working tray. The thief then flees immediately, often through emergency exits. In the August 2024 Encore Boston Harbor case, suspect Gary Hunt sat at a table without playing, repeatedly got up to use his phone, then returned and announced that another player had won a large sum — distracting patrons and staff — before reaching over and stealing 13 orange $1,000 chips from the dealer’s tray. He fled through an emergency exit.

Where it appears

Any table game with exposed dealer chip tray — blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps

On the record

Encore Boston Harbor (August 2024) — $13,000 stolen from dealer tray using distraction; Gary Hunt caught in nearby parking lot. Similar incidents occur regularly across the industry but are rarely publicized.

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.