Agents monitoring new Ohio casinos have already seen 25 cheating cases at Cleveland and Toledo sites

CLEVELAND - The early odds of catching a suspected cheat at Ohio's two new casinos are about one every other day.

The Cleveland casino has been open almost six weeks and the Toledo casino more than three weeks.

In that time, 15 to 25 suspected cheaters and others involved in gambling related offenses have been investigated, according to Karen Huey, head of enforcement for the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

Matt Schuler, executive director of the commission, said Friday that the cases would be turned over to prosecutors in Cleveland and Toledo for possible prosecution.

"We have investigations under way at both casinos on cheating activity," he said. "Up until charges are filed and the investigations are still under way, we can't go into any detail."

By law, cheating includes using phony chips, falsely claiming winnings without betting or having a device that can affect a game's outcome.

First-time offenders of the state's casino law can face felony charges and up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Agents have worked about 80 cases in all, including disorderly conduct accusations and compulsive gamblers who signed up for a voluntary exclusion list but showed up at a casino anyway. Twenty-seven people have signed up for the exclusion list, Schuler said.

Casino employees are trained to watch for gamblers who have signed up for one-year, five-year or lifetime exclusions.

A supervisor, a lead investigator and 10 state agents, armed and working in plainclothes, are assigned to each casino and have enforcement power on the casino floor, Schuler said.

"An individual may or may not know that they could be sitting next to a gaming agent or sitting across from them," Schuler said.

In Cleveland, the casino also has private security guards and off-duty police officers for issues like drunken patrons, plus more than 1,000 security cameras, according to police Chief Michael McGrath.

Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened May 14 in a renovated department store. It was developed by Rock Gaming, led by NBA Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, and Caesars Entertainment, which is managing day-to-day operations.

The partnership also is developing a casino in Cincinnati.

The casino expects 5 million visitors a year.

The $320 million Hollywood Casino in Toledo opened May 29 and is run by Penn National Gaming Inc. based in Wyomissing, Pa. It's also constructing a casino in Columbus that is expected to open in the fall.

Ohio voters in 2009 approved casino gambling at the four sites with backers promising new jobs and opponents warning about more gambling addicts and crime issues.