Some of the most basic casino cheating scams such as grab-and-run thefts and chip pilfering can be the hardest to stop according to James Taylor, Special Investigations And Support Services Deputy Chief for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, Taylor made the revelation last week during a special conference session held as part of the annual Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas while revealing that the state regulator made more than 600 arrests last year with up to 25% of these involving casino employees.

“The sad part is that even management is a large part of our arrests every year,” said Taylor.

Taylor told a full-house audience at the Sands Expo And Convention Center that cheaters have also carried out more elaborate schemes such as marking cards with an ink that is only visible to those wearing special contact lenses while one less-technical case saw a single man bolt for the doors holding $220,000 in ill-gotten gains.

“It’s easy to see but they’re [immediately] out the door,” said Taylor. “So, then we’re backing up the video, getting their pictures, then we have to catch them when they do it again and there are so many opportunities for them on the Strip.”

Taylor explained that identified thieves have their names and faces placed on the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Excluded Person List, which is a published roster of people banned from entering Nevada casinos. He declared that this register is often referred to as the “Black Book” and assists agents in spreading the word regarding casino cheats.

The earlier-mentioned grab-and-run chip thief saw his name become one of 48 on the Excluded Person List while Taylor proclaimed that other cheaters have targeted craps games due to the difficulty of policing activities around the tables. In one such case, April saw a former dealer and two friends each sentenced to serve a minimum of four years in state prison and ordered to repay more than $1 million in ill-gotten gains that they had reaped through the placing of phantom “hop” bets, which are lodged verbally amid the last-second activity that precedes the roll of the dice.

Taylor told those assembled that another former craps dealer pleaded guilty to a lesser theft charge before testifying before a grand jury to what a prosecutor described as a crucial insider’s account of the illegal scheme.