Player Sues Ameristar Casino Over Blackjack Detainment

Aug 2023

Dustin Jermalowicz | POSTED IN Blackjack | NO COMMENTS

A blackjack player from the state of Georgia has sued Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado after he claims he was illegally detained due to counting cards in 2021.

The Plaintiff, Joseph Shiraef opted to go to the casino while on a layover in Denver and ended up being physically detained by police officers for allegedly counting cards, despite being down roughly $4,000. Shiraef says that he was detained without probable cause, as card counting isn’t illegal in Colorado. This led to him claiming that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. He accuses the casino, it’s parent company, the city of Black Hawk, an agent of the Colorado Division of Gaming, and a police officer involved in the case of false imprisonment, negligent training, and not allowing him to cash his chips in.

Shiraef is suing the defendants for $3 million: $1.5 million in economic and compensatory damages as well as $1.5 million in punitive damages. He also wants costs and attorney fees paid for.

The case was filed last year, and is still ongoing. According to PacerMonitor, discovery in the case is due by October 20th, with Dispositive Motions due by November 17th.

Online Blackjack News is following this story and will update readers as appropriate.