Report: Bally’s Casino Cheating Suspects ‘Out-Mathed’ the House, Lawyers Claim

• Defense lawyers argued the defendants exploited Bally’s rewards program rather than cheating, claiming they played within the casino’s own rules
• Judge reversed an earlier decision to deny bail after hearing arguments that the alleged scheme amounted to advantage play rather than fraud
• The alleged ringleader, reputed mob associate Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi, also faces charges in a separate Chicago-area gambling case

Two men accused of helping cheat Rhode Island’s Bally’s Lincoln Casino out of $1.4 million simply “out-mathed” the casino, their lawyers argued Monday (June 29), according to MassLive.

Alfonso B. Lalli and Salvatore Fusco were among five men arrested and charged last week with cheating casinos and obtaining property under false pretenses.

The group is accused of using more than 100 Bally’s rewards cards in other people’s names to play high-stakes slots, allegedly winning the $1.4 million over 116 days.

Alleged ringleader Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi won $1.2 million of that himself under circumstances described by one casino official as “statistically impossible,” in an arrest affidavit.

When the House Doesn’t Win

But Lalli’s defense lawyer Daniel Hagan argued at a bail hearing Monday that the men were just smarter than the casino and insisted their play was above board.

What they’re accused of here is basically out-mathing the casino. They played within the parameters of the program,” Hagan told the judge, as reported by MassLive.

The lawyer’s argument raises questions because many details of the alleged scheme remain unknown. Unlike blackjack, slot machines do not involve a mathematical strategy that can overcome the house edge.

Meanwhile, using player rewards cards in other people’s names, as alleged, is not “within the parameters” of a casino’s loyalty program. Prosecutors have not publicly explained how the alleged misuse of more than 100 loyalty cards enabled the group to generate the winnings.

Springfield Crew

But it was enough to persuade the judge, who reversed his decision to hold Lalli and Fusco without bail. Manzi, who has longstanding ties to the “Springfield Crew,” a New England outpost of the Genovese crime family, was freed on Friday after posting $50,000 bail.

Manzi was also arrested in April and accused of involvement in a sprawling illegal gambling ring based out of two Chicago-area restaurants. He denies those charges.

His father, Carmine “The Barber” Manzi, was also indicted in the case alongside several reputed made members of the crew.

Fusco is the son of Emilio Fusco, who is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for racketeering, according to MassLive. His older brother, Franco “Frankie” Fusco, is under indictment in Hampden Superior Court alongside another brother, Antonio, on drug and firearms charges.

The elder Fusco is also wanted in the Bally’s case and remains at large.