Serial swindlers and men prone to violence are among the seven people Colorado’s gambling regulators have banned for life from casinos since the state created a system last year for barring problem bettors.
The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission in July 2024 added the first person to its “involuntary exclusion” list, which is posted online and distributed to casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek so security officers and other casino workers can identify the offenders and eject them if they show up to gamble.
Those on the list are also prohibited from placing wagers on sports betting apps.
“We look at, are they a detriment to the gaming industry? Whether it’s through the integrity of the game, whether it’s corrupt influences, maybe it’s because they are violent in a casino,” said Christopher Schroeder, director of the Colorado Division of Gaming.
On Thursday, the commissioners voted unanimously to add two more people to the list — one for attacking a gaming division police investigator in a Black Hawk casino and one for attempting to cheat and for arguing with dealers and others who operate various games in multiple casinos.
The bans are permanent, although the two people added to the list Thursday have 30 days to appeal.
Colorado also has a voluntary exclusion list that people battling gambling addiction can put themselves on, which bans them from casinos and sports betting apps for up to five years. That list, which includes nearly 1,000 people, is not public.
Involuntary exclusion lists are not new in the United States, but Colorado didn’t create one until it was recommended during a 2023 review of the state’s gaming regulations. The procedure was finalized in 2024.
“It’s like what Nevada called the ‘Black Book,’” Schroeder said. “It’s been around a very long time.”
Some states have lengthy exclusion lists. For example, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board lists hundreds of people who are not allowed in that state’s casinos. It also has separate lists for internet gaming and for video gaming terminals.
One reason Pennsylvania’s exclusion list is so lengthy is that a high number of people have been caught leaving their children alone in parked cars while they spend hours inside casinos. Schroeder said Colorado doesn’t have a similar problem because its casinos are farther away from population centers.
“In Colorado, you’ve got to drive an hour to a casino and drive an hour back,” he said. “It’s not the same situation where I could pick up kids from day care, pick up my kids from school, run inside, gamble a little bit, come back out.”
States share information about people on their exclusion lists to stop career cheaters, he said.
“They go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction attempting to cheat or swindle, and they’re identified and by the time you recognize who they are, perhaps they’ve moved on to a different jurisdiction,” he said.
Three people on Colorado’s exclusion list are banned in multiple other states.
One of the people banned on Thursday — Steven Min of Cherry Hills, N.J. — was cited for multiple violations in casinos in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, dating back to 2014. Min also has two arrest warrants pending in Colorado courts for fraud and trespassing.
The most recent report of Min violating casino rules was in December at Chamonix Casino in Cripple Creek. He was reported for verbally abusing employees, said Michael Payne, table games chairman for the gaming division.
In March 2022, auditors at Century Casino in Cripple Creek found an $1,800 overpayment on an electronic roulette game and traced it to Min through video surveillance.
Min had won an $1,800 jackpot on a roulette game and accepted his winning payment. But the technician running the game forgot to reset the machine, Payne said.
Min then moved to an adjacent roulette machine and won another jackpot. As a slot technician was paying out that prize, Min motioned to the other machine and indicated he had not been paid and collected his winnings for a second time, Payne said. Min then left the Century Casino.
An investigation into that incident led to felony fraud charges being filed against Min in Teller County. There is an active warrant for his arrest, Payne said.
“Min is a repeat gambling offender,” Payne said. “Mr. Min’s actions also threatened the integrity of limited gaming in Colorado and the public’s confidence and trust that licensed limited gaming is conducted honestly and competitively.”
Min is banned from casinos in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maine, Payne said.
“Mr. Min is a career professional offender of gaming laws throughout the country,” he said.
The second person banned Thursday was Preston Ivan Allred of Parker.
A gaming division police officer was called to the Monarch Casino in Black Hawk at 3:02 a.m. Sept. 1 because Allred had been identified as an unwanted guest, said Orlando Canel, a gaming division supervisory investigator. Allred was gambling on another person’s player’s card, which is used to earn rewards on wagers.
When police tried to arrest Allred, he struck an officer and they fell to the ground in a scuffle. Allred escaped from the officer and a casino security officer and fled, Canel said. Black Hawk police found him about 10 minutes later, hiding behind an SUV in a nearby parking lot, and took him into custody.
The gaming division officer was treated and released at a hospital for his injuries, Canel said.
Allred was charged with eight felonies, including two felony counts of second-degree assault of a peace officer, in connection with the incident. Those charges are pending in Gilpin County District Court.
“Mr. Allred’s presence poses a threat to the interests of the state for licensed gaming, including members of the public,” Canel said, citing state gaming regulations. “Mr. Allred’s reputation would adversely affect the public’s confidence and trust that the gaming industry is free from corruptive influences.”
Allred has not been banned from casinos in other states, Canel said.
The Denver Post’s efforts to reach Min and Allred were unsuccessful.
The exclusion lists exist to keep people safe in casinos and to prevent fraud, Schroeder said.
“You’ll see oftentimes that those individuals are a nuisance to the industry,” he said.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.