Cheater banned at Nevada casinos

LAS VEGAS - Nevada gambling regulators on Thursday banned a convicted cheater from entering casinos in the state.

The Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved Michael McNeive's inclusion in the state's "black book" of excluded persons, Executive Secretary Brian Duffrin said.

McNeive became the 36th person on the current list, originally created in 1960 to combat organized crime. Names are removed from the list only if a person dies or the commission decides he or she should have never been on the list.

Walking into a casino is a gross misdemeanor for those on the list, and casino officials also face consequences if they knowingly let someone in the "black book" into their establishment.

McNeive did not appear at the commission meeting in Carson City, Duffrin said.

Duffrin said the commission will notify casinos in the state about McNeive being added to the list.

McNeive's lawyer, William Terry, had no comment when his office was contacted by The Associated Press.

McNeive pleaded guilty to having a cheating device at Harrah's Laughlin in 2001. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to trying to cheating a slot machine at a Rite Aid in Las Vegas.

The Nevada attorney general's office has said McNeive has a lengthy criminal history that includes prison time for theft, forgery and having a cheating device.

Deputy Attorney General John Michela reviewed McNeive's file for commissioners on Thursday before the vote, Duffrin said.

Authorities say McNeive is an associate of William Klahr Cushing, a 57-year-old Las Vegas man already on the banned list. Cushing and McNeive are defendants in another cheating case scheduled for trial next month in Las Vegas.