Harder to Get into Nevada’s Black Book Than to Win an Oscar

Posted on: May 5, 2013, 05:26h. 

Last updated on: May 13, 2013, 08:44h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

The list is so select, only 33 active names are on it, and the nominees are so sparse, Roderick William Dee II is the first to be recommended for it by the three-member Gaming Control Board (GCB) in four years.

But this probably isn’t a nomination that Dee hopes to see cemented; it will mean he can never enter a Nevada casino again without being arrested.

Black Book

Its actual name is the List of Excluded Persons, but it’s commonly referred to as the Black Book. If you’re in it, you’ve been a very bad boy (to our knowledge, no women are in it right now), and you will be considered persona non grata if you show up at any casino that isn’t slots-only (an interesting 1967-added loophole, particularly here, as our man Dee is apparently a slots cheat). In fact, if a Black Booker shows up at a casino and the house doesn’t report you to the Gaming Control Board, they themselves could be subject to fines.

Rap Sheet

Dee’s rap sheet includes four felony convictions, with three being in Nevada. Two took place in Nevada casinos, and one in a local convenience store that was decked out with slot machines (considering that most major chain supermarkets and virtually all convenience stores in Sin City have whole slots sections, being excluded from casinos isn’t going to slow this guy down too much, most likely).

In an interesting twist, the last person to be named to the Black Book was a Michael James McNeive, now 72, who was added in 2009 and was last known to be living in Hollywood, Florida. Turns out Dee is a known associate of McNeive, though a tad younger at 58. A photo of him shows a grizzled looking grifter type, who looks like someone Central Casting would cast to play him in a movie about his life.

Next Step for Inclusion

Next the five-member Nevada Gaming Commission will review Dee for Black Book inclusion; while he will be notified of the hearing date (as he was of the original GCB nomination), it’s doubtful he’ll show up with outstanding warrants for his arrest pending in both California and Indiana for attempted slot machine cheating. Dee is known to use a “kickstand,” a device that tricks slot machines into producing jackpots or adding play credits.  He is believed to have stolen tens of thousands of dollars from slot machines by using this method, according to GCB chairman A.G. Burnett.

But even without those multiple thefts, Dee would still be eligible for Black Book inclusion.  Control Board member Terry Johnson said just one of the four felony convictions that Dee has acquired could get him into this exclusive club.

“He obviously poses a threat to the state of Nevada because of his propensity to violate state gaming laws and the gaming laws in other states,” Johnson said.

And we would like to thank the Academy.