Nevada Black Book Might Receive First New Member Since 2015

Posted on: March 9, 2018, 06:00h. 

Last updated on: March 9, 2018, 01:58h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

The Nevada Black Book could get its first new member in nearly three years by way of a two-time convicted felon who has a hankering for ripping off elderly women inside casinos.

Nevada Black Book Las Vegas casinos
The Nevada Gaming Commission might open up its Black Book and write another chapter with Joseph Moody’s story. (Image: Nevada Department of Corrections/Mob Museum/Casino.org)

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) unanimously approved the nomination of Joseph Whit Moody for consideration of inclusion to its List of Excluded Persons. Moody, 45, has been known to purposely distract older gamblers, specifically women, at ATM machines and casino cages and steal their cash.

“Further evidence that Mr. Moody poses a threat to the interests of this state and licensed gaming is demonstrated by the fact that Mr. Moody seems to be incapable of staying out of trouble in Nevada casinos,” Gaming Division Senior Deputy Attorney General John Michela told the NGCB, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Nevada Black Book currently consists of 31 notorious individuals. The last added name came in September 2015 with Archie Karas.

Famed for “The Run” in the early 1990s when he allegedly turned $50 into $40 million in Las Vegas, the Greek later lost it all and fell on tough times. He then began committing numerous crimes in Sin City including card marking and chip forgery.

Bad Moody

The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) will consider Moody’s inclusion at its March 22 meeting. Should the five-member state agency vote in favor of banning him from all state casinos for the rest of his life, Moody will become the 32nd Black Book designee.

According to Michela, Moody developed schemes such as asking elderly gamblers for directions, only to steal their cash in the process. Should he choose to do so, Moody will be given time before the NGC to plead his case as to why a ban is unwarranted.

Worst of the Worst

Inclusion in the Nevada Black Book is no easy task. With felony arrests happening almost daily in Las Vegas, the fact that the List of Excluded Persons list is just 31 strong shows just how difficult it is to receive a permanent casino ban.

Since Karas’ inclusion, the Black Book has actually gotten smaller, but not because of good behavior or successful appeals. Last year, the NGC announced that Fred Anthony Pascente and Anthony Michael St. Laurent were being removed due to their deaths.

As for the current roster, Sandra Kay Vaccaro remains the only woman to ever be placed on the List of Excluded Persons. Her 1986 inclusion followed one of the largest slot cheating cases in Nevada history where she and her husband John Vaccaro convinced machine mechanics to rig the devices in their favor. John died in 2015 and was removed from the Black Book.

The Vaccaros aren’t the only family to have multiple members in the Black Book. Father-son duo Douglas Barr Sr. and Jr. are both on the list.

Jr., now 59, obtained membership in 1990 at the age of 31 after he was arrested approximately 30 times, with many of his crimes related to gambling. His father’s inclusion came four years later. Douglas Sr., who will celebrate his 83rd birthday on Sunday, is described by the NGC as “a career slot cheat who has shown no source of legitimate income for most of his adult life.”