A May 1 preliminary hearing was set Wednesday for Anargyros Karabourniotis, a gambler charged with winning by fraudulent means and cheating in connection with an alleged card-marking scheme at Barona Casino.
The District Attorney's Office said Karabourniotis, also known as "Archie Karas," was spotted on surveillance cameras marking cards in July by members of the Barona Gaming Commission. They contend that he cheated the casino out of $8,000.
Between 1992 and 1995, Karabourniotis had a run of luck in which he turned an initial $50 into $40 million by playing poker and dice games, winnings he subsequently gambled away.
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The California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control and Nevada Gaming Control Board assisted with the investigation.
Last year, Karl Bennison of the Nevada agency said they have investigated Karabourniotis multiple times, and arrested him on four occasions. He described the defendant as a "threat to the gaming industry in many jurisdictions."
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—City News Service contributed to this report.
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