Blue Chip Casino Cameras Catch Woman Trying to Cash Already-Paid Sportsbook Ticket

A 36-year-old Indiana woman is accused of trying to cash a nearly $1,400 winning sports-betting ticket at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Ind., despite allegedly knowing the winnings had already been paid out.

Amanda Czarny of Valparaiso, Ind., is charged with Level 6 felony cheating at gaming and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia over the September 18 incident at the  casino.

According to court records, an Indiana Gaming Commission agent was alerted after Czarny attempted to redeem the sportsbook ticket worth $1,393.

Unfortunately for Czarny, the ticket belonged to another man who had reported it missing and had already received the winnings through the sportsbook’s lost-ticket procedure, according to investigators.

Czarny allegedly told the gaming agent that the man had given her the ticket to cash. The man denied doing so.

Casino surveillance footage also appears to undermine her explanation.

Video reportedly showed Czarny entering the sportsbook with the ticket holder at around 1:27 p.m. After the man was paid his winnings, the pair went to the casino hotel lobby, where they remained until approximately 2:11 p.m., according to the charging document.

Czarny was then allegedly recorded returning to the sportsbook alone and attempting to redeem the same ticket.

Smoking Pipe

When Czarny was later confronted in the Blue Chip parking garage, investigators said a glass smoking pipe fell from her vehicle.

Czarny allegedly acknowledged using the pipe to smoke methamphetamine. She is not reported to have been charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Indiana law makes it a Level 6 felony to knowingly or intentionally attempt to claim money from a gambling game with intent to defraud. A conviction can carry between six months and 2½ years imprisonment, with an advisory sentence of one year.

Aspiring Model

Czarny has an unusual online footprint outside the criminal allegations.

A profile that remains live on the Maxim Models website shows she previously entered one of the magazine brand’s modeling competitions.

“Hello, my name is Amanda. I am registered nurse out of Indiana,” Czarny wrote in her contestant biography, adding that she enjoyed spending time with family and “taking care of others.”

Czarny was arrested Tuesday and later posted bond, according to local media reports.