Washington Casino Gambler Charged with Pointing Firearm at Dealer

Posted on: July 7, 2022, 12:44h. 

Last updated on: July 6, 2022, 06:17h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Point Casino & Hotel in Kingston, Wa., was the site of an incident last month involving an unruly 24-year-old gambler. His intoxicated state led to him brandishing a firearm and pointing it at a blackjack table game dealer.

The Point Casino Washington handgun firearm
A stock photo of a handgun next to cash and playing cards. The Point Casino in Washington was the site of a June incident that involved an intoxicated man brandishing an illegal weapon. (Image: Shutterstock)

Kitsap County police responded to the tribal casino owned and operated by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe around 4:45 pm PDT on June 11. Casino security made an emergency call after an intoxicated male who was cut off from being served additional alcohol pulled out a handgun and pointed it at a blackjack dealer.

A police report explained that a blackjack dealer had notified on-site casino security of a drunk gambler slumped over at the table during the Monday afternoon incident. After the security guard took the man’s beer and asked him to leave, the individual allegedly became angry and brandished a 9 mm pistol.

A sheriff’s deputy later arrested the man — who has not yet been publicly identified — but was unable to book him into the Kitsap County Jail. Regulations prohibit detainees with blood alcohol content (BAC) above 0.25% from being admitted on health concerns. The deputy said he instead dropped off the man at his private residence with a caretaker.

Charges Filed, Man Finally Booked

Almost a month after The Point Casino incident, Kitsap County police said this week that they were finally able to charge the individual with second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. The man was in possession of the handgun illegally because of a 2015 domestic violence conviction that prohibits him from possessing firearms.

Kitsap prosecutors say the man is being held on $50,000 bail in the same jail he was initially barred from entering because he was too drunk. During his arrest this week, police say the man initially denied that he pointed a gun at the table game dealer. But after showing him the casino surveillance video, he “stopped talking and put his head down.”

Law enforcement alleges that the man’s BAC was 0.32% — multiple times higher than the state’s 0.08% BAC legal limit to drive a car.

Surveillance video shows the casino security official taking the man’s alcoholic beer and asking him to depart the premises. The man then pulls out the 9 mm gun and points it in the direction of the croupier. The quick-thinking dealer immediately ducks for cover and yells “gun!”

Fortunately, the man then proceeds to place the gun back into his pocket with no shots fired. But police say the pistol was loaded with four rounds, though no round was in the chamber.

Concealed Carry Laws

The man in custody was legally barred from possessing a firearm and therefore cannot legally obtain a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) in Washington. The state limits CPL permits to residents over the age of 21. Applicants are subjected to background checks before being issued a CPL.

A casino union in New York recently expressed its frustration with the US Supreme Court’s ruling last month that concluded that the state’s 109-year way of issuing concealed carry permits violated rights afforded to New Yorkers under the Constitution.

Prior to the June SCOTUS ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, New Yorkers had to prove an “unusual threat” to their personal safety outside of their home to qualify for a CPL.

The New York Hotel and Gaming Trades Council argues that removing roadblocks to obtaining a CPL could bring more personal concealed carry firearms into casinos.