Video stream may have exposed cheater at California casino

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (KGO) -- A casino in Citrus Heights, near Sacramento, has hired a former U.S. Prosecutor to look into claims of a cheating poker player that people reported during a live stream of the game.

Twitter users raised the claims while they were watching the casino's poker game on "Stones Live," a live video stream from the Stones Gambling Hall that airs on YouTube and Twitch.

Stones Gambling Hall typically broadcasts games on a delay of at least 30 minutes. The casino is not broadcasting on its channels during the investigation. The casino has also stopped the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) playing cards, which were also called into question. The high-tech playing cards can be used to send real-time card value data to tournament hosts or commentators. Some professional poker players argue that these playing cards could be used for cheating. RFID's are also used in chips to immediately count the amount a player is betting.

The casino has hired attorney Michael Lipman to investigate. He previously worked as a chief attorney in the fraud office for the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of California.

A casino spokesperson issued a statement about the cheating claims. "Stones Gambling Hall is committed to the integrity of our games," said Patrick Harbison. "We have been alarmed by allegations of unfair play occurring during the streamed broadcasts of our 'Stones Live' games and have acted quickly to investigate."