Fraud in casino Middelkerke

In 2015, fraud was discovered at the roulette table in the former casino Middelkerke. When a dealer says “Rien ne va plus!” », he specifies that we can no longer bet, but apparently some customers were still able to bet even if the time had already come to see where the ball ended up. This way, these customers were sure to win. By hand gestures, the croupiers indicated to them that the way was clear for them to bet.

This fraud was committed at the roulette table for no less than fourteen years. Several croupiers were involved and this embezzlement involves millions of euros. A total of four croupiers and several customers were involved in this years-long scam.

Through an investigation conducted by Napoleon Gaming, which operates the casino, this scam came to light and the croupiers were summarily fired. They appeared before the judge together with their accomplices. He ruled that the investigation took far too long and as a result the suspects got away with a suspended prison sentence of two years. But just because they avoid jail time doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay the costs. The casino in Middelkerke initially asked for 4 million euros. This was later adjusted to 2.8 million euros. The judge in Bruges awarded the symbolic amount of 1 euro as a compensation claim, but the casino decided to appeal.

Damage claim

The judgment of the court of appeal in Ghent has determined that both the croupiers and their accomplices must repay a claim for damages of 355,000 euros to the casino in Middelkerke. They took into account the chances of winning without the help of these fraudulent croupiers. The players’ winnings did not immediately disappear into their own pockets. It continued to be played with. The casino’s lawyer was satisfied with the ruling, because the last player was also convicted and because it is a substantial amount that must be recovered.

One player continues to deny guilt

All croupiers have pleaded guilty, as have almost all customers involved. Except for one player. It concerns an uncle of a (former) Red Devil. He continues to insist that he did not cheat. But the Public Prosecution Service does not believe this. He judges that he is a very experienced player.

Prosecution:

“He was a seasoned player and knew the game inside and out, but he sees nothing, hears nothing and smells nothing. Yet he wins at least 80,000 euros, making it crystal clear that he should have known he was being favored.”

And he is even said to have taken one of the croupiers to a football match in England, which shows that they also know each other from outside the casino.

“SILT”, the new casino Middelkerke

The old casino has now been demolished. Construction plans for the successor started in 2019. They even won an international prize in architecture for the design. Five years later, the new casino is almost ready.

The opening is planned for March 2024. The municipality of Middelkerke already allowed its residents to take a look at the new casino during the New Year’s reception.

There was a lot of commotion surrounding the construction of the casino. Jean-Marie Dedecker, the current mayor of Middelkerke, accused some politicians of bribery (accepting bribes from a construction company) in the allocation of the construction of SILT when he was still a member of the opposition. But both the judge and the indictment chamber in Ghent rejected this complaint and the ex-aldermen will therefore not be prosecuted.