State v. Young
Ohio Court of Appeals
95 N.E.3d 420 (2018)
- Written by Abby Roughton, JD
Facts
Kenneth Young and Lonnie Bridges (defendants) were charged with gambling in violation of Ohio law based on alleged dice-sliding—i.e., setting the dice to a specific number and then spinning the dice to ensure that they landed on that number, rather than allowing the dice to tumble naturally. Ohio’s gaming statute prohibited knowingly wagering on the outcome of a casino game after acquiring knowledge that was not available to all players about the outcome of the game. The statute further prohibited claiming money from a casino game with the intent to defraud. At trial, the state (plaintiff) presented evidence that in July 2015, Young, Bridges, and a third man had engaged in dice-sliding at a craps table at a Cleveland casino. The state’s presentation included surveillance video of the dice-sliding and testimony from the casino’s surveillance supervisor about how the three men had worked together to position themselves advantageously at the table, manipulate the dice, bet on each other’s rolls, and distract casino personnel so that they could slide the dice and alter the outcome of the game. The state also presented testimony concerning previous dice-sliding activity by Young and Bridges at other casinos. The jury found Young and Bridges guilty. Following a restitution hearing at which the state presented credible evidence that the casino had lost $39,342 from the dice-sliding operation, the court found Young and Bridges liable to the casino for $39,342 in restitution. Young appealed, asserting, among other claims, that Ohio’s gaming statute was unconstitutionally vague as applied to dice-sliding, that the court had improperly admitted evidence of the previous dice-sliding, that the conviction was not supported by sufficient evidence and was against the manifest weight of the evidence, and that the restitution award was improper.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (McCormack, J.)
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