Man accused of cheating slot machines with hidden vibrating device at Northern Quest Casino
A gambler who had already been ordered to stay away from a casino allegedly used a hidden vibrating device to cheat slot machines out of cash.
Jeremiah Kevin Villegas, 33, has been accused by the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office of using the device to steal coins at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, about nine miles west of Spokane.
Villegas would allegedly cash out and then continue pressing against the sides of the slot machines to trigger bonus rounds, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Villegas' hands in his sweatshirt pocket while he cheated.
Video also captured him kicking the sides of the machines, per court documents cited by the outlet.
This allegedly happened during a nine-day stretch from August 26 to September 3 of last year and was seen by multiple Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency agents.
Villegas was arrested October 12 and charged with 14 counts each of second-degree burglary and first-degree cheating.
Last June, the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency had already banned Villegas from all their properties for 99 years due to assaults, threats and 'pushing and kicking' slot machines since 2024, per the outlet.
The Northern Quest Resort and Casino touts itself as offering '24/7 Vegas-style' gaming, according to its website.
When Villegas was banned, he had allegedly threatened the gaming agency repeatedly through the phone and via email.
His messages concerned a slot shift manager at the casino who had reached out to Villegas about his behavior at the slot machines, according to court records.
When that happened, Villegas was subsequently kicked off the machines.
In other instances, before he was fully banned, he was escorted out of the casino.
It was not immediately clear how Villegas entered the casino last year if he was already banned.
Villegas' charges were ultimately reduced to suspicion of one count of second-degree cheating and one count of second-degree burglary.
Second-degree cheating, which is a gross misdemeanor in Washington, can result in a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
However, being found guilty of first-degree cheating could have led to a maximum of five years in prison.
Villegas was arraigned last November 5, according to Spokane County Superior Court records viewed by the Daily Mail.
His bond was set at $5,000 when he appeared in court on April 13 of this year, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Villegas' trial is scheduled to start on May 26, court records said. He remained at the Geiger Corrections Center.
Cheating cases are relatively rare in Spokane, with the county's prosecutor only handling three such cases over the last six years.
Meanwhile, the Washington State Gambling Commission investigates 20 to 30 cheating cases per year.
Gambling commission agents investigated 52 cheating cases from last January through this April, but none were in Spokane County.
Of those 52 cases, seven resulted in criminal charges.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency, which operates the Northern Quest casino, for further comment.
An attorney for Villegas was not immediately listed on court records.
