Shinvar Abdullatif was on the self-exclusion list at Bally’s Evansville and tried to let his two buddies claim his winnings. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Three men have been arrested in Indiana for working a scheme commonly referred to as a “jackpot switch.” According to WEVV, Shinvar Abdullatif, Ali Mohamad, and Delavan Mohammed enacted the plan at Bally’s Evansville Casino & Hotel in April.

Upon investigating a report of the possible jackpot switch, Indiana Gaming Commission agents determined that five times in one day, Abdullatif hit a jackpot on a gambling machine, only to have one of his accomplices take his place to try to claim the prize.

Delavan Mohammed was the swapper in four of the instances, while Ali Mohamad participated in one. Every time, security footage showed Abdullatif either switching seats with an accomplice or leaving the vicinity of the machine immediately upon winning to allow one of the other two men to take his spot.

on Bally’s self-exclusion list and thus not allowed to step foot in the casino

On the surface, a jackpot switch may seem odd, but not all that serious. The problem in this instance, and what seems to qualify it as illegal gambling, is that Shinvar Abdullatif was on Bally’s self-exclusion list and thus not allowed to step foot in the casino for at least a year.

Authorities say that the winnings totaled more than $8,000. Abdullatif said that he thought he wasn’t on the self-exclusion list anymore because he put himself on it when Bally’s Evansville was still a Tropicana casino. In Indiana, individuals stay on the self-exclusion list, even if they were put on a limited-time one, until they file a petition for removal and have it accepted.