Former NBA Star Charles Oakley Arrested For Allegedly Cheating Vegas Casino

Former New York Knicks muscle and icon Charles Oakley was arrested for allegedly cheating a Las Vegas casino. Oakley is alleged to have tried to manipulate his payouts and losses by modifying his bets once the outcome of the wager was known. It is not yet clear what game Oakley was playing, but officials from the Nevada Gaming Board have confirmed that he was interfering with the proper progress of the game, which in laymen’s terms means they caught him doing something wrong.

Oakley, who made about $46 million on contracts while in the NBA, and more from endorsement deals, allegedly was betting $100 chips, and either removing or adding chips to his wager stack once he could determine what the outcome of the bet was. In all casinos, worldwide, this is a major n0-no that will land you in jail. In the old days of Vegas when mobsters ran things, the punishment for this was usually a broken hand and being barred from most casinos for cheating. Luckily for Oakley, those hand-breaking days are long gone.

Oakley was playing at the Cosmopolitan according to a report from TMZ, and they say that his cheating was caught on tape, which makes sense as the entire gaming floor of the Cosmopolitan is blanketed by security cameras known as “the eyes in the sky,” and human surveillance. The tape has not been released to the public at this time. Oakley was approached by a casino security squad, who again, reviewed the tape, and decided there was enough evidence of cheating to turn him over to law enforcement.

What Oakley is alleged to have done is a category B felony and conviction for a first offense could end in imprisonment for one to six years and a fine less than $10,000, according to Dead Spin. Oakley has released no statements regarding the incident, but a person close to him told The New York Daily News that the incident was insignificant and would be taken care of very quickly. It is unknown who is legally representing Oakley in this case.

Oakley is currently employed as the head coach of the Killer 3s basketball team in rapper Ice Cube’s BIG3 league. No official statement regarding the incident has been released by the team or league. Last year, Knicks owner James Dolan alleged that Oakley had a drinking problem, which Oakley has brought a defamation and discrimination lawsuit against MSG over.