Man once called ‘serial cheater’ accused of winning $5,000 by cheating at craps at Cleveland casino

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Tennessee man who’s been convicted of cheating at multiple casinos — and is banned from gambling in Ohio — has again been accused of cheating at a craps, this time at a table in downtown Cleveland.

Ellis Quinn, 62, of Memphis, is charged with violation of casino gaming laws, according to an indictment in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Please. He’s accused of winning an extra $5,080 by cheating on July 31.

Quinn was playing craps at the JACK Cleveland Casino when, after the dice had already been rolled, he was placing additional bets on the winning number, according to court records. Quinn placed these illegal bets 15 separate times, according to the records, and was caught on surveillance video.

A summons has been issued for Quinn to appear in court for a Nov. 5 arraignment. No attorney is listed for him in court records. JACK Entertainment declined to comment.

Quinn is banned from casinos in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to online records from both states, because of past cheating convictions.

Quinn was caught cheating at two Ohio casinos in February and March 2014, once at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus and again at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo.

At his 2014 sentencing, Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Ruth Ann Franks said ““If there is anyone who deserves the label of serial cheater, it is Mr. Quinn,” according to the Toledo Blade.

Quinn pleaded guilty in both court cases and was sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison.

Quinn was also accused of cheating at a casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in April 2018, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He was sentenced to between nine and 23 months in prison.

Along with regulating many forms of gambling in the state, Ohio’s casino commission is tasked with investigating many gambling-related crimes, whether that’s cheating in casinos or illegal gambling operations.

According to the agency’s annual report, there were 24 instances of cheating at casinos from July 2023 through June 2024. That includes 12 at the JACK Cleveland Casino.

Sean McDonnell is a reporter for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. You can reach him at smcdonnell@cleveland.com.