Posted 9:36 PM 1/3/2013 : Woman deported after trying to claim casino jackpot
TUCSON - A woman was deported after trying to claim a jackpot at Casino Del Sol.
Nobody from the casino called federal authorities, according to the CEO, Wendell Long.
Zamira Osorio is the daughter of the deported woman.
"My family and I feel devastated about it," Osorio said. "We've been through a lot."
By federal law, winners have to show ID for any jackpot more than $1,200. That is the rule anywhere, including Las Vegas, Atlantic City or the Pascua Yaqui reservation.
A casino worker thought the woman's identification was suspicious. They contacted Pascua police for verification, according to Long.
Osorio said after waiting a long time, she was detained with her mother. She was released because of the so-called DREAM Act.
Long did not know how the federal government got involved.
The reservation is not legally part of Arizona. The casino gets a lot of business from Hispanic customers on both sides of the border. Long said the casino would not want to alienate a major part of its customer base.
"The Sonoran customer is very important to us," Long said. "It's a large part of our business, and we do a lot of things to promote that."
Osorio wanted to share her story to warn other people.
"This can happen to anybody who goes and plays at the casino," Osorio said.