Ken Uston was a larger than life personality who would, prior to his death, appear on TV detailing all of his various schemes and exploits. As result he was certainly more high profiles than most in the same ‘line of work’.
So what was the claim to fame that led to this public interest? Well it was his reputation for starting one of the first blackjack ‘card counting’ teams. He is known to have won millions and but in part responsible for casinos tightening the rules around individuals who came overcome the house edge through one mechanism or another.
His success resulted in bans in various establishments. He went to court over a ban at Resorts International Hotel in Atlantic City. The court agreed because the ban was based on his skills as opposed to him cheating. They instead further tightened their rules as result of no longer being able to ban card counters.