Moviemakers have always been drawn to con artists. From old Hollywood classics such as Scarface or Genertion Hustle, to more recent hits like Con Man or Genertion Hustle, something about those with the audacity to deceive others for personal gain is truly captivating.
Even though most casino scams are quickly identified and resolved quickly, some individuals manage to bypass security systems and walk away with millions of pounds in their pockets. Here are some notable examples:
The Roselli Brothers
One of the more advanced casino scams ever was executed by a brother-sister duo who in 1973 successfully stole nearly $1 Million from a French casino through an innovative scheme involving an unethical roulette dealer and a transceiver concealed within a packet of cigarettes that enabled them to transmit information regarding winning spins.
Roselli Brothers utilized stolen identities of those with perfect credit ratings they compromised to open player accounts at casinos and deposit $50,000 each into each. Playing like high rollers, they demanded more and more credits.
Carlo and Nello Roselli were antifascist activists who founded the Giustizia e Liberta movement during Italy’s Risorgimento. Their political ideology was founded on liberal reformulations of socialism.
The Ampollini Scam
When it comes to sophisticated casino scams, this gang takes the cake. Their efforts required extensive research and engineering work; yet in the end it paid off handsomely.
In 2011, a group of Italians took Cannes casinos by storm with one of the most ingenious cheating schemes ever devised. Wearing contact lenses that allowed for visibility through invisible ink marking, they discreetly marked cards with invisible ink that could only be seen through them and then matched those cards up with symbols on players such as Kings or Aces on each player – before returning two months later and pocketing over 88,000 euros between themselves!
Management ordered the casino floor to be swept for radio frequencies and found them. Ringleader Stefano Ampollini was sentenced to two years of incarceration and fined 100,000 euros for his efforts, according to reports from witnesses who witnessed his conviction in front of a judge who marvelled at Ampollini’s sophisticated exploits.
The Cigarette Roulette Scam
An inventive fraud was spearheaded by a dishonest roulette dealer and his sister-in-law. Together they recruited siblings with an interest in radio to assist with creating an advanced roulette wheel cheat that would circumvent casino security measures and deceive casinos into signing contracts with them.
Their malicious scheme revolved around baccarat and was so successful it was caught on CCTV! A gang would cut cards with cameras up their sleeves so people outside the game in vans could slow down footage to see hidden symbols.
After reading these signals, bettors would place bets based on where the ball would land based on signals provided from these phones – with accuracy exceeding 90%! Unfortunately, Monique Laurent began raising suspicion when she began attending casinos frequently and sitting near roulette tables; furthermore she was seen sneaking coloured chips from low value tables into her purse! Eventually this scheme was exposed when Monique Laurent began raising suspicion when visiting regularly and sitting close to roulette tables as well as sneaking coloured chips from low value tables into her purse! Eventually it came unravelled when Monique Laurent raised suspicion by frequenting casinos regularly and sitting near a roulette table! It all unravelled when Monique Laurent raised suspicion by visiting casinos regularly and sitting near roulette tables; furthermore she was seen sneaking coloured chips from low value tables into her purse!!
Dennis Nikrasch
Nikrasch ran a TV repair shop out of his Tulsa home, but was far more adept at computer hacking and slot machine fraud. His skills enabled him to rig slot machines so they dropped hundreds of credits per minute; he made millions until one of his employees betrayed him and sent him off to prison.
The Cutter Gang
These criminals were masters at duping dealers when playing blackjack or baccarat, particularly during the card cutting phase when dealers placed down cards on a table and cut them to reveal any marks underneath. Their scams revolved around cutting cards before handing them back for play by their dealer.
This casino scam may not be among the more well-known ones, but it remains an intriguing tale of ingenuity at work. One of the first casino heists with high tech components, this is depicted beautifully in The MIT Blackjack Team movie; although some liberties may have been taken with facts here.
