A gang of gamblers from the US and Canada spent five years stripping casinos of tens of millions of dollars, using a cheating system involving high tech gadgets and corrupt card dealers.
According to US prosecutors, on one occasion the gang walked away from the Orilla Casino with more than $2 million in winnings.
The scheme caused the largest ever casino cheat investigation, and courts in both the US and Canada are currently learning the true extent of the scheme. A number of the conspirators have already pleaded guilty, and another 11 people were indicted this week in California.
The gang had humble beginnings – in 2002 Phuong Quoc Truong and Van Thu Tran mastered a ‘false shuffle’ technique that they used to allow their friends to win small amounts at their casino. They were later caught and fired, but simply moved on, and refined their system, seeking out casino dealers to bribe, and using high tech equipment to improve the scam.
Dealers would pretend to shuffle their deck, but would really leave the cards in the same order, allowing members of the scheme to track the cards, and predict the order that they would be dealt in the next game. A computer operator would track the cards and radio predictions to an accomplice, who would then discretely signal the players at the table.
So far, 30 people have been indicted in the US, and 19 people were arrested in Ontario. Trials are still ongoing. One of the participants, Khai Tran, has already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to more than 2 ½ years in prison, which is believed to be the longest sentence given in Canada for a gambling offence.According to US prosecutors, on one occasion the gang walked away from the Orilla Casino with more than $2 million in winnings.
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