Gamblers arrested invisible-ink con
FIVE men have been arrested and accused of a €75,000 card scam using contact lenses and a deck marked with invisible ink
The men, three Italian gamblers and two casino employees – one a manager – were arrested at Les Princes casino on La Croisette in Cannes as they were in the middle of a €22,000 winning streak of stud poker.
One was arrested at the card table along with the manager and the others picked up at a Cannes hotel.
They were alleged to be using marked cards from a deck that had been set up by one of the insiders.
Invisible markings meant they could tell what cards other players were holding: a cross was used to denote a King and a horizontal line for an Ace.
Newspaper La Provence said that they were using a special ink that cost €100,000 and contact lenses that cost several thousand.
Security staff from the Lucien Barrière casino kept an eye on them after they made previous wins of €13,000 and €40,000.
Casino director Alain Fabre told Nice-Matin that their winning streaks were unbelievable: “Nearly all their bets were winners!” One player had racked up a €22,000 streak with €250 bets.
Mr Fabre said he had never before seen such a coup, and a scam so ingenious, in his 30 years working in casinos.
