Major UK Casino Cheat Conviicted of Roulette Pastposting Under 2005 UK Gambling Act

Source: Northern Echo

A NORTH-EAST fraudster who targeted casinos admitted a series of cheating and fraud offences today, police said. Iranian-born Bahram Sahami, 37, cheated at American roulette by adding or removing chips from the table after the ball had dropped or by stealing other players chips, Scotland Yard said. Sahami, of Coltman Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to three counts of fraud, three of cheating at gambling, and two of theft, a spokesman said. His prosecution was the third of its kind in the UK since the Gambling Act 2005 came into force in 2007, he added.

Sahami, who had been nationally barred by all major casino operators for cheating, used at least four false identities to gain access to London casinos between March and July 2009, the spokesman said. These identities were supported by identification in the form of membership cards or UK driving licences.

It has been calculated that he would gain between £25 and £130 per cheat or theft. "It is difficult to be precise about the amount Sahami made from his actions but it is known that he would commit multiple offences at a time," the spokesman said.

He was arrested after he was caught on CCTV cheating at a Gala Coral Group casino. Detective Inspector Ann-Marie Waller of the Metropolitan Police's human exploitation and organised crime command said: "Sahami was a brazen and determined fraudster who cheated not only the casinos but fellow punters out of hundreds of pounds a time."

He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on November 5.