 |
| Last Laugh? |
 |
| Don't think so |
Not exactly as effective and cool as the infamous French Cigarette Pack Roulette Scam of 1973, but these two roulette dealers gave it their best shot--and got away with about forty grand before they were spun off right to deal, faster than either one of them could "non-spin" the roulette ball.
According to the UK Daily Mail, a pair of crooked casino croupiers and their friend pocketed £23,000 after working out a way to fix a roulette wheel.
Craig
Walker and Daniel Johnson - who worked at Coral Island casino in
Blackpool, Lancashire - rigged the wheel so that ball would stay in the
same slot and win their friend Kevin Traynor thousands of pounds, which
they then split between them.
After their scam was uncovered by casino bosses, the three men admitted fraud and the two croupiers have now been jailed.
Preston
Crown Court heard Walker, 26, and Johnson, 29, were working together on a
quiet shift at the casino when they discovered it was possible to
perform a 'no spin' on the wheel - fixing it so the ball stayed in the
same slot. When
he was given the signal of one of the croupiers scratching their heads,
their friend Traynor increased his bet from £25 to £100, securing a win
on the roulette wheel and later splitting the cash equally with his two
accomplices. Traynor
aroused suspicion because he seemed to be gambling small amounts but
making big wins, winning £2,100 on one visit to the casino.
When CCTV
footage was examined, Walker - a senior croupier with responsibility for
overseeing games were being played fairly - was seen scratching his
head prior to a ball being anticipated.
All three men were later arrested and admitted their part in the plan, before pleading guilty to fraud.
Sentencing
the men, Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC said: 'On eight occasions you
operated the game in such a way that your stooge, who you brought in
from Manchester, could come in and play the game to win.
'You
gave a signal, a no spin was arranged which prompted an increased bet
and so secured a larger win than you would by playing by chance or
without the knowledge of the wheel.'
Walker, of Blackpool, was jailed for 14 months, while Johnson, also of Blackpool, was jailed for 12 months. Traynor,
of Greater Manchester, was handed a nine-month sentence suspended for
two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Patrick Williamson, prosecuting, said: 'All three said their motivation was that they had been in debt.' Fraser
Livesey, defending Walker, said: 'He will never again work in the trade
he has learned since he was 18. No one is ever going to trust him.'
Brian Williams, for Johnson, said: 'What began as an idle discussion developed into a plan. He can hardly believe they did it.'
Posts
