Federal authorities allege that the ring busted for running illegal sports and card-games used highly advanced and coordinated cheating technology. In the poker portion of the scheme, underground high-stakes games were manipulated using rigged shuffling machines that secretly read the deck’s cards and transmitted which players held strong hands to an off-site operator, who then signaled a co-conspirator at the table (called the “quarterback” or “driver”) to direct bets accordingly. Devices included poker tables equipped with hidden X-ray cameras beneath the felt to identify face-down cards, chip trays with built-in analyzers/cameras, decoy cellphones to relay information, and decks marked so that only accomplices wearing special lenses or glasses could see the marks.

In the sports-betting arm of the investigation, insiders harvested and sold non-public information about professional basketball players’ injuries, playing time, and game-day decisions. Players or coaches allegedly tipped off conspirators to when they would sit out or exit early due to an injury, creating prop-bet opportunities. Wagers were placed accordingly on unders or player performance outcomes, using insider info to create a virtually guaranteed edge. The two schemes overlapped, involving organized-crime networks, professional athletes, and complex laundering of ill-gotten proceeds.


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How mafiosi and NBA stars used rigged card shufflers, X-ray tables and secret contact lenses in poker scam