Update on the Southern Spain Roulette Scam
We covered this scam back in March.
A group of scammers stole more than €400,000 by manipulating roulette tables.
The gang has now been dismanlteld up by Spain’s Guardia Civil. Four people were arrested, one in Malaga, and three in Madrid, and another two have been investigated in Bilbao suspected of cheating casinos across the country.
Metal Roulette Tool
The group used a metal tool to influence the action of the ball on the wheel and force it to come to rest on a specific number on which a bet had been placed.
Officers from the Spanish National Police along with officers of the Ertzaintza (Basque Police Force) took down the group that had been manipulating roulette tables in casinos, stealing over €400,000 over three months of the operation of the scam.
Interpol
Interpol helped to co-ordinate the information alerting the Spanish police authorities. Due to the specialised nature of the crime, red notices were issued to locate some of the members of the criminal network. A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
Doing their Homework
The scam was made possible after the gang carried out a preliminary study and hacked into the security measures of the premises where they were going to operate.
They then discovered a way around the entry security of the businesses using false identities and attributed the theft of the documentation to other parties. Once inside the casinos, the group divided up the jobs by controlling the employees of the gaming rooms.
Technical Know-How
The leader of the gang gained entry to the protection cover of the automatic roulette machines with a drill and inserted a a wire or a semi-rigid rod to influence the spin of the ball and get it to land on a specific number.
They very quickly obtained huge wins of over €400,000 in three months.
Following a six months investigation, officers identified and arrested all the members of the organisation, three of them in Madrid, two in Bilbao and one in Malaga.
The roulette gang has been operating for several years at a national and European level, and developed a effective way to scam casinos’ auto-roulette machines.
They have been also charged in Austria, where they scammed over €100,000.