A group of roulette wheel scammers raked in more than €400,000 over a period of three months in Spanish casinos. On July 14 Spain’s Policia National arrested four people, one in Malaga and the rest in Madrid. Two others remain under investigation, Euro Weekly News reported.
The National Police worked closely with the Ertzaintza (Basque Country Police Force) and Interpol—which coordinated information— to collar the suspects, who are accused of manipulating the tables in a variety of venues, including gambling halls, bingo halls and casinos. They took an estimated €417,000 during the three-month spree.
During the six-month investigation several global Red Notices were issued by Interpol on the criminal group—which had operated all over Europe for several years, including Austria, where they have also been charged.
The criminals first did preliminary studies and tested the security measures of the properties they planned to hit. They discovered a way around the casinos’ entry controls using false identities. Once inside they controlled various employees of the properties.
A physical alteration was made to the roulette machines using a drill to insert a wire or flexible rod into the wheel to influence the normal spin of the ball to the desired numbers.
