Gamblers arrested invisible-ink con

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FIVE MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND ACCUSED OF A €75,000 CARD SCAM USING CONTACT LENSES AND A DECK MARKED WITH INVISIBLE INK The men, three Italian gamblers and two casino employees – one a


manager – were arrested at Les Princes casino on La Croisette in Cannes as they were in the middle of a €22,000 winning streak of stud poker. One was arrested at the card table along with


the manager and the others picked up at a Cannes hotel. They were alleged to be using marked cards from a deck that had been set up by one of the insiders. Invisible markings meant they


could tell what cards other players were holding: a cross was used to denote a King and a horizontal line for an Ace. Newspaper La Provence said that they were using a special ink that cost


€100,000 and contact lenses that cost several thousand. Security staff from the Lucien Barrière casino kept an eye on them after they made previous wins of €13,000 and €40,000. Casino


director Alain Fabre told Nice-Matin that their winning streaks were unbelievable: “Nearly all their bets were winners!” One player had racked up a €22,000 streak with €250 bets. Mr Fabre


said he had never before seen such a coup, and a scam so ingenious, in his 30 years working in casinos.