Sunday Times
December 05, 2004
A TRIO of gamblers who pulled off an audacious coup at the Ritz in London
using James Bond-style gadgetry to calculate where a roulette ball would
Scotland Yard, which seized cash and froze bank accounts during a nine-month
prosecute the gamblers.
It is the second big loss in 48 hours for the Barclay family which runs the
hotel and casino. Last week a judge ruled that The Daily Telegraph, which it
owns, had libelled George Galloway, the independent MP. He awarded him
The police decision will prompt the Ritz and other casinos to heighten
security.
were alleged to have smuggled a laser scanner linked to a micro-computer
into the Ritz casino inside a mobile phone.
The scanner measured the speed of the ball as the croupier released it,
identified where it dropped and measured the declining orbit of the wheel.
These three factors were beamed to the micro-computer, which calculated into
which section of numbers on the wheel the ball would finally settle.
This information was then flashed onto the screen of the mobile just before
the wheel made its third spin, by which time all bets must be placed.
Having reduced their odds of winning from 37-1 to 6-1, the trio placed bets
on all six numbers in that section to ensure they would win.
to celebrate and left.
hotel nearby on suspicion of obtaining their winnings by deception.
They have been reporting to the Yard on police bail but have now been told
they are free to leave Britain.
Legal sources said the gamblers had to be let off because they had not
violated any law. The scanner did not interfere with the ball or wheel. It
provided information but did not manipulate the game.
Dr Mark Griffiths, professor of gambling at Nottingham Trent University,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1388748,00.html
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