Poker Cheating And Collusion Unearthed At French Casino

Of all the cheating techniques used to scam poker games over the years, the latest one to be unearthed was so sophisticated in its use of high-end technology as to impress even the presiding judge at a French court in Grasse.
For days, judge Marc Joando marvelled at the techniques used by Italian Stefano Ampollini, known as ‘Parmesan,’ who along with a small gang of accomplices, was able to take Les Princes Casino in Cannes for €71,000 back in 2011.
At the heart of the deception were two corrupt casino staff who had previously marked all the cards with invisible ink, and a pair of infra-red contact lenses costing €2,000, which enabled a discreet accomplice known as “The Israeli”, to read the cards and relay the information through a series of gestures to Stefano Ampollini, 56, who was also playing in the same poker game.
Nevertheless, despite winning bundles of cash, surveillance staff at Les Princes Casino became suspicious, with the casino owners’ barrister, Marc Concas, explaining in court:
“Casino security found his behaviour rather strange as he won very easily and, above all, because he folded twice when he had an excellent hand, suggesting he knew the croupier’s cards.”
Consequently, when Stefano Ampollini returned to the casino two months later and won a further €21,000 for himself, he was promptly arrested by police as he exited the casino.
Soon after, the sophisticated gang’s scam was revealed and this week the men were handed down fines and prison sentences. For his part in the crime, Ampollini received a two-year prison sentence and €100,000 fine; Gianfranco Tirrito, 55, described as “probably the mastermind”, was given a three-year jail term and €100,000 fine; while Rocco Grassanno, 57, received 30 months behind bars and a €50,000 fine.
Talking about the case after sentencing was handed down, prosecution lawyer Mr Concas told The Daily Telegraph; “This is the first time this sort of technique has been seen in Europe.”