The NBA gambling scandal has laid bare the “Wild West” of private gambling, and it’s only a matter of time before one of those involved turns on the others, a leading casino surveillance expert says.
George Joseph, who has conducted undercover investigations into poker cheating for state gaming commissions, told FOX Business the scope of the probe and methods used by the perpetrators came as no surprise.
“I am not surprised. The gambling technology used has been around for a few years, but it’s much more robust now,” he said.
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“In casinos, surveillance coverage is extensive, but in private games, there’s no such protection. It’s the Wild West, and you’re relying entirely on whoever runs the game,” Joseph added.
Joseph’s spoke after FBI Director Kash Patel appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday night and highlighted “a coordinated scheme between the La Cosa Nostra and the individuals who were arrested today.”
Joseph’s warning also came after federal prosecutors announced dozens of arrests in an investigation linking organized crime and professional basketball.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. outlined the charges Thursday at a news conference and described a network of illegal betting, mafia-backed poker games and high-tech cheating.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones have been arrested.
Four major New York crime families — the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese organizations — were also allegedly involved.
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Joseph, whose core business is training casinos and law enforcement on the methods of card and dice cheaters, described how the types of gambling cheating methods used have actually evolved over time.
“There are camera feeds and infrared reading devices that can read the card and, for this particular scam, they mark the thin edge of the card,” he said.
“But, initially, the device was built into a cellphone, and you’d have to aim it at the cards after they came out of the machine or after a hand shuffle.
“Now they’ve miniaturized it all so it can be hidden in cuff links, car key fobs or even inside the bankroll tray on the table where the dealer keeps the chips.
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“When the dealer sets the cards down near that tray, it reads the barcode and transmits the information, and the data can be sent via radio to an earpiece. So, someone can discreetly tell the player how to bet or they can use simple hand signals to communicate what cards are in play.”
Joseph also emphasized the risks inherent in unregulated gambling environments like the one outlined at the news conference Thursday.
“In a private poker game, you simply have to trust the person who invited you,” Joseph said before explaining the next steps investigators would be taking.
“They now have to determine who introduced those marked cards into the game, which means the organizer of the private game, or whoever brought in those cards, will be the main focus for law enforcement and prosecutors.
“They’ll need to establish an investigative trail and find out who supplied the cards, and, as always, law enforcement will likely rely on an informant, a plea deal, or some cooperation to get to the bottom of it.
“Eventually, someone will cooperate with the authorities and testify against the others, as that’s usually how these cases are prosecuted,” he said.
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In this case, victims were said to have lost an estimated $7 million since 2019, including one individual who lost $1.8 million in a single night of gambling.
Billups, prosecutors allege, was present at a Las Vegas poker game in April 2019, where at least $50,000 was stolen through the use of a rigged shuffling machine.
Joseph said that while the poker scheme may have preyed on a smaller circle of victims, the basketball scandal had a wider target.
“The poker scheme targeted a small group of individuals, whereas the basketball scandal targeted innocent bettors who were not in on the fix,” he said.
“The basketball case has a far wider impact as it affects the integrity of the sport worldwide.”
FOX Business has reached out to the NBA for comment.
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