A couple of high-profile suspected cheating cases raise concerns and cheating is taking center stage at the upcoming conference set to take place in March
Cheating, fraud and manipulation are only a few of the risks the gambling sector across the globe is facing on a daily basis. Online, bad actors looking to score big wins are often caught rigging poker games or using software to gain an unfair advantage.
The land-based gambling sector is not immune to attempts of cheating that sometimes go undetected for months. Usually, culprits use concealed cameras and earphones, enabling them to win against opponents, effectively cheating players and casinos.
Using Cameras and Microscopic Earpieces to Cheat at Casinos Isn’t a New Technique
Cheating on table games such as poker is going to be one of the topics at the upcoming annual World Game Protection Conference. The much-anticipated event is scheduled to take place between March 11 and March 13, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Conference will gather experts, professional players and other industry stakeholders who will discuss many aspects of the gambling sector.
Last summer, two men, suspected of being involved in a cheating scheme, were arrested Enghien-les-Bains casino in France. The duo was accused of cheating by using tiny cameras and earphones. One of the people suspected of being involved in the scheme would sit at a poker table and position a smartphone with a microscopic camera.
The same culprit had an earpiece so small that it had to be removed with a magnet, while the second person would review the video footage and give hints. It is suspected that the duo was able to fraudulently win tens of thousands of euros thanks to the scheme.
According to Willy Allison, the founder of the World Game Protection Conference, who was recently interviewed by CDC Gaming, the described technology and cheating scheme isn’t new by any means. “This has been going on for a long time,” the expert revealed. Allison pointed to the way culprits are using cameras for a glance at the cards that are being dealt. “The dealers have to lift them out of the shuffle machine to place them and in a poker game, that allows people to make decisions on how to play the hand,” he added.
Despite Knowing About Cheating Attempts, Casinos Are Yet to Take Effective Measures
Besides the incident in France, rumors of another suspected cheating attempt resulted in changes to the rules of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The winner of the WSOP Main Event from July, Jonathan Tamayo, raised suspicions after receiving advice from one of his friends on the rail.
Suspicions grew further amid claims an AirPod had fallen from the ear of the same person who gave the winner advice. With rumors on the matter reaching more poker fans and players alike, the WSOP introduced new rules last month.
Allison spoke about the importance of monitoring and preventing such activities for casinos. A poker pro and a vocal supporter of stricter rules to combat cheating is Maria Konnikova. She is expected to address the topic as one of the participants in the upcoming conference in March.
Speaking about Konnikova, Allison said: “She’s currently researching cheating in all sorts of games. She’s been quite vocal in the poker fraternity about banning electronics from the table games.” Similarly to Konnikova, Allison said that he has been raising the topic for years but hasn’t seen a response from the gambling industry.
