As long as there has been gambling, there have been people willing to cheat in order to win. From players looking to gain an edge to casinos that want to take as much of their customers’ money as possible, disreputable people have been bending the rules for the sake of winning for as long as roulette has existed.

Below are some examples of the most common forms of cheating in roulette. We strongly recommend not attempting to use these methods in a casino, as getting caught cheating could get you banned from casinos – or even subjected to legal action.

Any reputable casino will respect the rules and provide you with an honest roulette game, so you should do your part and play honestly as well. However, if you want to find ways to gain an advantage that aren’t considered cheating, read to the end of the article to see an example of when cheating isn’t cheating at all!

Cheating by Roulette Players

Some casinos started using shuffle machines that could read the cards as dealt as a house safety measure. It prevents a player or dealer from 'sneaking' cards into the game via sleight of hand, as the machine will recognize a card that is improperly coded. Casino Cheating is a Felony Offense. Cheating is not just a simple slap on the wrist and being told to leave. There are serious charges that can be brought about and cheating is a felony. Most of the methods mentioned are a category B felony. The first offense will be a sentence of 1 to 6 years with a $10,000 fine.

Many of the most famous attempts to cheat come from players who have looked for ways to get around the house edge by manipulating the roulette wheel. There are two ways in which players might do this, by directly tampering with the results or working with the croupier to rig the game.

Over the years many scams have been attempted to use magnets or other devices to influence the results of the roulette wheel. Obviously, the most difficult part of such a task is to actually get close enough to the roulette wheel to have an effect on the game.

This has often been accomplished through the use of complex team scams that attempt to disguise their intentions. For instance, a team might consist of several members who don’t even appear to be together. This might include a few players that are simply gambling at the table, one or two whose job is it to cause a distraction and a player in a wheelchair that is actually concealing a magnet somewhere in the chair. While such scams can be effective, most players attempting such scams are ultimately caught.

A more invasive form of cheating involves collusion between a croupier (or dealer) and one or more players. This form of cheating is controversial – not over whether it is legal to cheat in this manner (it is unambiguously not allowed), but over whether it can be effective. While some operators claim to be able to spin a ball and aim it at a certain section of the wheel, there is little evidence that anyone has been able to do this in a way that could be reasonably disguised as a fair spin. However, even if a croupier was able to make a certain quarter of the reel just a couple percent more likely to hit that would be enough to give players at least some advantage.

One relatively new method for cheating at roulette involves using a handheld device in order to predict where the ball will land. Surprisingly, players have been doing this since at least the 1970’s and proof of concept for the idea has existed going back to the 1960’s. No casino will allow players to do this, however whether or not using such a device is actually illegal varies depending on where the casino is located.

Cheating by Roulette Operators and Casinos

It should not be over-looked that casinos can also be cheaters too. Anyone who has seen the classic movie Casablanca will be familiar with the idea of a rigged roulette wheel, and throughout history there have been underground casinos and gambling halls that have used such wheels to rip players off. While no regulated casino would use such a wheel, those that operate outside of the law have been known to do so.

This sort of cheating has actually allowed some players to come out ahead even on these rigged wheels. Professional gamblers who knew a reel was rigged would figure out where large bets were being placed, and then bet opposite of those wagers. When the rigged wheel would scoop up the larger bets, the sharp gamblers would win their modest wagers.

When Roulette Cheating isn’t Cheating

There are some forms of gaining an advantage at roulette that players would likely think of as cheating, but which are actually perfectly legal for players to use – if they can. The most well-known method for doing so involves players take advantage of a biased roulette wheel. If a roulette wheel has a bias in it that causes some numbers to be more likely to hit than others, it is possible that players might discover this by tracking numbers over the course of several days. Players can then bet on the numbers that are more likely to appear, confident that they will win in the long run.

Courts have regularly upheld the idea that this is not cheating. Since players do not have to use any electronic devices or tamper with the game itself in order to win in this manner, tracking numbers and betting on a biased wheel is completely legal. For instance, when a casino in Spain attempted to sue a player who won in such a manner the courts said that the player had done nothing wrong – and that the casino should fix their roulette wheel instead of suing.

Past Posting

The main principle Past Posting is adding new chips to the winning number after the ball has already settled in the pocket on the roulette wheel and/or removing the chips from a losing number. The principle is simple but simultaneously hard to execute and would require lightning quick reactions and deft fingers in order to evade the eyes of the dealer or pit boss.

Top Hatting

This is another very interesting method of cheating. Top Hatting is like Past Posting but two people are involved – the croupier and the player. In Top Hatting the dealer is the main person involved and he tries to put extra chips on the winning number, the winnings then being collected by his partner in crime. However, with the high levels of security in casinos nowadays, this old trick is almost impossible to pull off successfully.

Magnets

This method was used in the gambling houses of the past, but nowadays it’s not so easy to get away with. Usually four magnets were placed around the wheel area. The croupier could regulate them with the help of hidden controls. Magnets could also be placed within the pockets of the wheels, robbing less-savvy players of their money. Nowadays, it’s often believed that rigged games such as these are still found at carnivals and fairgrounds that offer roulette games. Keep a close eye out for balls suddenly sticking in the pockets!

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Fifteen people have been arrested in a major casino scam that netted more than $2 million from cheating at baccarat in Ontario.

Among those arrested were several employees of Casino Rama near Orillia.

It's alleged that casino dealers were recruited to predetermine the outcome of card games, but police wouldn't reveal details of how the scam was carried out.

Investigators are calling the sting the largest in memory, said OPP spokesperson Sgt. Bob Paterson.

Baccarat, popular with many gamblers, is a hard game to play and one that's difficult to cheat in, said Paul Burns, vice-president of the Canadian Gaming Association.

Burns said it's troubling, albeit not surprising, that inside help would be enlisted.

'Employees, by and large, that work in the gaming industry are honest folks. But ultimately you need checks and balances in the casinos and that's why there's surveillance. That's why dealers deal cards but they don't count money and they don't count chips,' he said.

'I'm sure the tactics of how they recruited these people would be interesting in its own right.'

The charges follow a 44-month investigation into an alleged international casino cheat team.

The investigation involved the OPP, Windsor police, the FBI and police from several American states.

U.S. authorities said the scheme targeted 18 gaming parlours in Canada, California, Nevada, Mississippi, Louisiana, Washington state, Indiana and Connecticut.

The scheme netted $3.3 million (U.S.) from the American casinos, according to U.S. indictments unsealed yesterday.

Casino Cheating News

However, interim U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt in San Diego said the actual losses could be much higher.

'We are not aware of any other cases of this magnitude,' said Kathy Leodler, acting head of the San Diego FBI field office.

The OPP initiated its investigation after receiving information from the California justice department.

'Only one casino was affected (in Canada), and it was Rama,' Paterson said.

Seven of those arrested were scheduled for bail hearings today in Orillia and eight others will make their first court appearance in the city, 115 kilometres north of Toronto, on June 26.

All are charged with fraud over $5,000 and cheating at play, while some face additional charges.

The operation bears the mark of organized crime in the sense that those involved knew each other, Paterson said. 'It took some co-operation and planning.'

Casino Rama had no comment on the arrests yesterday.

'Because it's an ongoing OPP matter, we don't comment,' spokesperson Jenna Hunter said.

'Integrity and security are priorities at Casino Rama and at all (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) locations,' she added.

Police have outstanding arrest warrants for seven more people, from Windsor, Barrie, San Diego and Las Vegas.

'They obviously have been tracking these guys and I suspect there's some organization created to do this and they've watched them to ensure they catch them all,' Burns said.

The international aspect of the case reflects the tendency of cheats to move to different venues, he said.

'They probably move from casino to casino. Cheats do that. From what I know and have been told and heard, they generally move around.'

At the same time, law enforcement agencies work together to combat gaming fraud, he said.

'They share information, descriptions of people and how they operate. There's a lot of information sharing.'

'The OPP and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission have people who are specialists in tracking cheats and identifying cheats. And they train the casino surveillance people on what to watch for. They track cheaters because there are known cheaters who operate around,' Burns said.

Casino Cheating

'If the casino knows who they are and suspect cheating, sometimes they just ask them to leave.

``They usually oblige and then move on. On the other hand, if they catch them in the act, they'll throw the book at them.'

The arrests are troubling but provide evidence that surveillance works, he said.

'The fact people were arrested says the checks and balances and the regulatory environment worked. I think people can take confidence that the games are fair.

`` The fact people were arrested says the checks and balances and the regulatory environment worked,' Burns added.

WITH FILES FROM the Star's wire services

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