Infrared Cameras Show Marked Poker Cards Used to Scam Students In UK

West Midlands Police in England has issued a warning that illegal gambling dens in Birmingham are scamming players by marking cards.

A statement on the police’s website warned users of the dangers of illegal cardrooms, which pose a “serious risk to anyone visiting them”.

The statement went on to say that the police “have found evidence that victims are being targeted by a covert infrared camera, monitoring specially marked cards on the poker table”.

Infrared Camera Shows Back of Cards Are Marked

A video posted on YouTube details how the scam operates, showing how an infrared camera picks up information on the back of cards. This information is then fed to a player at the table who can take advantage of the unsuspecting victims.

The video mentions that overseas students are specifically being targeted by the scam. A poster notifying the public was written in both English and Chinese. In addition to scamming victims out of their money, the gambling dens are also being used to coerce students into other criminal activities.

This year, the police have taken enforcement action against four illegal gambling locations and continue to work to dismantle more.

At one venue in the city, officers seized large amounts of cash, illegal drugs, weapons, as well as two gaming machines.

The UK Gambling Commission also upgraded its risk assessment of money laundering at unregulated casinos earlier this year. The agency raised the risk from low to medium amidst growing concern, mostly among online casinos that allow cryptocurrencies and crash games.

California Reduces Oversight at Cardrooms

While the UK has been clamping down on cardrooms, California has reduced the regulatory oversight at venues in the state.

San Jose voted to cut licensing fees, reducing revenue by $440,000. To balance the lost revenue, two police roles that monitored cardrooms were eliminated.

Steve Slack, president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, warned that unlicensed cardrooms could increase as a result. He stated, “With resources scarce as they are, a further reduction in fees and less oversight will reduce our ability to proactively manage risk to the community and may result in increased crime, negative social impacts and further burden our understaffed police department.”

The West Midlands Police said it is a difficult task to monitor the illegal gambling dens and appealed for the public to help. The statement said, “In order to keep dismantling these operations, we need your help. We’re asking residents and businesses to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us by calling 101.”