August M
Police in New South Wales have arrested a Kazakh couple accused of using hidden cameras and covert earpiece instructions to defraud a Sydney casino of more than AU$1 million.
A sophisticated gambling scheme in Sydney has been exposed after casino staff detected unusual behaviour at a high-stakes table.
Police in New South Wales say a Kazakh couple used hidden devices to cheat their way to more than one million Australian dollars in winnings, according to 20 Minutos.
High-tech cheating setup
Authorities said the investigation began when employees at a Barangaroo casino noticed a 36-year-old woman wearing a tiny camera concealed in her clothing on 27 November.
Officers from the Organized Crime Brigade’s Casino and Betting Unit were called in and arrested the woman and her 44-year-old husband shortly afterwards.
Police seized magnetised probes, batteries, a customised mirror and mobile-phone equipment designed to covertly film game play.
Prosecutors allege the couple also used earpieces to receive real-time instructions on when to place bets and how to manipulate card outcomes, notes 20minutos.
Weeks of suspicious winnings
The pair had arrived in Sydney in October and signed up for casino memberships the same day.
Over the following weeks, they made repeated visits to the venue, accumulating more than AU$1.17 million (€663,000) in winnings — an unusually large sum that prompted staff to alert authorities.
A later search of their temporary accommodation uncovered additional gambling equipment, jewellery of significant value and €2,000 in cash.
Charges and court appearance
Both suspects were charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial benefit through deception. They were denied bail and appeared in a local court on 28 November.
Sources: 20minutos
