10 Incredibly Clever Casino Scams That Actually Worked

9. Cigarette Pack Roulette

This ingenious scam took place in a French casino in 1973. A radio enthusiast was employed as a roulette dealer at the Casino Deauville, and decided to put his expertise to use. The roulette dealer, along with his sister and brother-in-law, conspired to create a radio transmitter inside a pack of cigarettes, along with a roulette ball that contained a tiny receiver. The system ensured that, when a button was pressed on the cigarette packet, the roulette ball would go into a controlled dive that allowed it to land within a specific group of numbers at an accuracy of 90%. In just one week, the Casino Deauville was taken for five million francs. The three probably would have gotten away with it, were it not for the beauty of the roulette dealer's sister. During her stints as the 'button presser', her looks caught the eye of the casino's owner. He began to pester her for attention, and while doing so realised that she always stood by the same roulette table, making very few bets. This, combined with suspicion from the heavy losses, compelled the owner to bring in a specialist debugging crew. The scam was found out, and all three scammers were placed under arrest.