Four Georgians arrested over casino roulette scam

Police in Venlo arrested four men accused of ripping off the Holland Casino location there. The suspects were also persons of interest in similar crimes investigated by Interpol, and may have targeted other casinos in Europe including in the Netherlands.

Officers said the suspects tried to manipulate the results of an automatic roulette machine by first breaking the lid, then lifting the glass off the game. “After that, the ball was probably stopped in the ‘right’ box after which it registered a ‘win,’” police said in a statement.

“A large sum of money was seized from the suspects, as well as uncashed vouchers that they had ‘won.’”

All four suspects are from the nation of Georgia. Through the course of the investigation, police said they discovered that the crew may have hit other locations in the Netherlands and in Europe. They had also drawn the attention of international policing organization Interpol.

The Dutch police said they work with their counterparts in other countries, as well as Interpol and Europe to tackle mobile banditry, a term used for international criminal groups that work across borders. The suspected crews are often linked to burglaries, thefts, pickpocketing, and fraud.

“Today, the crooks bet at the wrong casino and outbid themselves. The ‘house’ has won, and to speak in Monopoly terms, the crooks have drawn the ‘Go Directly to Jail,’ card,” police said in a tongue-in-cheek statement.