Poker Scam Busted in NJ

This news item really made me mad while I was reading it. Featured by AP, here’s a snippet of the story:

It was a high-tech variation on one of the oldest tricks in the book, dating back to the Wild West saloon days - cheating unsuspecting poker players by rigging the game.
But the tools in a scam broken up by New Jersey State Police were decidedly 21st century, including tiny video cameras and earpiece radio receivers designed to be undetectable, and laptop computers.

One of the four men arrested is a well-known consultant who charges people for advice on how to detect and thwart casino cheaters. In arrests carried out June 7, but made public Wednesday, police charged Steve Forte, 51, of Las Vegas, with using a computer and cheating devices to commit theft, attempted theft by deception and conspiracy.

His Web site describes the services and products offered by his company, International Gaming Specialists, including a four-part video series “designed to help protect all those that play in private games from card and dice cheaters.”

Can you just imagine the nerve of this guy? This is why gambling, casinos, and related activities get such a bad rap. People like this guy try to take an unfair advantage. What makes it worse is his attempt to come off clean. His guise of being the owner of International Gaming Specialist – bah, it just makes me royally peeved! Then again, if you think about it, he has all the tools and know how – he is indeed in a good position to con other people. Still, that is no excuse.