A poker fraud by the mafia, which also involves NBA players, reveals a terrifying method of hacking a casino's standard card shuffling machine 'DeckMate' to read all of the player's cards



On Thursday, October 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 31 defendants, including a former NBA head coach and player, as well as members of an organized crime family, for orchestrating illegal poker games across the United States. The massive fraud scheme is estimated to have cost at least $7 million (approximately 1.05 billion yen), and it was revealed that the scheme involved the use of hidden, high-tech techniques, including modified card shuffling machines.

Eastern District of New York | 31 Defendants, Including Members and Associates of Organized Crime Families and National Basketball Association Coach Chauncey Billups, Charged in Schemes to Rig Illegal Poker Games | United States Department of Justice

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/31-defendants-including-members-and-associates-organized-crime-families-and-national

Poker Indictment Puts Spotlight on $10,000 Card Shufflers - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-24/poker-indictment-puts-spotlight-on-10-000-card-shufflers

At the center of this fraud was the 'DeckMate' automatic card shuffling machine, manufactured by gambling equipment manufacturer Light & Wonder. Since its introduction in 2002, DeckMate has revolutionized the world of poker, becoming the official shuffler of the World Series of Poker and an industry standard in casinos and card rooms.

According to the federal indictment, the DeckMate used in the rigged games was modified with hidden technology that allowed it to read every card in the deck and ensured that cards were always dealt in a specific order, allowing the machine to determine which player had the winning hand.

According to Light & Wonder, the manufacturer, the DeckMate is virtually impossible to hack due to the strict security and surveillance measures in place at legitimate casinos, so the only way the attack could have occurred was at an illegal gambling establishment.



The information obtained by the modified DeckMate was then transmitted to the perpetrators, who then reported it to their accomplices at the gaming tables using their mobile phones. Some of the accomplices also secretly relayed the information to other accomplices at the tables using predetermined signals, such as touching specific chips or table items.

In addition to the DeckMate hack, the defendants are known to have used other fraudulent technologies, including chip tray analyzers that secretly read cards using hidden cameras, X-ray tables that can read cards placed face down on a table, and special contact lenses and glasses that can read pre-marked cards.

According to New York City Police Commissioner Tisch, the scam involved members of four Mafia organizations that operated underground casinos in the New York area, and used threats, intimidation, and violence against people who refused to pay.



Several prominent figures have also been charged in this case, including Chauncey Billups, head coach of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones , a former NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. According to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocera Jr. of the Eastern District of the United States, the former professional poker players acted as 'ringleaders' who lured unsuspecting victims into high-stakes poker games. The victims were tricked into losing heavily through hidden technology, including rigged shuffling machines and special contact lenses.

Billups was arrested on October 22nd local time but was released the following day.



'Today, more than 30 individuals were arrested and indicted for their involvement in a criminal scheme to orchestrate illegal poker games and defraud millions of dollars,' said FBI Director Kash Patel. 'The defendants used technology and deception to scam unsuspecting victims out of millions of dollars and ultimately funnel that money back into Cosa Nostra , fueling one of the world's most notorious criminal networks. This investigation spanned nine states and FBI fields, and I want to thank the FBI officers for their hard work and dedication in rooting out the actors responsible. At the FBI, we never stop following the money to pursue and catch those who break the law.'

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