a series of cheating and fraud offences, police have said.
Iranian-born Bahram Sahami, 37, cheated at American roulette by adding or removing chips from the table after the ball had dropped or by stealing other players’ chips, Scotland Yard said.
Sahami pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to three counts of fraud, three of cheating at gambling, and two of theft, a spokesman said.
His prosecution was the third of its kind in the UK since the Gambling Act came into force in 2007, he added.
Sahami, who had been nationally barred by all major casino operators for cheating, used at least four false identities to gain access to London casinos between March and July 2009, the spokesman said. Sahami used fake membership cards or counterfeit UK driving licenses.
It was calculated that he would gain less than $200 per cheat or theft.
“It is difficult to be precise about the amount Sahami made from his actions but it is known that he would commit multiple offences at a time,’’ the
spokesman said.
He was arrested after he was caught by closed circuit television security cameras cheating at a Gala Coral Group casino.
Detective Inspector Ann-Marie Waller of the Metropolitan Police’s human exploitation and organized crime command said: “Sahami was a brazen and determined fraudster who cheated not only the casinos but fellow punters [gamblers] out of hundreds of pounds a time. The fact that he has pleaded guilty to theft and cheat at the roulette table is unusual as these offences are difficult to prove to the standards required for criminal court.’’
