X-ray poker tables allegedly used by NYC mafia in NBA gambling scandal are readily available online
A Google search for “X-Ray poker table” pulls up numerous companies producing devices that apparently employ the exact technology mobsters used in the con. YouTube/Mr. Gamble Miami
The high-tech tools that New York City mobsters allegedly used to swindle victims out of millions in a years-long underground poker scam are surprisingly easy to find — and buy — online.
A quick Google search for “X-Ray poker table” reveals dozens of companies openly selling devices that appear to use the same technology prosecutors say the mob relied on in their scheme, which was detailed in a sweeping federal indictment unveiled Thursday.
Some of these tables look completely ordinary but are secretly equipped with LED systems capable of seeing through the felt surface to read the suit and value of any card in play. The data is then transmitted wirelessly to cell phones or computer screens, allowing operators to analyze hands in real time. Most of these tables are custom-built, with prices available only upon request.
That’s just one of several forms of technology prosecutors say members of New York’s four leading Mafia families used — allegedly alongside several well-known former NBA players — to con high-rollers out of millions.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, more than 30 individuals have now been indicted in connection with the scheme. Investigators say the operation also used poker chip trays and decoy cell phones capable of reading cards through barcodes invisible to the human eye but detectable by specialized readers hidden in everyday objects.
Manufacturers selling such devices offer entire kits — including the marked decks, barcode readers disguised as phones or key fobs, and even software that predicts how each hand will be dealt. Some companies go as far as embedding scanners inside real iPhones, retailing the devices for around $1,000.
One of the most shocking tools, however, is also the simplest: special contact lenses that can read invisible infrared markings on playing cards. Complete sets — cards, lenses, and instructions — can be purchased for less than $500, often marketed with online videos that openly use the word “cheat.”
Prosecutors say the criminal operation used these various technologies since at least 2019 to run high-stakes poker games in New York City, Long Island, Las Vegas, and Miami. Former NBA stars allegedly helped lure wealthy victims to the tables, unaware that every card they played was being tracked. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was among those named in the indictment.
According to court filings, once the games began, victims were usually the only people not in on the con. Hidden devices transmitted data about the cards to an outside accomplice, who then sent strategic instructions back to an insider at the table. That handler would subtly signal other players, guiding them to manipulate bets and extract massive losses from the target.
One victim reportedly lost nearly $2 million in just two months of games in 2023 — the culmination of a sophisticated, tech-driven scam hiding in plain sight.
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