29 September 2025
It was in August 2011 that, at the Les Princes Casino in Cannes, the Italian Stefano Ampollini (56 years) was caught, along with accomplices, using infrared lenses to read invisible ink on cards exchanged by two casino employees involved in the scheme .
Stefano used the lenses to cheat on Stud tables, where an accomplice sat opposite to him, making noises with his nose to indicate whether Stefano should play or fold. The cards were also tampered with invisible ink, and were added to the game by two dealers, Stefano's accomplices.
The special lenses were purchased in China for €2,000, and they were used to generate a profit of more than €70,000 at the tables. Before Judge Marc Joando, Stefano confirmed that he offered identical lens to other friends of his, but he didn't identify those friends.
According to Marc Concas, Groupe Lucien Barrière's lawyer (the business group that owns the casino), in statements to the Telegraph newspaper, the casino security "was suspicious about the ease with which Stefano was winning, mostly because he folded twice when he had excellent cards, suggesting he knew the dealer's hand."
Stefano was sentenced to two years in prison; he will also have to pay a fine of € 100,000.
Stefano wasn't the only only one arrested in this case, though. Gianfranco Tirrito (55 years), considered the ringleader, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment and a fine of € 100,000. Rocco Grassanno (now 57), who stated that he had traveled to Cannes for "tourism and to meet beautiful women", got 30 months in prison and a fine of €50,000.
This was the first known case in Europe, where this type of lenses was used to defraud a casino. Earlier this month, an American was caught doing an identical scheme in a casino in Louisiana .
