Casino cheats face jail after two-decade spree around world

Two gambling cheats who travelled the world conning casinos out of tens of thousands of pounds were facing jail today.

Francesco Baioni, 64, of Primrose Hill, and Frank Camilleri, 61, of Beckenham, were caught using fake identities in a bid to gain membership to London casinos where they had been barred.

They have admitted 19 offences including possession of false identity documents and fraud, and were being sentenced at Southwark crown court.

The pair, both Italian nationals, are believed to have operated as part of an international criminal network for the past 20 years, striking in China, Australia and the US as well as London. They used sleight-of-hand to place last-minute bets on winning numbers as soon as the roulette ball came to rest.

The court heard how, having been barred by all major UK casino operators for cheating, they used false Italian ID to get back in and commit further offences.