Overview
- An indictment unsealed by the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn charges more than 30 defendants, including Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, in a multistate underground poker scheme involving members of four New York Mafia families dating to at least 2019.
- Prosecutors say reprogrammed Deckmate shufflers read cards and predicted winning hands, supplemented by X‑ray poker tables, chip‑tray analyzers, and special eyewear for marked decks.
- According to charging documents, devices sent live hand information to an off‑site operator who fed signals back to a table “quarterback” to steer betting against targeted high‑rollers.
- Authorities report victim losses in the millions, with some coverage citing roughly $7 million and one 2023 run costing a player about $1.8 million, with threats used to collect debts.
- Reporting notes that similar cheating devices are widely sold online, while Deckmate parent Light & Wonder says it is not implicated and will cooperate with the investigation.