Three held over casino scam

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of winning more than 1 million GBP (2.46 million AUD) at a London casino using high-tech gadgets, police said today.

The Metropolitan Police said two men and a woman, all from Eastern Europe, had been arrested on suspicion of obtaining money by deception through gambling. A spokesman said "a significant amount of cash" had been seized in the investigation.

The Daily Mirror newspaper reported that the trio attracted suspicion when they won the huge sum at roulette last week at the casino in the Ritz Hotel.

The newspaper said police were investigating whether they had used a laser scanner inside a mobile phone to calculate the speed of the ball on the spinning wheel and its likely resting place.

The police spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed detectives were investigating the mobile-phone theory.

He said the suspects had been released on bail and ordered to return to a police station on March 30.

A spokeswoman for the casino declined to comment on the case.