Madrid (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested 87 Nigerians they say are linked to a scam which embezzled millions of dollars out of Americans and Europeans by sending letters saying the recipients had won the lottery. The fraudsters sent around 15,000 letters every day telling people they had won up to 3 million euros (USD 4.8 million) in the Spanish lottery, but asking winners to pay official costs to release their prize, police said on Thursday.

San Diego - The leader of a crew that took casinos for about USD 7 million pleaded guilty Wednesday to racketeering conspiracy charges in what federal authorities have described as one of the largest cheating schemes ever busted. Phuong Quoc Truong, nicknamed Pai Gow John, ran a sophisticated operation that enlisted shady dealers to rig blackjack and mini-baccarat games and gamblers to place big bets, authorities said.

Crown Point - One gaming official called it "everyone's fantasy -- just by going to your ATM machine, you can get unlimited money." Problem is, authorities say, taking money you know your account can't cover is against the law. As a result, two Illinois men now are facing charges and about two dozen more people are under investigation. Daniel D. Martin, 45, of Evanston, Ill,, was charged with two counts of theft while Herman C. Simpson, 46, of Riverside, Ill., was charged with one count of attempted theft.

Atlantic City, New Jersey - It was a high-tech variation on one of the oldest tricks in the book, dating back to the Wild West saloon days _ cheating unsuspecting poker players by rigging the game. But the tools in a scam broken up by New Jersey State Police were decidedly 21st century, including tiny video cameras and earpiece radio receivers designed to be undetectable, and laptop computers.