- 2 days ago
Scam City S02E01 United States-New Orleans
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00They're the world's greatest cities. Famous for their culture and beauty.
00:06But there's something else waiting in the shadows.
00:09The scammers, the hustlers, the thieves.
00:13And they're all looking for tourists to con.
00:16State against the what? Russian roulette. Are you joking me?
00:19I'm Connor Woodman, and in Scam City, I set myself up as bait.
00:24This is like being kidnapped.
00:26A willing victim to be fleeced.
00:28I'll catch the scammers in the act.
00:30You know where my wallet is. I know.
00:32And reveal the tricks of the trade.
00:34Sorry, I'm not talking about that.
00:35Because why? It's too dangerous?
00:37And I'll expose them face to face.
00:40We are filming you scamming me.
00:42Scam City. I get scammed so you don't have to.
00:58The Big Easy. New Orleans. One of America's most fascinating cities.
01:04It's a melting pot steeped in history, culture and music.
01:09But I soon discover that if you go looking for it, trouble is easy to find.
01:17I'm in a room with a naked lady and a masked man.
01:20He's got a baseball bat in one hand and a gun in the other.
01:22You still want to play?
01:24That's what I'm...
01:24You still want the razzle-dazzle?
01:25Here's your game.
01:27That's a bullet. That's one bullet and a six-shooter.
01:30No one will do this.
01:31How on earth did I end up here?
01:34You want to get the fuck out of New Orleans on the next plane.
01:41I hit town in the middle of Mardi Gras season.
01:45Two weeks of parades, street parties and masked balls
01:49as revellers prepare for Lent with a frenzy of excess.
01:53This 300-year-old festival pulls in half a billion dollars a year
01:58for the city's coffers.
01:59But it also attracts a variety of scams.
02:04One of the most infamous New Orleans scams is the razzle-dazzle,
02:08or Cajun Bingo.
02:10Scammers rip tourists off for thousands of dollars in a rigged board game.
02:15Unlicensed gambling is illegal in New Orleans.
02:18A crackdown by police closed a lot of the city's razzle-dazzle operators,
02:23many of whom had connections to organised crime.
02:26But I've heard they reappear during Mardi Gras.
02:32Before we start hunting, the crew and I get kitted out with hidden cameras.
02:36This way we should be able to secretly film any scams that happened to me.
02:41And it's not long before I spot something that looks intriguing.
02:47How you doing, sir?
02:48I'm Ron, sir.
02:50Tell me about the fastest load.
02:51The one with the ball wins.
02:52Watch.
02:52Pick the ball, you win.
02:53Pick the empty one, I win.
02:54Shout out to see where's the ball.
02:55In the middle.
02:56Now, this looks like a variation on the famous three-card Monty scam,
03:00in which punters try to guess which of the three cards is the red one.
03:04But in this scam, whichever card you pick, you lose.
03:10Hold me down, huh?
03:12No pictures.
03:14I'm not famous yet.
03:16Don't worry about him.
03:18He's with me.
03:18He's with me.
03:19He's with me.
03:19He's with me.
03:19He's with me.
03:20He's with me.
03:20He's with me.
03:20A hundred?
03:20I'm not betting a hundred.
03:22Sixty, eighty, or a hundred.
03:23Watch the ball, watch.
03:24Okay, watch the ball.
03:25I bet one hundred.
03:26Money, which one?
03:27That.
03:28Go on, point to the ball.
03:30Just point to it.
03:31Oh, boy.
03:32I'll bet you five.
03:33No, sixty minimum.
03:34Sixty?
03:34I got sixty.
03:35You got to pick the ball, watch.
03:36I'll give you ten bucks.
03:38Ten only wins ten.
03:39Ten only wins ten.
03:40That's fine.
03:40Ball, win, and still lose.
03:42Where's the ball?
03:42Put the money out.
03:43Put the money out.
03:45The one with the ball.
03:46You got to watch me.
03:47If you don't watch me, you can't catch me.
03:48Watch the ball.
03:50Here, here, here, here.
03:55Yo!
03:56Hey, my friend, don't worry.
03:57He's with me.
03:57He's with me.
03:57I can't be on film.
03:58Okay.
04:00Let me explain.
04:02I know you're doing a movie, but I don't want to be in the movie.
04:04Have a nice day.
04:05Leave me alone, man.
04:06You're back.
04:07I can't film it with the camera, man.
04:09Listen, man, we...
04:10I don't want to cause a problem for you.
04:12Yeah, you're causing a problem.
04:13You're right here filming me.
04:15Okay, we won't do anything unless you're kind of cool with it.
04:20Hold me down, man.
04:22He can't see that.
04:22Listen, we go all around the world, okay?
04:24We make the same show all over the world, working with kind of people who do tricks on the street
04:29and stuff.
04:29Hey, sir, you're fucking me up right now.
04:31I want to make money, man.
04:32Okay.
04:33Hold me down, man.
04:37Not only was he uptight, but worse, he spotted the cameras.
04:41We've got to be more careful.
04:43Wow, that guy really didn't want to talk to me, did he?
04:46I mean, it gives you a sense about how edgy people are here talking about illegal gambling and also how
04:52difficult it's going to be to get anyone to talk to me about the razzle.
04:59I keep heading towards the French Quarter, one of the city's oldest districts founded by French settlers in 1718.
05:10Today, the quarter is one of the main hotspots for tourists looking to spend their money.
05:18New Orleans has a liberal tradition that embraces mysticism and the occult.
05:22For some, that might be voodoo.
05:24For others, New Age spirituality.
05:29I've spotted on this corner around here a group of ladies who are offering tarot readings.
05:35Now, whether you believe in tarot or not, there is an art, a skill to it.
05:41And I'm not sure that these women around here are offering, well, what we might call a genuine service.
05:51There are three operators working Jackson Square today.
05:54I'm going to give them all a shot.
05:57That one immediately fell right.
05:58Mix them up any way you can until you come pull with them.
06:02I'm Jeffy, and your name?
06:04Connor.
06:05Yeah.
06:05Notice how I said it at the same time.
06:06I wouldn't wait for you to say, Con.
06:08I was channeling.
06:10I wasn't reading.
06:11You kind of already knew what my name was before I even said it.
06:14Right.
06:14Con.
06:15His words.
06:16Not mine.
06:18I do a specific reading.
06:19It's up to you and Price, anywhere between 30 and 90.
06:22You decide how much Winnex is done.
06:24Okay.
06:24Pick a price.
06:25Surely no one chooses 90.
06:28In the past, you felt you were in love strongly with something.
06:31You had one true love.
06:33Right.
06:34Does that make sense, in a way?
06:36One or two?
06:37Well, I think that's true for you.
06:38Ah, my love life.
06:40I could do with some good news in that department.
06:42This year, I see maybe absolutely nothing positive of the romantic nature coming your way.
06:50Well, that's disappointing.
06:51You date really strange women.
06:54It seems like the weirder, the freakier, the better, am I right?
06:58That might not be how they would put it.
07:01You have a very strong artistic or creative aspect.
07:06Flattery will get you everywhere.
07:08Love travel.
07:09Yeah.
07:10Travel, you've already had the option to do a great deal of travel.
07:13You said you're a writer.
07:14Do you do documentaries in that, too?
07:16Sometimes, yeah.
07:17Because it seems to suit you more.
07:18Right.
07:19Yeah.
07:19You're the person who likes to dig for the truth in everything, don't you?
07:22Yeah.
07:22$20 to be told your love life is going down the pan is one thing.
07:26But how on earth did they know I was here making a documentary?
07:30They can't have seen that on the cards, can they?
07:33Thank you very much.
07:34All a bit spooky.
07:35Time to pay up and get out of here.
07:40Sorry?
07:43No, no, no. Just kidding. Just kidding.
07:46Looks like I've upset one of the locals.
07:49This is my table.
07:51They're your tables?
07:52Yeah.
07:52Those people work for me.
07:54They work for you?
07:54Yeah, I run that.
07:56Who's got the camera?
07:56You got the camera?
07:59This is just a stills camera.
08:01This is...
08:01Don't take his camera.
08:02This is just a stills, like, photo camera.
08:05But listen, we have a big light camera.
08:07We would like to kind of come and...
08:09Oh, no.
08:09Oh, no.
08:10No?
08:10Oh, no.
08:11You don't go around telling them what we do.
08:13What we do is our business.
08:15Well, I mean, I'm paying them to get tarot readings from them.
08:19I don't care.
08:19I run this.
08:20This is my sandbox.
08:22You little monkey.
08:23You don't piss in my sandbox.
08:24I'm not...
08:25Honestly, I'm not here to cause anyone any problems.
08:28Honestly.
08:28I don't expect to get no feedback from this.
08:30I get any feedback from this, you got problems.
08:33I understand.
08:35I understand.
08:36I understand.
08:38I'm sorry, because I would have liked...
08:39I would have liked to have interviewed you for my show.
08:41But if you don't...
08:42If I understand...
08:43You ain't got enough money to interview me.
08:45I don't give a damn who you're with, what network, or whatever you're with.
08:48You ain't got enough money to get into my world.
08:50Okay.
08:50If you have a problem with that...
08:52I...
08:52I'm disappointed.
08:53I don't...
08:54I can't have a problem.
08:55It's your world.
08:56I don't give a fuck if you're disappointed.
08:56I don't give a shit if you're disappointed.
08:59I really don't.
09:01Don't bring your cameras.
09:02Don't bring nothing.
09:03It's just that damn simple.
09:05Shit happens.
09:06Shit happens every day.
09:07Okay.
09:08To people.
09:11Trust me.
09:12You do not want to get in my world.
09:15Yeah.
09:16I kind of...
09:16I get a sense now that you're now threatening me.
09:19Which is totally unnecessary.
09:20I really don't care how you take it.
09:22Okay.
09:22Well, that's how I'm taking it.
09:23I'm giving...
09:24I'm just telling you.
09:25I'm just telling you how I'm taking it.
09:26You do not want to get in my world.
09:27I'm now taking it that you're now threatening me.
09:29And I just don't think it's necessary.
09:30You know?
09:31You don't want me to film over there?
09:33I won't film over there.
09:33I'll just go.
09:34You just don't need to get in my world.
09:35Okay.
09:36I'm no longer in your world.
09:37I'm stepping out of your world.
09:39I'm sorry if I've caused you a problem.
09:41I didn't mean to cause you a problem.
09:43I'm just going to step out of your world,
09:44and hopefully that's it.
09:46End of it.
09:48I don't see you back here.
09:50We're good.
09:51How did he know that I'm not just another tourist?
09:54He must have been watching me all the time.
09:58Maybe tarot card tables are more than just a small-time hustle,
10:01and he's the kind of person that can tell me.
10:11Later that night, I hit the street undercover.
10:15This time, I'm going to be more careful.
10:21I've seen a guy on the street corner down there,
10:23just doing magic tricks, taking money off tourists.
10:26I'm going to go and get involved and play the game.
10:28I'll happily lose a few dollars,
10:30if it means I get to find out a little bit more
10:32about some of the serious scams that are going on here in town.
10:39Hi, my friend.
10:40How are you?
10:41Welcome to New Orleans.
10:42Thank you very much.
10:43Stand right there, little man, right there.
10:45Perfect.
10:45Here we go.
10:46Grip onto these as tight as you can.
10:47Put your hand just like that.
10:49Perfect.
10:49Don't move.
10:50I need a level.
10:51Just like that.
10:52Perfection achieved.
10:53You've got those three.
10:54I've got these two.
10:55And just like that, I slide one inside your hand.
10:59So you're saying there's four in there?
11:01And I know there's three in there.
11:03Go ahead.
11:03Open your hand.
11:06There's four in there.
11:07It's good.
11:10Do you do games as well?
11:11What do you mean by games?
11:13You know, like betting games.
11:14You can't do that kind of stuff out here.
11:16Everybody knows that.
11:17Every magician knows that.
11:18You can't just sit here and be like,
11:20I'm going to do three card money or something like that.
11:22Because if you do that, you'll be in trouble.
11:25Yeah.
11:25But as a performance, I can say,
11:27Hey, I would say, which is your card?
11:30And you would say...
11:31That one.
11:31That one right there.
11:32And I would say you owe me five dollars.
11:34Sure.
11:34Merci beaucoup, monsieur.
11:35What do you do?
11:36Listen, this is great, but obviously it's small change.
11:40Of course.
11:41And I imagine Mardi Gras is kind of...
11:44Well, let's say there's bigger change to be played for.
11:48Is there this time of year?
11:49No.
11:50What do you mean?
11:51What do you mean?
11:51Like games?
11:52No.
11:52There's no real games to have heard in Mardi Gras.
11:55What do you mean?
11:55Huh?
11:56What do you mean by, like, games and stuff?
11:58Yeah, like...
11:58Well...
11:59Like the casino?
12:00No, not the casino, but more kind of street games.
12:04There's a game I've heard about down here called the razzle.
12:07You must have heard of the razzle.
12:09You're not a police officer, right?
12:11I'm not a police officer, no.
12:12I like my games edgy.
12:14Well, you came to a dangerous place to play kedgy games,
12:18and the people that are around here that do stuff like that,
12:22they might hold a piece to your head while you're playing kind of thing.
12:27Yeah.
12:28You know, and they will just grab you by your pants
12:30and toss you right in the water without even thinking about it.
12:32People disappear here.
12:33In the water, in the river.
12:34In Louisiana, New Orleans, we've got a simple rule.
12:37No body, no crime.
12:40Okay.
12:40I take it.
12:41That's a warning.
12:42All right.
12:51You know, I suppose that guy is just a small-time hustler,
12:54but when he's talking about bodies in the Mississippi
12:56and people with guns, that sounds pretty heavy,
12:58and he definitely didn't want to talk about the razzle.
13:02Could the razzle-dazzle be more than just a board game?
13:05Is there something more sinister at play?
13:13Bourbon Street is aptly named.
13:15This is where tourists come during Mardi Gras with one common agenda,
13:19to get as drunk as possible and have a wild time.
13:24I'm meeting a local who's going to show me around.
13:28My guide has one condition.
13:30I keep his identity concealed.
13:33Okay, my mysterious friend.
13:35Stay along.
13:36I'm following you.
13:40Most of the country cuts off at 2 a.m. at the latest.
13:45Well, here we drink 24-7.
13:47Because of that, come 3 o'clock, these people don't know which way is up.
13:52They come here with the idea that after a couple days,
13:55they'll be acting like a local.
13:57They'll be dancing in the streets.
13:59They'll be eating red beans and rice.
14:01But they come here with the idea that I'm going to be living the New Orleans life.
14:05It's not the Big Easy down here.
14:06It's really dirty.
14:11A lot of scumbags hang out here.
14:13Drug dealers, fake ticket guys, guys that can find your prostitutes.
14:16Usually the girls stand out front with the big signs,
14:18or there's a room full of dirty, dirty, nasty women.
14:21All it is, is a facet to get your money.
14:24This girl will do whatever you want.
14:26Give me $200 and you can take her upstairs.
14:28When you get upstairs, how much more money do you fucking have?
14:30You've got an ATM machine that charges like 15, 18%.
14:34What, you're never going to have sex?
14:35I highly doubt it.
14:36I mean, the girls in our hospitals and workers, that's it.
14:39They're not trying to have sex, they're trying to make money.
14:41That's all they're trying to do.
14:42Here we go, you see the sign, three for one?
14:44Yeah.
14:45You go in and you've got two of your mates with you,
14:47so you order three beers.
14:49Well, the bartender, quick as can be, pop, pop, pop, opens up nine beers
14:52and put them in front of you.
14:53So now you're looking at $35, $40, and they do that all day.
14:57As a bartender, you order one beer and three of you have beers,
15:00now you've figured it out.
15:04There's one thing I've been meaning to ask.
15:06Beads?
15:08The ground is actually thick with beads.
15:11Yeah.
15:11Oh, it gets...
15:12It's like beads on top of beads.
15:13It's only Monday.
15:14I just don't get it.
15:15What's the point of it?
15:17At the end, when you get back to the airport,
15:19you can trade it in for currency.
15:22Beads?
15:22No, of course not.
15:23I'm bullshitting you 100%.
15:24There is no fucking point.
15:26It's bullshit.
15:27This is what, for the last 20 years, is what it's been about.
15:36Look at me.
15:37Look at me.
15:37I've got beads on.
15:38And the girls, I want to show their ta-tas.
15:40That's about it.
15:41They want your money.
15:42And the beads.
15:43And the beads.
15:43You've got to have the beads.
15:44You've got to have the beads.
15:49It's easy to see the attraction of New Orleans,
15:52especially at Mardi Gras.
15:53But if you look a little closer,
15:55you start to see the darker side.
15:58My digging has opened up some new information
16:01on the razzle scam.
16:03It seems it was making so much money from tourists
16:06that the FBI got involved
16:08and found evidence of police corruption
16:10working alongside organised crime.
16:14After today, there's still a nagging question.
16:17Is my curiosity about the razzle
16:19likely to leave me swimming with the fishes
16:21at the bottom of the Mississippi River?
16:33The next morning, as I take a ride around town,
16:35I realise that New Orleans is a city of two extremes.
16:42Once you leave the affluent suburbs,
16:44you enter neighbourhoods ravaged by recession
16:46and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
16:54This is now the murder capital of America,
16:57with 193 murders in the last year.
17:04It's a sobering thought,
17:06all that poverty, violence and murder
17:08rubbing up against tourists with wallets full of cash.
17:22I've had the call to say it's OK to go back
17:24and talk to the guy who runs the tarot readers.
17:27Let's hope he's calmed down since the last time I spoke to him,
17:29cos I don't want to end up in there.
17:38Hello, sir.
17:38This isn't going to be easy.
17:41You doing all right today?
17:42He won't even shake my hand.
17:44Not exactly a good start.
17:46Remember me?
17:47Yeah.
17:49The only thing I didn't like about yesterday is
17:51I didn't know what was going on.
17:52Sure, I'm sorry about that.
17:54In our community, we try to keep the net on it.
17:56So that way we know everything what's going on,
17:59so there's no problems between my people.
18:01Sure.
18:02Nobody gets in trouble with what we do.
18:04I'm sorry about that.
18:04It didn't make you or anyone else feel uncomfortable.
18:07It made us feel very uncomfortable.
18:08Sure.
18:09And that's why I approached you the way I do.
18:12Yeah, OK.
18:13This is what I do.
18:15I go city to city,
18:16and I kind of try and see the world
18:17through the eyes of a tourist in that perspective.
18:20And so when I see a group of people doing kind of stuff on the street,
18:24like tarot reading, for example,
18:26I'm kind of inquisitive.
18:27I'm thinking,
18:28is this everything it seems,
18:29or is there a little bit more to this than initially meets the eye?
18:32Who are the people that have genuine talent in this industry,
18:36and who are the people that are just kind of scamming tourists for money?
18:39There's some out there that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.
18:45Everybody and his mother is a tarot card reader.
18:48I'll give you an example.
18:49You see the cat behind me?
18:51He used to be a tarot card reader.
18:52This guy here with the hat?
18:53Yeah.
18:53OK.
18:54I don't know how the fuck is he going to read tarot cards.
18:57Do you honestly believe there's such a thing as a genuine tarot reading?
19:02Or is it all just a bit of hokum and done for the tourists?
19:05Well, I can send you to one and you can judge for yourself.
19:10Is this one you think is the real deal?
19:12Yeah, I can send you to one.
19:13It's a real gypsy.
19:14Right.
19:15And it'll get you a nice reading, though.
19:18OK.
19:18Can we get straight out?
19:20Yeah, you want to go get your reading?
19:21Yeah.
19:22Let's do it.
19:23OK, take off.
19:24Don't ask her how much and tell her you want a five-five combination reading.
19:30OK.
19:31Strange advice.
19:32Don't ask the price and take the full works.
19:35But if John Adams, Tarot Card King of New Orleans is recommending a reading, then I guess she must be
19:40the real deal.
19:42My name is Cindy.
19:43My name's Connor.
19:44Connor?
19:44Connor.
19:45Connor, yeah.
19:46How you doing, sir?
19:47I'm good, Cindy.
19:48Well, I'm going to explain the readings.
19:50OK.
19:50I'm going to tell you what I do.
19:52I usually do a five-reading combination.
19:54That'll give you Palm, Terra, Crystal, Psychic, and Aura.
19:57Are you right-handed?
19:58I'm left-handed.
19:59Put that in your left hand.
20:00Put that in your left hand.
20:01Yes.
20:01That's for clarity for your reading.
20:03OK.
20:04Also for good luck.
20:05OK.
20:09Two palms, baby.
20:11This is your lifeline, sweetheart.
20:13Yeah.
20:13It does run to the back, very long, very strong.
20:15So that tells me long life is meant there for you.
20:18Talent line all the way across.
20:20Which one's that?
20:20Right here in the middle.
20:21You're steadfast.
20:22You definitely follow through when you've got something to do.
20:24Yeah.
20:25And you bite off a little bit more than you could chew.
20:28Try to.
20:30Learn about your past mistakes, sweetheart.
20:32Don't hold a grudge.
20:33Somebody gets under your skin, comes against you, your loved ones.
20:36You don't let go.
20:38Do you know what you're accomplishing by doing that?
20:41No.
20:41You give those people your positive energy, your overall energy.
20:45Your time, your peace of mind.
20:47You're smart, you're intelligent men.
20:49But sometimes you think a little bit too much for you.
20:51I'm good.
20:52It's funny.
20:52Everything that you say resonates very, very true.
20:56Mm-hmm.
20:58Lots of things I would recognize about myself, for sure.
21:02You're smart.
21:03But you try to figure it out too much.
21:05You try to figure out people too much also.
21:07People in your own DNA, baby.
21:09You're not going to figure them out until the day you die.
21:12Let it go.
21:13People are who they are.
21:15It means be ready.
21:16Yeah.
21:17Okay?
21:17Yeah.
21:18Good advice.
21:20Good advice.
21:22Cool.
21:22Any questions?
21:23No.
21:24Thank you very much.
21:24And I wish you good luck.
21:25It was a pleasure.
21:26Oh, my pleasure was mine.
21:27That's why I owe you, Cindy.
21:28For a five reading combination, sweetheart, it's $250,
21:31because it's $50 a reading.
21:34$250 bucks?
21:35Yes, sir.
21:35I gave you a five reading combination.
21:37Wow.
21:38That's a lot more than I paid for other readings.
21:41Oh, sweetheart, I go by your energies.
21:42I told you about your life.
21:44Wow.
21:46I didn't see that in the cards.
21:50250 big ones.
21:52Have fun, baby.
21:53Enjoy the city.
21:55I don't want to forget any of that.
21:57For $250 bucks?
21:58You'll remember.
22:00I wish I'd made notes.
22:03It'll come to you.
22:06Bye, Cindy.
22:07Have fun.
22:09Another reading.
22:10And again, everything that she said resonated really a little bit too true for me.
22:15But, you know, this time it's $250 bucks, and I am absolutely kicking myself for not asking
22:22the price before I sat down.
22:25Where is John?
22:28As I wait for John to reappear, it occurs to me that the reason I didn't ask for the price
22:33was because he told me not to.
22:36Don't ask her how much, and tell her you want a five card combination reading.
22:42Very illuminating.
22:43It's $250 as well, though.
22:45It's like, whoa, how much?
22:48And I paid $25, $30, $35 bucks to all these other readers the other day.
22:53I thought it was going to be somewhere in that ballpark.
22:55You want to drive a Volkswagen or you want to drive a Rolls Royce, which one do you want?
22:59I've been married for 12 years, and I still don't understand, so I don't ask no question.
23:04As long as the bills are paid, I'm happy.
23:05I don't care.
23:06So I've just paid $250 to John's wife.
23:09Okay, well, I'm down $250, but at least we're friends.
23:13That's a good thing.
23:14That is a good thing.
23:18I leave John at the banks of the Mississippi and head for the French Quarter.
23:26The mood is changing, the daytime crew are packing up,
23:29and as night falls, the serious revellers are coming out to play.
23:36When this party ends, the place to be is at one of the big balls that happen.
23:41The parade's finished and the bars all closed. Thanks, mate.
23:45The main ball tonight, the really big hot ticket in town is the Mum's Ball.
23:49It's totally sold out.
23:51The only way to get a ticket is from a town.
23:55The mass ball tradition in New Orleans dates back to the 18th century.
23:59They were once just for high society,
24:01but now they're notorious for being Bacchanian free-for-alls.
24:06And the Mum's Ball is the most decadent.
24:13The problem is, I don't have a ticket.
24:20Thanks, sweetheart.
24:21Do you have the buffet and tonic?
24:23The spires and soda.
24:26Extra, extra, extra lime.
24:27Extra, extra, extra lime.
24:29And I speak some of them and I really speak some of them.
24:29That's perfect, thank you.
24:36Thanks.
24:42Dude, I love your accent.
24:45I'm not sleeping with you.
24:47Damn, that just rinsed my whole mind.
24:49Where are you from?
24:50From London, England.
24:52London?
24:53Yeah.
24:53My name's Ray.
24:54Hey, Ray.
24:55How are you doing?
24:56Are you from down here?
24:56Oh, yeah, yeah.
24:58I live around the corner.
25:00I was actually waiting on our girl to get here.
25:03Hi.
25:03I was going to take her to a ball we have down here.
25:06And, uh...
25:07That's what we're trying.
25:08We're trying to get some tickets for the Mum's Ball tonight.
25:11Just two of y'all?
25:13Yeah.
25:14I've got them.
25:15I've got a pair of tickets.
25:16How much would you want for your ticket?
25:19150, and it's one past two people.
25:22One past two people.
25:24Yeah.
25:25$150.
25:29Can I see the ticket?
25:32Now, you can't open it until you get there.
25:37Really?
25:37I'm not shitting you at all.
25:40That's...
25:40People try to put them in greasers.
25:42They do all kinds of stuff to try to get the seal off.
25:46And that's just...
25:47It's a tradition for New Orleans.
25:50That...
25:50It's like one of those traditions we don't expect people to understand.
25:54Maybe it's been doing it since a long time ago,
25:56and that's one of the things.
25:58And I got offered 400 last year.
26:01And that gets two people in?
26:02Yes.
26:04You're not shitting me, because, you know, it's...
26:06I'm not shitting you, man.
26:07Because it's two of us.
26:08If we get to the door and only one of us is allowed in, it's...
26:11It's a plus-one deal.
26:13Just like if you're on a guest list,
26:14at a concert or something, it's your name plus one.
26:18Okay.
26:20There's a lot of characters in this town.
26:22Well, there's good characters and bad characters.
26:25Yeah.
26:26I haven't worked out which is which yet.
26:29Okay, my friend, I'm trusting you.
26:35You won't forget it, man. You'll have a good time.
26:39I hope so.
26:39If this is a scam, then I'll come back and look for this guy.
26:43But if it isn't, I've just got the hottest ticket in New Orleans.
26:49As I leave the bar, the street party's in full effect,
26:52apparently uninterrupted by the fact there's been a shooting just one block away.
26:59Four people shot in the middle of the biggest street festival in the United States.
27:04While the cops clear up the mess, the party just carries on.
27:09What kind of place is this?
27:1420 yards down Bourbon Street was a shooting.
27:17The thing about New Orleans is that if the people that gave a shit woke up tomorrow and changed everything,
27:22it wouldn't be New Orleans anymore.
27:26So because of the amount of shootings we have, everyone I know carries a pistol.
27:30Everybody.
27:31Do you have one on you now?
27:32Sure.
27:32That's it?
27:33You don't have a pistol on you?
27:34I don't have a pistol.
27:35How long have you been in the States, you know the pistol on you?
27:37Here.
27:38Here you go.
27:39It's a black .40 caliber.
27:41You just wouldn't feel safe leaving the house without that?
27:44I've never left the house without it.
27:45Not since I was 16 years old.
27:48Not without this or an equivalent, absolutely not.
27:50And you've used it?
27:51Yeah, I've shot three times, yeah.
27:54So the three times that you've shot it, did you hit anything?
27:57Sure.
27:57Yeah.
27:58Yeah, I had to.
27:59Otherwise, I would be dead.
28:00First time I was a 15-year-old, 15, 16-year-old kid, that got to me.
28:05I spent about an hour and a half at the police station while they questioned me.
28:09And they let me go with my pistol.
28:10And what happened to the kid?
28:11He's dead.
28:12He's dead?
28:12Yeah, he's dead.
28:13He pulled a gun on me.
28:14Tried to get my $18 hat in my pocket.
28:17But more than that, I saw the look in his eyes that he was going to kill me.
28:19He didn't care that I had 18 bucks.
28:21He didn't care if I gave him the money.
28:23But he almost as well.
28:24Oh yeah, he had a gun on my chest.
28:25He had a 380 sitting on my chest like this.
28:27A little kid with a 380 in my chest.
28:29And because of that, I shot and killed him.
28:32But yeah, that's the way it is down here.
28:35And the things that you're talking about, the hustlers, they're more likely to stab you than
28:40they are to actually put the time and effort into working a real scam on somebody.
28:45Literally trouble at every corner.
28:47From the core to the fucking top is trouble.
28:49That's New Orleans.
28:50Yeah.
28:51Perfect.
28:51Well, I'm in the right place.
28:52Cheers.
28:53And then we tap.
28:55Yeah.
28:55I don't know where it comes from, but this is what we do here.
28:57And then you drink.
28:58Yeah, a lot.
28:59Oh.
29:02If it's true, it's a chilling tale.
29:05But whatever, guns seem to be a way of life down here.
29:09And the party on Bourbon Street keeps on rolling.
29:12The show must go on.
29:14There's plenty of things to keep tourists distracted from any sense of danger.
29:19A silver painted naked lady was always going to attract a crowd.
29:24This must be Holly, who my guide told me to look out for.
29:30He told me she's a fixer, but will she connect me to the razzle scam?
29:34Hey Holly, I'm Connor.
29:36A friend of mine told me that if I put 100 in your box, you might be able to help
29:40me with
29:40certain things that I'm looking for information about.
29:47What's your name again?
29:48Connor.
29:49Connor.
29:49Following a silver painted naked lady down the road is not something I do every day.
29:55But she's got my money.
30:03So what do you want to talk about?
30:04I'm in New Orleans looking to have a good time, but not the kind of conventional stuff
30:09maybe on the street.
30:10Maybe I'm looking for...
30:12I'm not going to give you a menu.
30:14Tell me what you want or get the fun.
30:15I want to gamble.
30:16You want to gamble?
30:16Yeah.
30:16There's hairs right there.
30:17Not casino.
30:18I don't want to do casino.
30:19I want to do the New Orleans style street gambling.
30:22I want to get into doing the kind of things.
30:24I mean, you can find a magician.
30:26No, those guys just are doing tricks.
30:29I'm talking about...
30:30I don't understand.
30:30You have to be more specific.
30:31It depends on which a flav.
30:35What's my flav?
30:35Yeah.
30:36My flav is local.
30:37Whatever it is, wherever it is.
30:38So I want to play the game here that's the New Orleans game.
30:41There isn't any poker games going on tonight.
30:43There are some tomorrow.
30:44I'm not talking about poker.
30:46I'm talking about New Orleans games.
30:47The kind of games that, you know, I hear go on here during the Mardi Gras.
30:52What do you hear?
30:52Like shit you read on the internet you hear?
30:53Of course I read shit on the internet.
30:55Who doesn't?
30:58What do you hear?
30:59I hear there's a New Orleans Mardi Gras game.
31:01Some people call it the bingo.
31:03Some people call it the razzle.
31:04Some people call it, I don't know, whatever it's called.
31:06You don't have enough money.
31:07You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
31:09It doesn't exist.
31:11Really?
31:16Holly, Holly, Holly, Holly.
31:17Explain to me.
31:18Sorry, I'm not talking about that.
31:20Because why?
31:21It's too dangerous?
31:22It doesn't exist.
31:24If it doesn't exist, why are you running away?
31:27Because it's bullshit.
31:28It's bullshit.
31:30You don't have enough money.
31:31I don't have enough money, but it's not bullshit.
31:34Yeah, you can't buy it.
31:34So it is bullshit.
31:35It's not bullshit.
31:35It's only on my shit.
31:36It's only on my shit.
31:36I don't trust you, no.
31:39That's beautiful.
31:43Um, you've got to ease your way into it.
31:46Okay.
31:46You've got to remember this is local.
31:48This isn't for tourists.
31:50Every now and again we get tourists in on it, but it's not...
31:56You've got to give me way more than $100 for that kind of information.
32:01Like whenever somebody gives me $100 I can get them like drugs or a hooker or like a tour around
32:06town,
32:07but $100 isn't going to get you shit.
32:09Okay.
32:09Now my information is very protected by people who are family, friends, things like that.
32:15Okay.
32:16I can't give you any information without talking to them and I will not talk to them without a finder
32:21stage.
32:22I won't even tell you where those games are without a minimum of three.
32:26$300.
32:27Right.
32:28Just to find out where the game has happened.
32:29I'm a finder.
32:30As we exchange phone numbers, Holly says she's going to look after me, which is great as long as it's
32:36not another scam.
32:40Yes, finally got a break on the razzle.
32:43I thought I'd lost her.
32:43When I said it, she was off like a shot and I thought, oh my God, she's going to go.
32:47And then I thought, no, I need to catch up with her.
32:51And amazingly, she calmed down just enough, but she's still seriously freaked.
32:56$300 just to tell me where the game is.
32:58This is clearly heavy duty stuff, but I'm in.
33:04Maybe doing business with Holly has got my mojo working.
33:07I feel lucky tonight and sleep is not an option.
33:13I've put my glad rags on and I'm going to see if the tickets I've bought earlier will get me
33:18into the infamous Mom's Ball.
33:22Reports are that Mom's Ball is the height of hedonism and judging from the people coming in, it's going to
33:28be a wild night.
33:33It's a ticket.
33:34All right, a ticket.
33:43I never saw this before.
33:53I don't know.
33:55Is there a problem?
34:05I got it from a guy in New Orleans. Obviously, I'm from out of town. It's the mom's ball, right?
34:10Yeah, so I've come to the right place. That's what he told me.
34:13It's just not a ticket for this place.
34:15Oh, I mean, he's one of the lieutenants, and they've never seen anything like that before.
34:21Because they're saying the address on there is not here.
34:25Right.
34:27I'm sorry, baby.
34:29Okay.
34:31Well, it seems the address on my ticket doesn't match the address of the mom's ball.
34:36It's a fake ticket, and there's no way that's getting me in, so I'm afraid tonight Cinderella
34:43is not going to the ball.
34:56I wake up late, and the party's in full swing again. The streets are full of the weird and
35:04the wonderful because tonight is the big one. The last night of two weeks of partying. Fat
35:33the get-along spirit coming together, that's what we all should do all the time, and we
35:39do it here at Mardi Gras.
35:43This is all good, clean fun. But I hope my luck holds, because I'm going to need all the
35:48luck I can get. Tonight is my last chance to find the razzle.
35:59But before I look for the razzle, I have some unfinished business. Well, the bar where I bought the fake
36:05tickets to the ball is just around this corner, so I'm going to go back and see if I can
36:09find
36:09the guy who's told me the tickets, ask him a few questions.
36:14I walk in and spot him in the corner of the room. Perhaps he doesn't care about angry customers
36:20demanding a refund.
36:22Hey, do you mind if I join you?
36:23Good morning, man.
36:25How you doing?
36:26How you doing?
36:26Having a good Mardi Gras?
36:28Oh, yeah.
36:28Do you remember me?
36:29Yeah.
36:30How was your night the other night?
36:32Oh, it was good.
36:33Did it pan out the way you wanted it to?
36:34Yes, it did.
36:35It did?
36:36Yeah, mine didn't quite pan out the way.
36:39Yeah, the ticket you gave me wasn't a genuine ticket. I got to the door, I was all dressed
36:45up. They looked at it, they said, no, this isn't a...
36:48It wasn't a real ticket.
36:50It wasn't a real ticket, no. Can you believe that?
36:54No.
36:55Really?
36:56Yeah.
36:57You didn't know that that wasn't a real ticket?
36:58No.
36:59Listen, I'm not here to cause trouble. Actually, in a funny way, I was kind of secretly a little
37:07bit pleased it wasn't a real ticket. And that's because I'm in town looking for kind of scams
37:11and hustles that happened around Mardi Gras time. And fake tickets, I guess, is a big part
37:17of the scams and hustles around Mardi Gras. And so I think you probably knew that was a
37:22fake ticket when you sold it to me. And what I'm saying is that's not a problem for me.
37:26I'm not here to cause trouble and say, give me my money back or anything like that.
37:30There's a lot of fake tickets going around this city.
37:33Would you be prepared to talk to me on camera a little bit about the fake ticket industry
37:37here, how it works? How it works? How you got involved in it?
37:43Yeah, but I wouldn't want to do it here.
37:47Let's just say 50 bucks would be a fair price for me to tell you what I know about the
37:51stuff
37:51down here and growing up down here. On top of the 150 bucks you already told me.
37:55Man, if the wrong person sees this, you would never see me again in the French border.
37:59Really? Yes. So how does it work then? What about during Mardi Gras? How many fake tickets
38:04can you pass off during the couple of weeks? Oh my God, there's thousands.
38:08But like the Mums Bowl the other night that you sent me to with my fake ticket, how many of
38:13those
38:13did you sell in the run-up? Probably 40. 40 fake tickets? Yeah, yours was the cheapest one I sold.
38:20So 100, 200 bucks a time? No, I got 400 on some of them.
38:24Okay. So who's actually making the tickets? It's a family that's probably got their fingers
38:30in everything you could imagine down here, whether it be hookers or fake tickets or even moonshine.
38:41So you pay them a price for each ticket? And they do give me some of it, but what happened
38:48is I made a bet on the Super Bowl this year that the Saints would win. Kind of a fool's
38:55errand kind of thing. But when it came down to pay, I did not have that money.
39:00So you're saying you owe someone money? Yes. Quite a bit, actually. I guess it's better
39:05than putting me to work selling my ass or something, which I wouldn't have done.
39:10Yeah, I wouldn't have given you 150 bucks for that. Well, my hairy ass man, I don't think
39:14he'd get very much. But I'll be doing this probably for another year before they're satisfied
39:20and they may find another reason to keep me doing it. Really? You've got that much debt
39:23to pay off? Yeah. And let's just say it's families that have been around for a long time.
39:32Just scatter them. Or organization. Yeah. I mean... Are we talking about organized crime?
39:38Man, dude, you're... That's something that you really don't talk about here. Most of the time
39:48when you hear rumors about that sort of thing down here, it's a hundred times worse.
39:54And when people threaten you and your family, what are you supposed to do?
39:58There's a game that I've heard about around town that I'm kind of looking for,
40:03which you might know is Cajun Bingo. You might have heard of the Razzle.
40:07Man, I don't even want to talk about that. You don't want to talk about that.
40:10Why not? That... If you find somebody that's not a scammer that actually knows about it
40:17and would say, yeah, I'll hook you up, it's 50-50 that, you know,
40:23regardless of how much crew and stuff you got with it, you wouldn't come back.
40:29Yeah. We're not just talking about losing money.
40:31No, I don't know. I mean, that's the least... That'd be a good day.
40:35But you couldn't get a guy like me into a Razzle game, no?
40:38Man, I wouldn't want to, dude. You're real nice.
40:40Even if I want it? I mean, I'm looking for it. I want to find a Razzle game.
40:45That's kind of why I'm in town.
40:46I'd have to, like, really not like somebody.
40:53It's pretty hardcore, but they'll, you know, shoot people in broad daylight.
41:10Some people call it the Razzle. Others, Cajun Bingo.
41:15But they've all told me to stay away from it.
41:21The rational side of me says give up, let it go, turn around and walk away.
41:31But my irrational side says there's nothing crazy about taking advice from a silver-painted naked lady.
41:41Right, I'm going to meet Holly. I'm going to meet her on the corner down here
41:44and she's going to take me to what I hope is a game of Razzle.
41:46This is, without doubt, one of the craziest things I've ever done.
41:49But if I want to find out how the Razzle works, this is the way to do it.
41:59You wanted your Cajun Bingo, you're going to get it.
42:02Is it near here?
42:03Yeah, I just want to let you know, like, you just...
42:06I don't think you know what you got yourself into, so you can go in now or you can turn
42:10back.
42:11It's up to you. I'm giving you the option now.
42:13But once we're in there, we'll go through.
42:15And the deal is?
42:17The deal is, you walk in, I want to see your money in your hands before I can even send
42:23you back there.
42:24That's the deal.
42:26Okay.
42:26And then I'll let you go back there and do your business.
42:29Okay.
42:30Money?
42:30Don't pull that out right now.
42:36And these are people you know?
42:37Yes.
42:38Okay.
42:39People you trust?
42:41Yes.
42:42Well, that's good.
42:44As long as I trust you, then, uh...
43:03Wait right here.
43:07Wonderful.
43:09All right, now I want you to walk back here to this table, put your money on the table,
43:13do not touch the mask.
43:15Money on the table?
43:29Have a seat buddy.
43:36Are you going to be honest with me?
43:38Yeah.
43:38Who are you?
43:39Hi.
43:40Who are you?
43:41My name's Connor.
43:42I'm from London and I'm here to play a game.
43:43You're not here to play a game.
43:45You and your buddies have been around the French Quarter for the last two weeks asking everybody
43:50who could about Razzle Dazzle, Cajun Bingo, but throwing a whole bunch of names around
43:56that you shouldn't know.
43:57So I'm going to ask you again, Connor.
43:59Who are you?
44:00I'm here with my buddies.
44:01We're here to find out about the Razzle so I can play a game of the Razzle.
44:04You've seen me with the cameras, buddy.
44:07Do you understand this?
44:08I do.
44:08You've seen me with cameras.
44:09I've been filming all over New Orleans.
44:11I've been filming with people who do all kinds of things all over New Orleans.
44:15I just want to know about the kind of things that happen, the kind of things that happen
44:19in the shadows.
44:20When are you leaving New Orleans?
44:21I'm leaving New Orleans on Thursday.
44:22That's probably a good fucking idea.
44:24Let me go ahead and tell you about it.
44:25For years we've been taking suckers money, a couple hundred or a couple thousand dollars
44:29at a time on Bourbon Street.
44:30We've been doing it with a razzle-dazzle, a sleight of hand, a three-card Monty, whatever
44:35you want to call it.
44:36Well, then we got busted, so we changed it.
44:38Now we look for big marks.
44:40We look for people with a lot to lose and a whole lot to gain.
44:45Then we take their money.
44:46We take every last penny we can.
44:47Now you want the real game?
44:48You want to know what these people are willing to bet?
44:50What they're willing to play to get out of the gambling debt and the problems and the
44:53greed and the lust that they've chased after?
44:55Get out of those problems?
44:56Here's your game.
44:59That's a bullet.
44:59That's one bullet and a six-shooter.
45:01No one will do this.
45:03They'll get the fuck up on the walkout like you're about to do.
45:06Because they don't have the balls to play the way we play Canjibigo down here.
45:11That's...
45:12Now, do you still want to play?
45:13That's what I'm...
45:14Do you still want the razzle-dazzle?
45:15Do you still want to talk about the Dixie Mafia and our fucking operations in our city?
45:18Or do you want to get the fuck out of New Orleans on the next plane?
45:22I might have seen her.
45:23It's time to go.
45:42The Game of Russian Roulette.
45:45Are you joking me?
45:46Do you want to play Russian Roulette?
45:50Odds are 5-1.
45:53The stakes are way too high, man, way, way too high.
46:05That's a scary-ass guy with a mask, comes down the stairs with a baseball bat.
46:09It's incredibly intimidating.
46:10He says, you want to play the razzle? I'll tell you what the razzle is.
46:12And he reveals he's got a gun with a single bullet there.
46:16Basically, what he's offering me is odds of five to one,
46:18my thousand dollars on the table versus, you know,
46:22put one bullet in, spin it, stick it to your head and pull.
46:25Forget it. Forget it. Forget it. Forget it.
46:30Hey, it may be a scam. It may not be a scam. I don't know.
46:33But the guy's got a baseball bat and he's got a gun in his hand.
46:36Do you know what? Lots of guns. Lots of scary people.
46:41Hey, maybe that's the razzle. Maybe the razzle is a gambling game.
46:44Maybe it is Russian roulette. Maybe it's just intimidation.
46:47But whatever it is, I'm getting the hell out of there.
46:50I'm a thousand dollars down, but you know what? I'm still alive.
46:54Did I experience the razzle-dazzle? Or was I set up?
47:00I'll never be sure. Asking any more questions is only going to take me somewhere I don't want to go.
47:13When a man with a gun tells you to take the next plane out, it's a good idea to head
47:19to the airport.
47:29New Orleans is one of the most seductive American cities I've been to.
47:33But a word of caution. If you do come here, don't go looking for trouble.
47:38Because if you do, you'll find it.
47:42That's crazy.
47:43That's crazy.
47:49You'd be so crazy.
47:51That's crazy.
47:52You'd be so crazy.
47:53Yeah, I was.