Yes, we've all seen 3 Card Monte. I got my first view of it on a trip to NYC as a junior high student back in the 70s. Nothing new under the sun, but...

The interesting twist here, as I understand it, is the use of mob mentality to coerce him into thinking it was "his turn" to play on account of where he was standing. Usually, you're intimidated into playing the second time. Now, you're bullied to play the first time. New twist on an old con, if you will.

The "You're a winner"/"Show your money" non sequitor combination is quite common in travel scams. I remember my wife's college roommate getting suckered on this. She "won" travel vouchers for cruises to God-knows-where (which, of course, were unusable and worthless), but mysteriously had to pay $300 in "handling expenses". If you're really a winner, money shouldn't be going out of your wallet.