Ingenious !!
Couple hundred thou craftily maneuvered on the black for some plutonium. A dead body here and there, cause you know loose ends.. From there it's just all too easy. Easy life here I come! Break out the pillows Sprout!
I'd wager they're using a beta radiation source. Radiation comes in alpha, beta and gamma rays. Alpha waves won't even penetrate the dead skin cells on the surface of one's dermis. Beta radiation is a bit stronger but can still be stopped by ordinary clothing. Gamma is the wicked-dangerous stuff, requiring a thick layer of lead for protection. For marking cards, beta would be the optimal choice - gamma is too dangerous and alpha won't penetrate the paper surrounding the core of a playing card. For many years, magicians have been slipping "shims" into playing cards - strips of magnetically-affected metal used to allow the cards to be attracted by magnets, such as those found in some rings, watches and vanishing gadgets, all specifically made for magic. It's not impossible to substitute magnetic shims with beta-radioactive ones.
I used to own a Geiger counter, an old "Civil Defense" model in bright yellow. The glass tube apparatus used to detect radiation was concealed inside a metal tube, but there was a window in the side with a slide-back cover on it. Attached to the side of the counter was a sticker, under which was a weak but detectable sample of metal emitting beta radiation. The counter used the sample to insure that the the detection tube was working - it would trigger the meter when the metal tube's window was opened, but when it was closed, only gamma radiation could get through. Alpha radiation was too weak to penetrate the glass tube, so it couldn't detect it.
Beta radiation, while not as deadly as gamma, can still do serious harm, as can alpha. Sunblocks that help prevent exposure to solar radiation say on the bottle that they block "UV-A" and "UV-B" rays, meaning alpha and beta radiation in the ultraviolet range. Extended exposure results in sunburns, which over time can result in skin cancer. Your body doesn't easily expel radiation damage; it can last for decades or more, measured in half-lives that exceed most humans' lifespans. So playing cards shimmed with beta radiation wouldn't be something I'd want to make extended contact with. I hear that melanomas on one's hands aren't very fashionable this season, or any other for that matter!
Plutonium would't be necessary - it's a bit too strong with the gamma rays.
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