The Judiciary Police have uncovered another case of fake gaming chips in circulation after a mainland criminal syndicate was found to have used 412 fake chips with a face value of HK$1,000 each in a casino at Zona Nova de Aterros do Porto Exterior on the Macau peninsula. The casino reportedly suffered a loss of HK$4.12 million (US$528,400).
The case took place on the night of 28 August when a 24-year-old mainland man entered the casino and exchanged 10 fake chips with a face value of HK$1,000 with the dealer for a real chip with a face value of HK$10,000. The man repeated this at a number of gaming tables but did not place any bets during this period, which attracted the attention of a supervisor. Security guards later stopped the man for inspection.
After investigation, casino staff found that the 10 chips exchanged between the man and dealers table were suspicious, and immediately called police for assistance. Police arrived at the scene to find that the chips used by the man were fake, while 70 more fake chips with a face value of HK$1,000 each were found on his person.
After he was arrested, the man claimed that he had successfully used 60 fake chips at the casino, and that he had brought the fake chips to Macau to exchange them as instructed by his superiors on the mainland, receiving a reward of HK$1,000 for doing so. Police later discovered that two other men had used the same technique to defraud the casino. Those two men fled the casino after the first was arrested.
Subsequently, a casino inventory check revealed 412 fake chips, costing the casino HK$4.12 million.
The noted that this was a team operation with a clear division of labor, with a number of suspects entering the casino and exchanging fake chips for real ones at multiple tables.
Police charged the man with substantial fraud and criminal conspiracy and referred him to the prosecutor’s office. They also confirmed they continue to search for the two fugitives.
