Macau Casino Employees Suspected of Ties to Criminal Group

Considering that casinos handle large sums of cash, they are often vulnerable to attempts of criminal activities. From fraud and cheating to money laundering, land-based casino operators are constantly on high alert to combat unlawful activities and identify bad actors.

While in some cases, the culprits are guests, in others, insider involvement is possible. This is precisely the case for several people who have recently been arrested by the Judiciary Police in Macau over allegedly participating in a criminal syndicate that defrauded a Cotai Strip casino.

Overall, eight people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the criminal activities. All of the detainees are local residents, and their age is between 33 and 42. Despite the arrest of the eight people, law enforcement considers that more individuals are involved in the unlawful activities and it will continue to investigate in order to identify and detain them.

The Judiciary Police said that the group’s actions resulted in losses of an estimated HK$4.54 million ($581,500) for one casino operator in Macau. However, the name of the casino was not disclosed. The same group is suspected of being involved in at least two other crimes, dating back to earlier this year.

During the arrest of the eight individuals, police raided a number of properties. In the process of detention, some of the suspects were not cooperative with law enforcement. It is unclear what charges each of the suspects is facing.

Casino Operator Employees Suspected of Collaborating with Criminal Syndicate
Out of the eight people who were arrested, five have been employed by the casino operator that was defrauded. Those employees, who held roles such as dealers, table game managers and directors, are suspected of collaborating with the criminal syndicate that ultimately resulted in the hefty losses for the gambling operator.

On the other hand, the three other individuals who were apprehended are suspected of orchestrating the criminal activities. The trio allegedly played an important role for the group with a focus on planning the unlawful activities.

The three members of the criminal syndicate allegedly collaborated with casino employees to manipulate card games. This enabled them to gain an advantage in games, ultimately defrauding the casino out of HK$4.54 million ($581,500).

The recent case raises a serious concern about the breach of trust of the aforementioned casino employees, some of which held important roles. Still, anyone is considered innocent before being proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.