Four foreigners linked to Singapore casino card-counting scam

An alleged card-counting operation that cheated a Singaporean casino out of SGD 433,730 (or around USD 317,495) has been traced to four Taiwanese people. Four Taiwanese and two Malaysians made up the “foreign syndicate,” which allegedly utilized Excel spreadsheets and hidden Bluetooth devices to win card games at the Marina Bay Sands casino in December of the previous year.

In one technique, “The Sorcerer,” a female syndicate member, used a hidden Bluetooth earpiece linked to her phone to communicate data on the cards dealt at a table. The odds for the best bet would then be calculated using this data by an accomplice known as “The Marksman” using a spreadsheet. The Sorcerer would get this knowledge and place a wager based on it.

The case, which included a violation of the Casino Control Act made possible by technology, was billed as the first of its sort in Singapore.

Tan Kian-yi, a Malaysian, entered a guilty plea to four offenses brought under the Casino Control Act. Additionally named as co-conspirators were Malaysian Chai Hee-keong and Taiwanese Hung Jung-hao. Their legal matters are still open. Wang Yu, Hung Yu-wen, and Chou Yu-lun were included as three more Taiwanese people who the authorities claim are part of the syndicate.

The results of these people’s cases were not disclosed in the court records. The court disagreed with Tan’s attorneys’ claim that there was no proof that the betting formula could change a game’s chances.

Card counting is prohibited under the Casino Control Act and is punishable by a fine of up to SGD 150,000. The penalty for participating in such actions as part of an organized act is a fine of up to SGD 300,000 and/or seven years in jail.

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Original story by: Taipei Times