Syndicate member pleads guilty to using illegal baccarat ‘formula’ at MBS casino

A foreign gang member who collected S$433,730 (US$324,100) in baccarat at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino filed a guilty plea to unlawfully deploying a card-counting device.

Taiwanese national Hung Jung-Hao, 28, pled guilty to three charges under the Casino Control Act related to plotting to use a device to capture cards while playing casino games. All charges will be taken into account while determining the appropriate sentence.

Hung, a sales manager who loves to play poker, and his 26-year-old fiancée Chou Yu-Lun, a co-accused, joined the syndicate in late 2021 after connecting with other players at Taiwanese poker tournaments. The syndicate, which included members from Malaysia and Taiwan, employed card counting and a secret algorithm—which was supplied as an Excel document with codes for card values and suits—to sway bets in 7UP Baccarat games.

The syndicate was assigned duties in an MBS hotel room upon their arrival in Singapore on December 15, 2022. These duties included a sorcerer at a casino table, a tank placing large bets, an auxiliary supplying intelligence, and a marksman stationed there. Hung pretended to be a scapegoat, engaging in light conversation to divert attention while obediently carrying out the sorcerer’s directions.

Hung took part in 11 betting sessions, with the biggest win he ever claimed being S$89,200 on December 23, 2022. On December 24, 2022, Hung was captured when the syndicate’s activities were made public by casino security footage. After being apprehended together with other members, Tan Kian Yi was extradited from Malaysia and given a 40-month jail term.

Hung is scheduled to return to court later this month for mitigation and sentencing. The syndicate’s total proceeds came to S$433,730.

Original story by: CNA