Macau police have arrested two men in connection with a large-scale casino fraud case, in which a former baccarat dealer and a mainland Chinese gambler allegedly conspired to swindle HK$1.76 million ($226,000) from a local casino over a 14-day period.
The suspects, identified as a 25-year-old Macau resident and a 38-year-old mainland resident, are both unemployed. The former was previously employed as a dealer at a baccarat table in the casino where the alleged fraud occurred. However, authorities did not identify the name of the casino.
According to the Judiciary Police (PJ), the two men conspired to exploit a high-payout game situation between May 25th and June 7th. Taking advantage of times when no other players were present at the table, the dealer allegedly allowed the gambler to place delayed bets—after the outcome of the game was known. In instances where the “banker wins with 6 points” result occurred—offering a payout of 22 times the bet—the gambler placed late bets of between HK$5,000 ($642) and HK$15,000 ($1,927), and the dealer reportedly issued winnings between HK$110,000 ($14,129) and HK$330,000 ($42,387) per instance.
The scheme went undetected for two weeks until the casino discovered irregularities during a routine review of surveillance footage on June 25th and subsequently reported the matter to the PJ. Both suspects were apprehended the following day.
Interrogations revealed that the suspects had split the illicit gains equally but had already lost all of the funds through gambling. The dealer had joined the casino in 2023 and resigned on June 7th, citing personal reasons.
Both men have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office on charges of “fraud involving a considerable amount.” The investigation remains ongoing.
